The Democrat., 1895-02-14
LIFE IN BRAZIL.
CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE.
Curious Facts About a Curious Pee
pie.

OIL ICrFU 40 SANTA cruz klIdllu VI thC
Holy Cross bat was afterwards given
its present name because OF the red
braziI-wood found there in such album
cance. Il is also frequently called the
Land of the Southern Gross" a name
a3pied to it by CabIal, the discOverer,
on account Of four large stars, three OF
which are Of the first magnitude. seen
in those beautiful Southern skies
Their position gives them the exact
appearance Of cross, which is repre-
sented on many OF the Brazilian coins.
Brazil has an area Of 1886 900 square
miles. being, therefore, larger than our
own country. 1t comprises One-half OF
South America 1t has a seacOast line
OF 1000 miles There are twenty
States, all Of which border on the At
lantic, except four; and these last tour
ale almost twice the size Of all the 9TH
er sixteen together
This land IS the natural home Of
gorgeous flowers and brilliantly plu-
maeeI birds, which form the leading
tOpic for most travellers and writer's who
undertake to tell Of this trU = wonder
full country. Worthy Of notice are
they. indeed but IN this paper my
purpose is to mention some OF the Gus
toms among the people.
We are not surprised to find the Gus
toms Of Brazl!ians different from ours,
when we remember that they have
sprung from & race, or races, entlrely
different from our own, and whose in
stitutions and surroundings from early
history nave been foreign to anything
with which we are acquainted.
Brazil Is inhabited by mixed race :
trs., there il the European element
largely Portuguese next ln number
and power are the Negroes; last, the
native South american Indian. There
haze never been any Indian wars III
Brazil. as with u; but the Indian
tribes are assimilated as rapily as civil
ization cncroaches upon their savage
solitudes.
With his complete mixture OF races
confronting rs. we are prepared to look
for some Of the fruits of European civ
ilization, mingled with African lgnOr
arce and superstition, ana the heathen
ish crueltie5 and hatred Of the Ameri-
can Indians
The peop!e are slothfuI and easy
going, and backward in making use Of
mo1crn Improvements. Time Is al
most valuolesa commodity with Ihe
ordinary Brazilian. Patience is their
favorite virtue Frequently they will
spend more time in making bargain
than the article bought is worth.
With them s.inoney saved is money
made, ana they will congratulate them
selves, if. after contending for an hour,
they save as much as one penny in
making the most insignificant trade.
There are about thirty-fve railroad
lines in the country which belong prin-
cipaly to English capitalists; but by
no means has anything like system Of
railroads been vet perfected, and hence
a great deal Of the transportation is
still done on the backs of iack-mules
TaeSc nnles so in droves VARYING in
nu'nber from twenty to one hundred
with two or three drivers. They do
not wear brides, but each mule Is tieu
with halter to the tail of the one in
front OF him and here they go, each
one with at least a half-dOzen bells
iingiing around his neck. When the
lead-muie trots the others must trot
and when be walks the others walk.
They seem to understand one another
admirably well. Their saddles are made
OF raw hides, upon each Of which can
be placed g burden of two or three hun
dred pounds 4 great deal Of the cof-
fee which we use is carried thus on the
backs of mules from the plantations to
the seaport towns.
Oxen are tor drawing carts 1t is no
strange SIGHT to see twelve stout oxen
drawing an oddly fashioned cart with
large block wheels, whose hideous
creaking reminds one of bowling
wolves, or the midnight music of back
ward cats The drivers of these oxen