The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-05-25
Just Lazy Leisure, Ages Behind the
Rest of the World, But Not
SO Bad, After All.
TO REMAIN FIVE YEARS
Is to Not Only Get Used to 1t But to Find Life in
the Busy Occident Too Swift
Be Endured

I in those wicker chairs which look so at
tractive in the windows of our East Indian
| shops.
Then the splendidly trained artillery
! band, composed of some two-score natives
! led by a Spanish conductor, played half
dozen classic selections each evening
! from to $50 well that a Sousa or a
Reeves would find it hard to surpass the
| performance. AS l look back on those late
| afternoons spent on t91eLuneta- can i'm
agine no more pleasant setting for the
close of day than that finely rendered
music, the slow procession of carriages,
filed with women, many fair-the sun
going down at the opposite side, and the
soft, cool breeze coming down from the
! mountains to the northeast.
At O'Clock everybody dined, and by
$50, except on opera nights, Manila was
asleep. Manila had an opera thoroughly
fullfledged with italian artists, whose
services were paid for in gold-a thing
which commando the respect of a Philip
pine audience. Performances were given
perhaps twice a week during the season,
and if it began to rain before the doors
were opened, those who held tickets I'M
derstood that a postponement was in
order, and did not feel obliged to risk
their horses and their starcGred clothes
in a tropical downpour. The orchestra
was composed entirely of native musicians
who battled with Carmen and Cavalleria
quite as successfully as some Of our home
performers, who would scorn the appear
IT. H. Dit
ippine brethren. One is forcibly reminded
OF fire and earthquakes at the opera house
since just by the main entrance stood two
firemen with hose in hand during the
whole performance. The oil lamps inside
were, indeed shakey on their slender
brackets, and the management only Sc
cured public confidence by having the fire
department cons tantly at playing pitch.
OF course, anybody that so wished went
behind the scenes and smoked there. In
fact, during a most pathetic scene in
Faust, one Of our American sea-captains,
who was somewhat the worst for shore
dinner, once walked across the stage
smoking long cigar, and took his hat
off to the audience, which had been stirred
up almost to the sobbing point. Perfor-
manceS at the opera often tasted until
nearly g. and there was time enough be-
tween acts three and four to take ones
supper at the little restaurants across the
avenue in front of the main entrance
Besides opera, there were often perform
ances given by Zarguela, or variety
troops, at odd intervals in smaller thea
ters, and now and then a circus would
CHI
Musicales at some of the private resi-
dences were not uncommon, and the
writer met General Blanco several times
as aguest at the residence Of . clever
French woman, who served On excellent |
meal and furnished clever artists for The |
occasion. AS 1 recollect him, General |
Blanco seemed one of :he most kindly !
OF men and reservedly genial, a man who |
enjoyed a good dinner and good music, |
and who seemed to wish n0t 10 be thought |
exalted by reason Of his position. He |
seemed to me to be a man who would not |
be cruel or despodc, but who |
would do what was expected |
of him by the government when it came |
to questions of discipline or authority
perhaps rather because it was expected |
Of him than because he relished the per-
formance
Now and then the cool weather of the
northeast monsoon would stimulate the
members of the club to get up a smok-
ng concert. in which the audience was
mostly composed of the performers await
ng their turn, or TO give a dance in re-
urn for hospitalfties received at the
hands of the few European rostesses in
he colony. On the latter occasions every
Body was invited. the grounds on the river
,ank were lighted by scores of fairy
rees, whose perfume oil sells for $40
pound, and the verandas. almost over
ranging the water. were filed with small
supper tables To stetp in on the scene
n the midst of q dance. with native or
,hestras playing waltzes as seductively
IS those at home. with beautifully dressed
women in the latest Paris fashions fight
ng for salads or ices. as if they had gone
without dinners for week in anticipa-
ion of the event, and with lean Spaniards
rying to stow away enough meat and
rink for days to come-with all this and
more too, 1t is hard to believe that you
re 1900 miles from Gotham and 5000
rom Paris.
Then there was the tennis club, on
whose lawns the few English women