The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1897-06-26
THE SEBASTOPOL
OF CENTRAL AMERICA IS NJ
CARAGUAN GRENADA.
Architecture in Grenada'-Seat of
Nicaraguan Aristocracy-A Univer-
sity TOwR-The Making OF Panama
Chains.

Grenada, Nicaragua, Special Cor
respondence.-In the devious wanderings Of
a dozen years, I have strayed into many
quaint and curious places, but never INTO
quainter than this Nicaragua Grenada-
the "Sebastopol Of Central America" as its
citizens proudly call it.
Hernandez de Cordova, who in 1922 named
it after the city in Southern Spain because
tbs great lake in Nicaragua in front reminded
him OF the Mediterranean, and the dark and
lofty mountains behind, of his own Sierra
AlpuJarra. Certainly the mother-town across
the sea is not more moldy and time worn and
plcturesque-y uncomfortable; and the Moor
lsh Kings. and Caiifs. and later sovereigns OF
CASTLE, never ruled a queerer lot of peo-
pie on the banks OF the Jenil and the Guadia-
TO than the aristocracK of this old sea: OF
learning and ecclesiastical power in the heart
of Nicaragua. The early Spaniards expended
a vast amount of money and all their arch
itectura. resources in its building-the former
mostly borrowed" from the conquered abo-
rhymes; and for three long centuries it re
manned one of the wealthiest and most pros
porous cities of Central America. The old
chroniclers relate that nearly every day
caravans of from 1900 to 1000 mules came
to Grenada bringing bullion and merchandise
from all the surrounding country, and car
ried away European goods in exchange. Near
1y 300 years agotune OF the largest monasterics
on the Western hemisphere was built here
by Franciscan friars, who owned extensive
estates in the neighborhood; and the monks
continued to occupy it, and to acquire more
and more 'of this worlds goods, up to the
year 1929, when they were expelled, and their
wealth cUnfiscated. .....
The monastery still stands, TN a tolerable
state Of preserVatfon-a relic of ecclesiastical
grandeur, remarkable even among Granada's
fine old churches. The city is laid out after
the usualSpanish PATTERN with streets radiat
ing from a large, central plaza, like the
spokes Of a wheel.
Architecture In Grenada.
The houses are all of sun-dried bricks plas-
tered inside and out with kind of cement,
which gives them the appearance and dura-
.bility of marble-the outer walls tinted gray
pea green, pale blue, pink, or lavender, with
projecting roofs of lchen covered tiles Many
of them were Meritable palaces in their day.
and bear upon their .dilapidated' fronts the
arms of some of the MODEST houses Of O,d
Castle. Some CT them have queer little bal
comics Of turned wood before their windows,
besides the regulation iron bars and from
many roofs hang curiously carved crna-
ments, sWayng in the lightest breeze like
the balls on a bul.fig htcr's som brero. Though
the streets are wide and we'll paved, they
have one peculiar feature, viz. they rur
along On dead eve. thirty PAGES or so, then
suddenly rise by steep incline, or fall, as
the case may be; then run along another level
space, to rise or fail again; so that the pedes-
trian is continually toi!ing up or tobogganing
down, without any apparent reason. Some OF
the streets straggle down to the lake, a mile
and hat from the centra- piazza At the foot
OF enc CT them ,eXteIC.cg out Cverthe water as
as If abou. to plllnge in for a Tuch-n eedeG
bath IS an ancient fort-the very same that
CocGova built here, just 375 years ago. OF
course 1t is now in ruins, Gismantled, and
overgrown with trees and bushes; extremely
picturesque from a respectful distance, but
too shaky to venture into, besides being in
tested with snakes, taran tulas, rats bats, and
ghosts, maybe In the scanty shade Of trees
growing out of its moldy walls the Indian
women Of Grenada stand kneedeep in the
water, washing their garments and hanging
them on the bushes to dry.
Seat of Nicnrn 3 uan Aristocracy.
Others wade out farther with the '"ol.as"
fred jars of baked CLAY, in shape exactly like
those of Egyptian women carried in Rebecca's
time), passing beyond the breakers to obtain
water clear of sand. At any time between
daybreak and dark the scene lis always the
same along the water front of Grenada-dark-
skinned women with their washing and tn cir
"o.ias,' men swimming Eau naturel," en-
tire!y unembarrassed by the presence Of
spectators; servants bring horses and mules
down to drink, and a few paraguas, bongos,
and dry on shore.
Grenada stands at the eastern end of the
inhabited Valley of Nicaragua, and Leon, the
city Of the Viceroys, at the western end, the
two being about seventy miles apart. Since
time out of mind they have been rivals, as
St. Louis and Chicago used to be, until the
latter so far distanced its neighbor that COM
petition became absurd. Grenada has always
been the seat OF Ncaraguan aristocracy, and
the social center, par excellence" while Leon
ifo1 Tn dir,
the great revolution, which lasted five years,
and in which our Walker, the fllibuster,
figured so >cnnspicuously, the seat of govern
ment was removed to Grenada. When peace
was restored, the victorious "Lberais'' re-
fused to permit the return of government
headquarters to the Viceroy's CAPITA; and
after fighting over the question for several
years. during which sumo blood was shed and
much property destroyed, compromise was
effected by locating new capital at Managua,
midway between Leon and Grenada. 1t is
a smaller and less attractive town than
either on the southern shore of Lake Man.
aqua; and since 1863 the President has had
his official residence and the Congress as
ssembled there very year. During the civil
war the greater part of Grenada was burned
60 the ground, and the population decreased
from $4,000 to $4,000; and, although that wal
forty years ago, the city has never recovered
IT'S LOSSES and now numbers somewhat less
than $4,000 souls. 1t seems to be law Of
nature that IN all parts OF the world Wnert
spontaneous products grow so rapidly thu
works of man are corresponding.y slow
Grenada WAS under siege for two long years
by Walker and his allied Nicaraguans. ant
the inhabitants suffered greatly, many dyin,
of starvation and the epidemics that brok
out among them. @.
A university Town.
Grenada WAS the stronghold of the Con
servatives, or clerical party, and after al
its brave defense it was surprised and take
by the Liberals Gin 1866, owing to the un
timely death Of Don Puerto Chamorro, tn
Conservative leader The latter party re
gained it in the following year; but in thi
game Of battledore and shuttlecock, th
proud old town was Mellnigh annihilated
Efforts have since been made to effect he
restoration; but her wounds were too man,
and her scars TOO deep for obliteration.
Most Of the people are now wretchediy poo
and as proud as they are poverty-strieken. $
-abor of any sort toward re-estabDlshing thet
fortunes Is quite out of the question. Their
is a fine Old university here, where law
medicine, and theology are taught under tn
direction of the Bishop; but nowadays al
families who can afford it send their son
to Europe to be educated. AS for the girls
nobody dreams Of educating them in tn
lore Of books, beyond the barest rudiment
Il which cur children acquire in the primar
departments Of the public schools II a. "lit
tie learning is. a dangerous thing fe
ma1es-too much OF it would be ruinous, Il
the eyes Of our Spaniah-American friends
THE new woman would BE- regarded as