The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-11-09
CUSTOMS N HAVANA
Which Americans Would
Change if They Could.
NOT THE WORK OF A DAY
To Make an American Out of
the Cuban.

| that must continue to mark them as diff
| ferent and alien. We may put in the
marble baths and wholesome sanitation,
| but it will take an armed force 20 keep
them pleasant 10 our sense of cleanliness
and right habits. We may Hibernate the
women from those barred windows and
| guardian duennas which now impugn
/ their own tendencies almost as much as
those OF the men. but We must also make
the male Cuban and Spaniard wholly
American before these defences will be
safely taken away. Then We may put
hOnester, less rascally officials in power.
bring many creeds 10 contest the religious
monopoly that is at present protected land
after that is done there Will still remain
a large reformation of custom and char
acter to be accomplished-if we are 10
convince the usual American tina, this
people is adjusted to our requirements.
There is a disposition on the part Of the
few Americans who have come here since
the war 10 undertake to make over and
readjust the habits and inclinations and
customs Of this people. You must not
whistle for cAbmsn,' protested a Cuban
the other day. you must hiss-no one
here whistles except for a dog" And
his New York friend responded, We'll
they've go; to change that, and 1 may as
well begin 10 let them know #" His
attitude towards the language is similar
Why shouldn't everybody speak English?
Il is absurd, after all we've done for the
CUbans, 10 be expected TO learn their
crr oil nd bnfr
''Why should an American be obliged 10
carry around in his mouth forever this
tast of red peppers and rancid oil?" Vain,
indeed, would it be to tell him that there
are travellers VINO like to find something
foreign in foreign places; he would dis
pute it: he is traveller himself, has
tray elled for years, touching regularly,
for purposes of trade. Me-idea, Conn,
Springfield. Mass, Portsmouth, \ H.
and Augusta, Me, and he never saw the
time when he wanted for things any diff
ferent from what he was used 10. In
some directions l think a reformer like
him may do good in Havana II ne is
here long enough. Already ne mas sew
eral hotel servants dismissed, because,
taking their cue from the represent
tatives of law and the crown in the Is
land, they were careful in their charges
to provide each time for a small surplus
which could be pocketed. Tipping is not
usual. and this is the way the servants
get around it.
He mas spent a lot OF time, too, in tell
ing the Oldest of Havana hotel managers
how TO run his house. Hitherto. when
Americans made any complaint, this man
ager would say, very gently. Put re-
member you have always the remedy in
your own hands, which was scarcely
true. for the methods of the next hotel
would be even worse. Robbery is syste-
mixed. and has grown respectable by gen.
eral practice. so no Cuban and no Span
lard is in the least embarrassed when
found cheating.
Your hotel bill is brought to you every
Monday. 1t viii never do to go right
down and pay it. What is that frs;
charge for Overwhelmingly? You paid
your own fare from the ship to the shore
Ohe ship does not land YOU, and your
own ca.b-fare to the hotel; but the clerks
assume that you didn't, or that you
won't remember, and place it in your
account, payable in gold. Here is an item
about advancing one peso" 1t was a
silver peso which, needed at the moment,
you borrowed from the clerk, and was
worth less than 60 cents; but You are
charged for it 81 gold. because you are
not accustomed to using dollars that are
not alike in value and may not see that
the clerk is charging you 40 per cent in
terest. In that manner you scrutinize
your bill finding at the end an over
charge OF two-thirds OF a days board,
and after having all visible discrepen-
Cies rectihed. so ont 70 a money changer.
and turn American bills into Spanish gold
UnlesS you know the wiies of the Eotel
clerk ne will give YOU change. upon pay
ment of your account, in silver. or about
half the change YOU s. ould receive You
are what the New York street boys term
an easy mark" If you are not able
each Monday to pick out from your bill.
three or four dollars gold)in overcharges
All this is annoying TO strangers bred
10 do business upon a stable basis: and
who regard the rules Of conduct set forth
in Poor Richards Almanac as wise and
emineutly prudent. Men who nave come
here from the States in quest Of com
mercial chances tell me that the Spaniard
is much better 10 deal VITA than the
sharp the Spaniard is square" This
does nor mean apparently. that he. IN
any degree. Is an easy mark" There
are few Jews in trade in Havana. and a
Jew is authority for the statement that
this IS owing 20 the fact that the Span
iards are 50 clever as tradssmen them
selves one Of my commercial friends has
been looking up the need for ice-factor-
les he has learned that in Havana there
IS an ice plant capable OF producing about
eiehty times more ice than i consumed
Giving that over. he looked brewer.es.
believing that the proper tipple N the
tropics Is beer. Evidently he mas fallen
upon q real opportunity IN persuia- TITS
theory. for the only brewery in me IS
land is not able 10 meet lis orders. and
a. II cannot be bough, from is German
owners for less than SSto.eao ne IS return
ing home today 70 recommend 20 the men
he represents tia, the big chance here
lies in building = brewery and cold-stor-
age house combined-nsiJher OF which en-
teTQrLes. although The opening i pain.
mas appealed for obvious reasons. to the
Spanish investor.
To tdose wslo are somewhat adaptable.
WHO do not mind j. foreign places nave
foreign WAYS. and who are not concinu-
ally ootheT!ng about the future Of Cuba
Havana IS AZ th.s capable % yisllny
some charm 6e'a are churches Ti,h ne
ancient ar Of those q Europe. The-
offer tie young people che only means
they have q taking a good. respectful
glance 81 one another on the part OF the
young men. this operation Is extremely
frank and open. ana when / remarked
upon i 70 a Cuaan. he answered. smiling.
.Oa don, thiuk tkat The young ladies