The Republican journal., 1897-01-07


of pushing and pulling, day after day-all
day long-before a large tree can be re-
duced To boards. The timber is of a va
riety which takes high polish and would
be very valuable abroad, and it seems
pity to see it mangled in this fashion. Be-
sides the sawyers, two or three dozen
workmen are engaged in getting out ma
telials for house building, while others
are making handsome pieces of furniture
with the most careful and exact labor.
When completed the furniture shows the
same painstaking workmanship on hidden
portions as upon the outside parts, and is
very heavy, being ''solid." In this coun-
try where the best classes of wood are as
cheap and plentiful as the poorest in other
parts of the world, there is no object in
veneerng; and those little tricks of the
cabinet maker, commendable or other
wise, which economic labor and material
in the United States, yet produce fine
appearance, are here unknown.
The population of Rivas numbers about
l., 600. Its streets are laid out in the
usual checker board fashion; its adobe
casas well pastered outside and with tiled
roofs which project far out over the mar
TOW sidewalks. Should you happen to be
in Rivas when it rains, take my advice,
founded upon sad experience, and walk
in the middle of the street The over
hanging caves are provided with little
sp0uts set at intervals to let off the sur
plus water-whch pours gently down the
back OF your neck rs You pass beneath
them on the sidewalk. Y on wonder where
the people are gone, fer at all times the
streets are as quiet as a New England vii
lage ON Sunday afternoon-no hustle, and
apparently no business OF any sort going
on. Yet considerable business is accom-
plished here, Sundays and alI-n quiet
way and after the peculiar fashion of the
country. There are Is mercantile houses
in the town, including wholesale and re-
tail dealers, importers and exporters, sill
veTsmithS, jewellers, druggists and gro
GERS. The shops have no indication OF
their contents on the outside-only sign
over the doorway announcing the name of
the proprietor. Within them you find
goods of English, French and German
make, but very rarely anything from the
United States. This lamentabe lack of
every day trade with our little sister Re-
public is largely due to the long credit
system which prevails throughout Span
ish- America, "a years credit being gen
orally required by these merchants and
readily accorded to them by European
houses. In most cases this credit is not
necessity, the merchants being quite
able to pay for their goods when purchas-
ed; but it is la custumbre, from away
back, and therefore as the laws of the
Modes and Persians. Notwithstand-
ing that tariff i, imposed on imports,
manufactured articles are generally cheap
Ell here than in the United States. Be-
cause of the lack of a more complete
hap hot nj aI
States and the Central American Repub-
lies, all clearances have to be made
through London. The merchants say,
too, that they can seldom find in the
United States just what their trade de-
mands, while many European firms man
ufacture a special line of goods for them;
and while American firms persist in pack
ing invoices for these countries iust as
they would for those which are we'll sup
piled with railroads, the European firms
put them up in bulks OF not over 125
pounds, when necessary, thus facilitating
their transportation on mule-ba or in
bongos. ow-a-days, however, the i'm
pNrtant cities of Nicaragua may be reach
ed by railway or steamer, and only to
the smaller towns must goods 90 by
mule transit. Eivas las several fine old
churches dating back to the days of the
Nlce-kingS, several monasterles and con
vents now devoted to secular uses,
oahk, CLUBHOUSE, plaza de toros
where occasional h!'Ii, iishtS are held, and
a cock pit which is the great centre Of
attraction altef Mass on sundays Amuse-
menus are lie" iol 'lle CENTER sex; Ihefe
are no thea'leS' no concerts OF lectures
ana az tHey may NOT even =" a-shopplng,
IKE tieif SistelS IN Nol'hefn countries
SPANISH euquFt'e lefolas II Tor seholltas
Oh Ihe better Grass 1oi 'he MOORISH hotl9n
sun PIeF"ilS .ilal women are NOT To be
ni'Stt" any Wlefe WIN male creatures
ne cons ana lllaaiSoS nave then |eiI-ap-
pointed cup houses ana devote most OF
ine ""hIhS nouns 70 us @lefa'uTe 'pll-
i iaiuS alo ilquiu refreshments b"t me
la'!les must oe content IN casa, WIN theif
guitars ana ehofoldelN' WIN church
Iestas ana ' az, making ol Vtstmeh1s 1or
ihe saints Tue houses pnllt IN the OLD
spanish S'yie without WINDOWS, except
sucn Sr"1eo openings as the doors nave III
liiehl' dH enclose ceh'fal court yards,
WI w,iele NOS Oh the 1anlly lie goes on.
mere Is always Wen or FOUNTAIN III the
'iiiuoie oi 'He court, win tioplcal trees
the court the meals are eaten bammocks