The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-20

mortal. The type Of Cuba is also that
| OF Spain, the mother country. Bru-
nettes prevail and blondes are the
rarity. The large eyes black as night.
the peachblow complexion mature as
sisted and improved), hair abundant,
dark and glossy as a ravens wing;
| gracefully nodded. voluptuous form
| these attributes of Spanish beauty have
not changed during all the three hum
dred years of Spanish domination.
Within the walls of small structure
near the captain generals palace is a
historical painting of a century ago,
depicting the celebration of the first
mass In Havana. The artist took his
subject from the then existing nobil-
ity Of the island, and in complexion
tint, cast of delicate feature contour,
attitude. we may find duplicates among
| the ladies of Havana today.
USE POWDER UNSPARINGLY.
The ladies do not veil their faces, to
| be sure, like the oriental odalisques,
though they protect them with powder
unsparingly and unblushingly applied
! Visit any school in the land and you
| will find teacher and scholar alike
| wearing this mask Of beauty Even the
| pupils of the art schools, as well as
the workwomen in the cigar shops, use
| the powdery protection against the
suns rays. On every easel in the art
| academy and on the bench by the side
of every woman engaged in rolling Gig
arctic or cigar lies a little box of pow
der and a rabbits foot. There is moth
! ing unusual in this public use Of the
| article, since its application is so uni
versal, through long custom, and all
ladies regard it as an indispensable
| adjunct of the toilet, and absolutely
necessary to make them attractive,
| which is or should be their highest am
| bition.
The range of household occupations
is not large, consisting chiefly of en-
| broidery and needle work. In the high
er vocatlOns few of them are employed,
| though now and then one attains to
| local distinction In sculpture or paint
| ing. Prohibited pleasures are many,
and those in which women may indulge
very few indeed. 1t is during the car
niVal season they are allowed the great
est privileges. The carnival, or the
| farewell festival to the flesh ito inter-
| pret literally, the term, ''carne vale'D,
| though of Roman origin. has been en-
| Enthusiastically adopted by all the Latin
| Americans. Havana Is full Of churches
| and on Sundays the churches are full
| Of women and children, with here and
there man, whom, II you would find,
you must seek at the clubs and on the
plazas in the afternoon, or at the cock
pit betting on his favorite birds.
| BAL DE MASCARA
| While all carnival days are happy
ones, filled with rejoicings and relax
alton, it is the last Sunday of the
Fiesta" the last night before Shrove
| Tuesday, that is looked forward to
with the keenest anticipation by the
fair sex, for on that night takes place
| the great bal de mascara" or mas
querade, ball at which no member of
the Cuban -four hundred" will fail
to be present. In Havana the scene
of this event is usually the great hall
| Of the Spanish casino, brilliant with
mirrors and gliding, and decorated with
! flowers for the occasion. For the time
! being true democracy prevails, as the
| ladies only are masked, and so have
the men at their mercy. Many anus
ing contretemps have happened there,
| and the writer recalls with some chag
| rim, even at this late day. how me CT
lesSly he himself was ridiculed for
making provisional love to a domino
he felt sure was his landlady's pretty
| daughter, and who turned out to be
| her mamma.
| When you first enter a ball room, as
at the fiesta of the mascara, you will
find the ladies banked against the
walls, like rare and beautiful flowers
on exhibition. as it were, while the
gentlemen are punched together in
groups, nervously pulling at their
! gloves and mustaches, awaiting some
daring gallant to lead the assault. When
once that is done the fun wakes fast
and furious, and continues until early
morning, when the maidens, with their
escorts, retire to their homes. They