The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-12-20

aud How She Is Courtcd.
Caracas Letter. New York Tribune
Richard Harding Davis has called
Caracas the Little Paris" of South
America, and one comes to the gay
little city prepared to see it from his
point of view. In 1912 the city. or, at
any rate. the greater part of it. was
destroyed by an earthquake This is
now an almost entirely forgotten dis
aster But it left its ineradcahlc mark.
a huge crevice. some fifty feet in depth,
cuts across the valley, and over this
innumerable bridges have been built.
There is no barren, cracked appearance
TO the landscape. and 1t is not at all
the narrow little hole Of the geography
pictures, but wide and deep. like the
bed Of river ON each side are wine
gardens, where the tables are set out
under palm trees, and the earthquake
hole itself is all overgrown with trail
ing vines and bamboo.
The iron bridge. puCntc de hicrro, is
the most imposing of all tn" Caracas
bridges. 1t was erected by that illus
trlous American" Guzman Blanco. and
spans the earthquake CEasm at the
point which has become. in a way. the
pleasure grounds of the people. Here
everybody comes of an afternoon to
drive or promenade, to firt or drink
VINE find amusement or otherwise.
Here are the wine gardens, innumer-
able palm trees and gas lights. and
here on a moonlight night the tinkle of
the guitar mingles with the wall of the
donkey in neighborng field
TRACES OF GUZMAN BLANCO.
In Caracas one runs up against traces
or 'Slzman Blanco at every turn 1t
is true that he is an exile now, ard in
disgrace, but there is no doubt that he
was an important parsonage i'm his
time, and did more for the appearance
OF his native town than any other ill
lustrious American" who came after
him.
Ten years ago Guzman Blanco was
a sort of combination of president, die
tator and Grand MOgul. He appointed
senators and congressman, and, if they
so much as brcathed i'm opposition to
any of his little plans. he sent them,
bag and baggage. out of the country.
He built ornate bridges and laid out
public squares with flowers and foun-
tains, and erected magnificent public
buildings; and wherever he did any OF
these things, of which he was very
proud, he had statue of himself made
and set up in commemoratiOn He was
handsome man-the handsOmest in
all Nenezuela-and was fond of seeing
bronze and marble images of himself
standing around. He lived in magnif-
cence, had town houses and villas and
coffee plantations, and his wife, who
was as beautiful as he was handsome.
had her own especial church and
priests, and no ordinary mortal was
allowed to enter there. But even with
all this power and glory Guzmgn suf-
Tered from ennui; Caracas, in his Opin-
Ion, was slow, and, looking around to
find a remedy for this state of affairs,
his eye fell upon the Roman Church.
The country, he said, was pricst-rid-
den, the women were all too religious
to be interesting, and the eternal iang-
ling Of church bells annoyed him, and
he proceeded to arrange matters to
suit himself.
H put a stop to all parading Of
church images through the streets. To
women was forbidden the privilege of
wearing mantillas, and they were
forced to wear bonnets and hats. The
q.
their place chimes. imported from Eng
land, We're substituted. These chimes
were most comforting to homesick for
elgners. They played Lilly Dali"
There Is Happy Land" and Home,
sweet Home in the most cheerful
manner imaginable
Then GuZman decided that he did not
like th- pictures of st Paul i'm the
q
patron saint, and the pictures We're
not sufficiently good-lO0kinE. so he had !
Ms own face painted on all the Saint |
Pauls, and even then he was not salts |
fed. He Craved amusem mt and ey-
cltement He built a huge French the .
ater, which he called "Tcatro Guzman !
Blanco, and imported Italian opera, |
"flch the government supported i'm |
magnificent style six months in the |
year He had bull-fghting entertain |
ments, and sent all the way to Madrid /
Tor his tereadors. He had music i'm |
In the public squares in the city, and /
forced the people to habits of gayety I.
winch they have never rclinquishcd. |
After all, he found the little Paris |
c' MS creation too small and dull, so |
ne substituted a president to act for |
nm IN his absence, and sent himself |
as minister to France.
THE WORM TURNS.
And when he was well out of SIGHT
the worm in Venezuela began to turn.
The women went back to their early
mass and beloved mantillas The cathe-
dral bells tinkled out joyously. One
fine day the university students went
forth in body, pulled down all the
statues Of tn "IllusTious American"
and dragged them ignominiously
through the streets, shouting "Liber-
tad" The priests mounted stepladders
ana painted out the face Of ST. Paul
in all the churches. The chimes wern
packed up and sent back to their ma
tive soil and Guzman received a let
ter from the "Gobierno Municipal" adj
Vising him to stay away from Vene-
Zuela.
And now he is a man waH advanced
In years. He still lives in gay Paris.