Arizona republican., 1898-04-04
CUBA'S DARK BEAUTIES.

CUBA'S DARK BEAUTIES.
 Charming Women of the Unhappy Island
 Wars grim terrors, environing Ha-
 vana as they have for over a year, have seriously hampered the social life and activity of the Cuban capital
 Yet with all the distractions which
 a practical state of siege produce the
 city is gayer then the people of the
 United States would suppose In spite of the shadow which the conflict throws over all one constantly hears
 of functions of various kinds provided for the amusement of society folk. 1 During the administration of Gen.
 eral Weyler there was a great deal Of this kind of thing. It was the policy
 of that officer to minimize the effects
 of war by indulging society to the top
 of its bent But when General Bianco
 assumed the reins of government
 there was an immediate change The present official representative of Spain is not society man at the best
 of times. Even before the terrible dis
 aster to the Maine he summed any
 thing which seemed to countenance
 anything like frivolity. He has since
 seemed imbued with the idea that the present times are too full of more inn portant matters to admit of any at tention to mere social doings.
 But in spite of official ignoring of their claims the visitor here cannot fail to note the many handsome wo-
 men to be seen on the streets of the city. They are distinct types of Cuban
 beauty, who are evidently accustomed
 to move in the best society-women
 who would grace any fashionable
 gathering of the elect of any Ameri- can city. Cuban women are not as
 much accustomed to- seeing their DOT
 traits used in the papers as are their 1 American sisters, and it is difficult to persuade them to permit the artist to create their 1ikenesses, but those of
 some who are real types of what a Cuban beauty looks like have been
 obtained.
 One thing must be said for the wo- men of Havana. They were deeply
 moved over the appalling fate of the
 Maine. Their sympathy was wide
 spread when the news of the explo-
 sion and death was reported in the city. The leading women of the city i-Spanish sympathiZers as well as l Cubans proper-did all in their power to alleviate the sufferings of the wounded sailors carried to the hospi- tals after the disaster. For time ap- ; parently all partisan feeling was lost , in the universal expressions of grief especially among the women. Many ladies of rank and distinction visited . | II ,,r~I,4 dimmed with tears when they viewed
 the terrible agonies of the poor fel- lows taken alive from the mangle6 , wreck.
 Cuban beauty, by the way, is prob , ably more marked than is Spanish 2 The genuine Castilian girl is offer , wonderfully beautiful, but in all prob ability there are more really beauti Q full women in Havana than in Madrid I or any other purely Spanish city. Int
 impression which obtains amons , Americans that persons of Spanisl a blood are invariably brunettes is [; V mistaken one In fact, outside of tn,
 Anda1usian provinces there are man, O women who are as markedly blond f as any who hail from the states O n England the land of blue eyes an, Q golden hair.
 l. It is true that in this island dark
 skinned women are the rule, but ther
 are many striking variations especial
 1 ly out in the provinces. Members o !. an American relief committee who re
 gently travelled over the island car e rying food and other necessities to tn n victims of Weyler's fearful rule sa Le that nearly one-half of the wome is they met on that trip were Of type approximating to the blonde. Ere quently they saw some young girl wh V was decided blonde Tn all sue ia cases the maiden was strikingly beay st tiful-
 .d It is said here that something mo- h. than half the society of Havana h.
 deserted the city, intending to renal I,7 te away until the war is ended Most en these persons have gone to the Unite lo States. More have gone to AmeriC than Madrid. Some few have gone 1
 Barcelona. but the greater porto H. have found refuge in Uncle Sam's 'l' mains. New York hotels are said a. be well tenanted by some of u IT., H. wealthier families of this city whi !: u7 others are scattered along the Atla1t II |. coast cities. People here have con ,1, menced to date events from "befo - the war as was the case a few yea o ago in the United States Before u it war Havana was a gay city in mar -r respects. There was considecab VI, degree of wealth and fashion ar h functions of moment were of gre as frequency. But until the war h he ended and time has passed sufficient ,.t remove the outward evidences of he presence there will be little of u cd brllliancy which once marked the s nd clal life here.-Havana dispatHh to Il
 Chicago Chronicle