Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-18
The Great immortality Apparent to
Strangers in Havana.
PICKINGS FOR THE SPANISH
The Best Cigars in the World and
Their Manufacture.
THE CUBAN SMOKING HABIT

HAVANA, Cuba, January IL. 1885.
If Havana is not the wickedest city in the
world it is not the fault of the Spanish
government or the Spaniards. The main
purpose of government in Cuba seems to
be to get revenue for Spain and fat pick
ings for the officials, both high and low,
sent out from Spain. Little seems to be
done to better the condition Of the people,
or in the way Of restraints, or education,
to promote the morals of the community.
The Spaniard seems to have little interest
in permanent improvements, or in the
moral welfare of the community. There is
more visible vice in Havana, perhaps, than
in any city of the world Nightly in a
theater in the center of the city dances are
given beside which the exhibitions in the
Midway Plaisance at Chicago, that SO
shocked Americans, would be almost
prudish. There are many streets in the
city where immortality and vice are eX-
posed to the sight of every passer-by.
Doors and windows are open, displaying
to every one in the street arrays of DISCO
lutte women, often in extremely scanty
costume. A strange thing to a foreigner
is that vice often makes it's abode in the
midst of the homes of respectable families.
No seems to care DiSSolute women
are not permitted to solicit on the streets,
but in return for that deprivation they
seem to be given liberty to make their
business as public as possible. The Htera-
ture displayed for sale most conspic uously
at book stands is books of a kind that
would be suppressed in the United States.
Everywhere there is suggestion Of an
LnWholesome life. The statistics OF births,
daily published in the newspapers, show
Il marked disl egard for morality. At least
hall of the births reported are illegItimate.
Among the poorer classes there is a great
disregard of the marriage custom Men
and women live together as long as their
fancy and convenience incline them to do
SO.
Sunday for Pleasure.
There is no Sunday mere such as Ameri-
cans OR Enghshmen know. Sunday is the
day for pleaSure-the day for bull fights
ard cock lights. On Sunday there are two
performances at the theater and opera
house instead of one as or other days. 1t
is the day for excursions and base ball
matches. Business places are open as
usual, ana Sunday night is the gayeSt
night on the Frado, on the seaShore drive
| AID III the cafes. Still, although it is the
great pleasure day OF the week, business
places are open as usual. The stores, the
| markets, every establishment does bust
hess. One explanation of this is that the
SpaniardS employed in the stores and ware
houses have no homes; they live in the
stores. Ihey sleep and eat in them, and
when Sunday comes they go usual
as they have nothing else to do. How
ever wicked Havana people may Ne, one
thing they can boast of is sobriety. There
are many cafes here where liquors are
sold, and in the evening and most OF the
day they are thronged. The Havana
''rounders love billiards and dominoes.
1T nearly every corner one viii see drink
| ing places with half score of men sit
| ting at tables playing dominoes. but he
will never see any one intoxicated. The
faVorite tipple is gin, but ii is drunk much
diluted. Light Spanish wines are consum-
ed "a great deal, but many of those Who go
20 the drinking places drink coffee or milk
or light drinks, "refrescoes,' made from
| native fruits. The only persons l have
seen drunk in Havana were some sailors
from a British warship. One of them who
was staggering in the streets was followed
by a crowd of urchins, to whom the sight
OF a drunken man was quite a novelty.
No Smoking in Church.
1 have never seen a Havana man smok-
ing in church It's about the only place
where he does not smoke. He smokes in
the street cars he smokes at the public
dining table, he smokes everywhere. The
presence Of women is not considered at all
When coffee is brought on the table the
Spanard or Cuban lights his cigar or CT
gazette and begins to send up clouds of
smoke. He never even thinks of saying to
the ladies, by your leave" for the custom
of the country is to smoke everywhere. On
the railway trains there is no smoking
compartment, for a man is privileged, and
in fact, expected, to smoke everyw here If
he is not smoking his neighbor will offer
him cigarette. The driver of your coach
will smoke and very likely offer you
cheroot. At the opera the men will walk
and smoke between the acts in the spaces
behind the boxes and balconies. You will
see finely dressed seemingly weli-bred men,
with ladies in full evening toilet, entering
the tEeater and smoking as they go. You
never see pipe in Cuba. 1t is the country
of the cigar and the cigarette. One of the
cdd sights to a stranger is that afforded
by the negro women, who smoke big, long
and black cigars in the street. 1t was here
that the smoking habit, which has spread
around the world, had its start, and the
CuhanS are stiil more devoted to their
cigars than any other people. The cigar
industry and tie tobacco trade give en-
Rloyment to a large portion of the popula-
ton of Havana. In every quarter one will
run across small establishments where
from two to ten men are employed MAX
ing cigars, and some children and women
engaged in stripping tobacco.
There are many large factories, employ
irg, some OF them, several hundred men
and women. Some of these factories make
cigarettes, we'll as cigars. The cigar
cites made out of strong Cuban to-
bacco, but have the negative virtue of be-
ing pure, untinctured tobacco In every
house office building the porter, who
sits in the entresol, is engaged all day
long in rolling cigarettes He has a little
table in front Of him, where the tobacco
and paper are spread out, and he is con-
stantly at work In this way the porter
adds to his income. A vast quantity of
cigarettes smoked here, as well as
cigars. When the Cuban is not smoking
cigars he is smoking cigarettes
The Best Tobacco.
1t is not to be supposed that all the
cigars made or smoked in Havana are fine
cigars. The best tobacco comes from one
district near Havana known as Vuelto
Abajo, and the quality Of that often varies
on different plantations and in different
seasons. Much tobacco is raised in other
districts which is not of superior kind
and has not the rich flavor that makes
fine Havana cigars sought after in all
parts of the world. A good deal, probably
most Of the very highest-grade tobacco, is
secured for the makers Of famous brands
of cigars in Havana.
Some OF the owners of big cigar factories
have plantations OF their own and options
on the product of other plantations famed
for the quality of their leaf But many of
the cigars sold here at low price are just