The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-15
AT SAN JUAN.
With One Exception the Oldest City
in America.

With One Exception the Oldest city
in America.
From the Chicago Record.
San Juan del Puerto Rico with the ex-
eepton of San Domingo. is the Oldest city
in America. The pious spaniards by whom
it was founded called il the Rich Port of
John the Baptist, and to Spain it has been
a source of great profit continually for SS7
years. Ponce de Leon is the larger city.
having about 5000 Inhabitants, and lying
in the midst of the sugar district San Juan
has about $4,000 population, andoifs great
advantage is a commodious and protected
harbor. The city lies upon an island con-
nected with the mainland by a bridge and
causeway. The streets are narrow, the
houses are low, mostly of single story
and are built in the old-fashioned Spanish
style, with thick walls, around the court
yard, The fronts are ugly and are painted
all sorts of brilliant eolors, pink, blue, pur-
pie and yellow. They wear heavy shutters
in the windows for protection, but there
isn't pane of glass or a chimney in the
town. Behind the gloomy walls are glo-
rious gardens and patios, with splashng
fountains shaded by that most beautiful of
all trees, the royal palm, whose plumes
nod in the breeze like those of bird of
paradise. There is a cathedral, a theater,
a city hall, the governor-generaPs palace
and several notable churches and in the
center is park covering about the same
area as one of our city squares, with con-
crete walks lined with seats and stately
palms, but not a spear of turf.
Around this park the market women
gather every morning, selling poultry, eggs,
vegetables and flowers, and in the evening
| it Is filled with the higher classes of the
population, listening to the music of mil
| itary band. The young women are beauh-
| full, particularly those of mixed blood, but
they conceal their attractions so far as
! possible by the excessive use of face pow
der, which makes them look as if they had
plunged their heads into a flour barrel.
| observed phenomena at San Juan, and
the same at Ponce de Leon for which L
| have never been able 10 obtain a salts
factory explanation The old negresses
| who sit around the market place and the
/ shady street corners selling dulces from
| large baskets are habitually smoking long
black cigars. and they put the lighted end
in their mouths. Why they do so and how
they can endure 1t are mysteries that could
not be solved, but it is nevertheless a fact
| and a custom that is unique in Porto Rico.
| One evening at San Juan we attended a
| bazaar, a church fair in the theater, which
| is a large, fine auditorium, equal In size 10
anything we have in Washington, having
| three galleries. divided off into boxes and
| handsomely upholstered in red velvet. The
| chairs in the parquette had been takn out
| and a level floor had been built upon
| plane with the stage. This was used as a
| promenade and for dancing, while the dow
| ayers and chaperons looked on complacent-
| ly from the boxes and famed themselves.
The stage was covered with a display of
articles for sale. Everything you could
| possibly think of had been contributed by
the merchants of the place and the friends
| of the hospital that was to be benefited by
| the proceeds There We're bedroom sets,
rolls of carpets, kitchen utensils engravings
and chromos, china, silverware, pocket
| knives, revolvers, Jewelry of all kinds,
toilet articles, embroidered slippers and
dressing sacques, suits of clothes, under
clothing, hosiery, gloves and bonnets, an
infinite variety of articles, which were ar
| ranged with an eye to artistic effect
Each article was numbered, but it was
not possible for person to make a selec-
ton. He was allowed no choice. 1t was "a
lottery. He paid 81 for a ticket and then
waited for the drawings. He might get a
suit of furniture worth 500 or paper of
pins worth cents, box Of cigars or a
lace collar, as the fates might decree. The
tickets were sold by black-eyed damsels in
| picturesque costumes and who wandered
| through the crowd enucing their friends
| and acquaintance with various coquettish
| motions to patronize them. The numbers
| were printed upon little slips of paper of
| different colors, which We're rolled up like
| the old-fashioned lamp lighter, and it was
not considered good form to open them un-
til the drawing took place, so that the au-
| dience might share the surprise of the
purchaser. The drawing was postponed I'M
| I'll very late in the evening, because the
| managers insisted that all the tickets
should be sold first, and finally those who
! had bought one or twoswere compelled to
| purchase more.
Then graceful Spaniard mounted the
platform like an auctioneer, and with few
humorous introductory words invited the
people to pass up their tickets. He an
| nounced the names and the numbers which
were recorded by a clerk, and then pro-
| duced the corresponding articles on the
| stage. OF course there was a great deal of
fun. as you may well imagine. Bachelors
drew cradles and articles that pertained
only to the feminine side of life, while Sc
/ date dowagers were presented with rag ba-
| bies and other equally Inappropriate
| things. Each announcement was greeted
| with a shout and several times when a
prominent or popular citizen drew an &C.
| centric prize he would have it put up at
| auction and sold TO the highest bidder to
| add a little more to the charity fund At
the close of the drawing an orchestra APP
peared and the rest Of the night was spent
in dancing.
SIT ON THE FLOOR.
|