The sun., 1896-03-01
THE CASINO ESPAN0L.
HAVAyA PARTY LEADERS AND
THEIR UNIQUE RENDEZVOUS.

| formers Meet on Neutral Ground -Cos-
| mopoiitan Cnstom.-Ne-t Indian Char
| acteristics- disadvantages that Will Not
| Prevent tho Success of the Insurgc cnts.
Club houses without first class library aro
| not generally entitled to rank rs educational
| establishments, yet to strangers the Casino
| Espahol OF Havana, Cuba, Is In many respects
| the most instructive institution Of the West
| Indian archipelago.
| In its present phase OF ovoluto the old mess
room house of the Spanish staff officers Is not an
| exclusive resort. 1t has become tho rendezvous
| fmen representing half dozen different polit-
ical parties and the autographs OF its strangers'
album arc us international AS those of II Swiss
ErCmdcn-bitch. y few days patronage of the
popular restaurant often serves al the purposes
of special introduction; n lunch guest OF con-
versatonnl abilities has fair opportunities to
Join in the chat of the club members, is invited
to their reading room. and gets au unrvallcd
chance to study the chronological types of the
Cuban metropolis.
1t then depends upon his previous political
bias IL the acquisition of new IDEAS will involve
the loss of old time ideals.
That's Don Pancho Carde1as. ono of our
Doodle princes" whispers his clccrone, us they
approach n window corner where u double
chnned old creole in an easy chair Is lecturing
a group OF Spanish officers.
rs 1t his brains his bank account that at
tracts such an audience?" asks the newcomer.
| "They seem to consider him social phenom-
enon of some sort or other"
"Why. don't you think IT rather phenomenal
to find piddosO dc rdzon !" laughs the Spaniard.
I" He is really u witty old sinner. and his cigars
would be punrent even without his puns."
Tho old creole is loyalist: but Captain
Quartermaster Pasco reserves that title for the
natives of Spain. "Piadosos'-" Pietists." he
calls the Cuban non-com batanls. in allusion to
their habit Of palliating their pacific disposition
with the plea of moral scruples; and the attrib-
utive refers to the nomenclature of the early
colonial days, when the Indians were bought
and sold gentC sin razOn Irrational crca-
tures). a reason gifted saint we might
translate the BrevetLoyalist's string OF titles.
is he Spanish oficeholder
Mot at present, / think" says the Captain,
"but there is no doubt about his sincerity; he
Is known as an outspoken opponent of Inspector
S. over yonder."
THAT dark faced. heavy set IN an. you mean ?"
"Yes; he's an ilbdnO, If he's not a white man.
and he wears double coat. at this time of the
year, but there ia naturally nothing heavy about
him but his eyelids."
The Inspector is u typical West Indian dark
enough to pass for Mussuman, but the linger-
ing gaze of his lanCud eyes suggests a close
observer and n still closer guardian of his OBJ
servations. He looks like man who has ex-
perienced the risks of misplaced confidence and
learned to reserve his theories for time-tred
friends. But what is an Ilblnot native of
Albania, in the debatable borderand of Chris
tanity and Islam? On second thought we
recoilect that alba is the morning dawn, the ap-
pearance of the first white streaks on the east
ern horizon. AtbdnOs. in Cuban Spanish, are
secret sympathizers of tho insurgents, con-
spirators Who meet their friends in the early
morning twilight. Peep o'Day Boys" the
Irish used to call malcontents Of that class.
The twilight politician strolls about. silent,
and finally joins group of friends watching
controversial sparring contest between a broad
shouldered Spanish officer in the uniform of the
Royal Artillery and pedagogish- looking creole
with black whiskers and blue spectacles.
That's Prof. G.. leading autonomist Ia
champion of the home rulo partyl." whispers
the Captain: Just watch him give those fell
lows n lesson in good manners; he never inter-
rupts you notice, and folks are 80 apt to for
get that rule"
ale appears to use very good Spanish too"
"Yes-confound these West Indians-son mas
EspdH0l que los Custclldnos-they more Span
ish than the Castilians in punctilios of speech"
just as some Anglo-Americans could give their
British cousins points in the use OF the Queens
English.
In the present debate the advantage In logic
seems to be constantly ono side. but most Of
the emphasis, humor and mother wit on the
other. The Professor appears to be something
of a pednnt, but evidently also man Of strong
convictions ana with capacity for occasional
sarcasms. "Oh. that's nothing; cavaliers do
not stand upon such tritics." he remarks. when
one of his friends e1 presses doubt If the Gov
ernment officials could have secured reliable
evidence enough to justify the bauishnlent OF
certain political defendants
Toward evening several we'll dressed Habane-
ros, with their ladies and children, appear in
the reading room. With few exceptions their
youngsters are models of propricty; modest.
polite, and ob!iging, but with q look of preco-
cious gravity about them, and without a trace
of the irrcpressbio sheepishness of young Span
ish highlanders, like that dying Catalan drum
mer boy, who at the brink of eternity still tried
to mimic the call of the Cuban wood birds, and
returned the caress OF q pet spaniel.
Though this breath should be my last one
Yet IL shall not be sigh.
Some Of the artillery officers friends have
como to his aid. and banter tho autonomists
about the chmeras of their leaders, but tho
man with the blue spectaclcs still holds his own
and parties every direct attack with the skill OF
a veteran dcbatcr. " lie once made me pres
ent of pamphlet setting forth his plans in de-
| tail" whispers our cicerOnc. "and | do not
doubt that his arguments were as fau!tless rs
his grammar; but could not read the half of
it: 1t is like studying text book OF pharmacy
when YOU have no faith in the utility Of drugs"
Some of tho Spanish disputants are getting
rather shrill. while the leader Of the aUtOno-
msts is leaning back in his chair, grinnng in
anticipation OF chance for n cutting rcpartce.
Not an amiable- looking customer is he. und
yet he is n white crow among tho birds Of his
flock" comments the Captain. -" He is full OF
pluck in every sense Of the word and just COM
paro him with such dawders as N over
there, or such cautious, noncOmmittnl sncaks rs
old y in that other window. | do not caro-
what politics man may prefer as long as he
| has n little backbone and decision about him"
| Lack Of enterprise and physical energy arc.
| indeed. the great obstacles To the success of
| many cstimable Cubanos. Their political views
are decided enough, but their reform plans
are handicapped by, day, dreams and pro
Crastination, and often by II languid mel
aneholy that resigns itself to pugnacious
evils; Their opponents, on the other
hand. xnre brimful of restless and reckless
| eutrrnrise- uleN laYe iust rnicrrd tho DE rlnl