The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-22
THE Capitol OF PERU.

their beauty. and the costume. ON the
whole. IL good one. II saves the buy
Ing OF new hats and bonnets. and Ii easy
10 put on and take of. Many q seedy
waist and frowsy head are. doubt not.
hidden under those black shawis, and the
wesrers arc never bothered by the ques-
ton which one Of our girls asked her
mother. when preparing for IN evening
function. calling over the banisters. Ma,
shall wash for . high or Q low-neck
dress? The Peruvian woman needs only
to wash her facs for the streets. for the
rest OF her person il hidden. A. . rule.
] am told, she often dispensss with wash
Ing her face. for in Peru they say that
cod water brings fever. and that fire.
quent bathing - productive Of all kinda
OF diseases. There 10 much powder used
and Lima has as many perfumery shops
as any city OF its size in the world. Both
men and women are fond OF sweet smells.
and at carniva. time they go about with
squirt guns and atomixers with which
they drench their fellows Of the opposite
sex. The girls throw powder upon the
boys and men, and women dash water
into each others faces. Sometimes a
crowd Of Lima bellies will catch hold of
one OF the beaux and souse him in a
bath tub full Of water. I met yesterday
young man who was suffering with
fever on account OF cold gotten from
They Co e ChuPch.
The Lima women are -ery devout.
Every other one We meet carries prayer
book. and you can seldom enter . church
without finding = score or so on their
knees. No woman can go into q church
wearing q hat or bonnet, and those who
attempt to do so are touched with a long
stick by the sexton and told to take their
hats on One Of the queer sights OF Lima
Is church congregation. The people. you
know. are all Catholics and the cere-
monies are impressive. the costumes OF the
priests being respondent with gold and
silver braid. The men sit by Themselves
and the women and girls. All wearing
these black clothes on their heads, make
you think OF a congregation OF nuns who
are dead 10 the world. At their own
homes. however. they are. am told, quite
as much alive as their sex anywhere.
able to hold their own in their talk
with the men. They are interested In poi
itics. and those OF the better classes are
well educated. many Of them speaking
French. They are very fond OF music and
many play on the piano. the mandolin and
the guitar exceedingly well. As In all
Spanish countries girls are never left
alone with the men until they are married,
and the counting Is done with the whole
family looking on at the billing and COO
ing They are fond OF evening parties. or
fertulias. as they are called. and are noted
for their ssnsuous dancing OF the vo-
iuptuous waltz. At home they dress much
Ike their sisters ct the res5 OF Christen-
dom, and are as fond Of gay clothes and
the latest styles AZ our own American
girls. The women's rights woman has,
am tod. not yet made her way here.
though there Is a movement toward Civ
ing women employment in places which
were formerly held exclusively by the
men. There are. for instance, women
clerks In the city poston!ce. and the
stamps which / shall put on this letter
will be bought OF a Peruvian girl who viii
bother her brains to understand my poor
Spanish when ask her to weigh 1t and
have 1t properly registered.
Lima ON Horseback.
Lima on horseback is quite as interesting
as Lima on foot. There are few private
carriages here. and am told that there
Is not livery stable In the whole city. The
streets are paved with cobble stones and
the caba Jolt your bones so that most people
prefer 10 ride In the street cars or on
horses. The horses here have the easiest
gait OF any have over ridden. 1t is one
peculiar to Chile and Peru. az sort Of a
housekeeping hackney. which carries the
rider along with less jolting than that OF
a rubber-tired carriage. The horses are
small, but very spirited. There comes one
down the street now. Its rider Is in fun
riding costume. and he would not be out
Of place In Hyde Park were II not for the
big silver spurs on both of his boots No
ticc how magnificently the horse IS appar-
eled. The bride is trimmed with silver and
the stirrups are plated with the same shin
ing white metal. He has heavy saddle
blanket OF fur and the rens have long
braided strap attached to them which he
uses now and then as a whip. How the
horse Frances al he tickles him with the
spurs and how the demure maidcns who
pass steal ally elances at him out OF the
tails OF their eyes. There he has stopped
and dixnounted. He IL STOPPING at the
horses front feet. See! He Is huckling
a short strap ABOUT them Just over the
ankles thus MODELLING the horse. He leaves
him thus without tying and goes on into
the store. This We learn Is the way that
all Peruvian horses. those I'm carriaEes as
we'll as those without are tied. There are
no hitching posts. tie rings or horse weights
In Lima. and II IL police regulation that
every horse left alone ON the street must
be hobbled. The straps used are so short
that they can be easily carried In the
pocket and the drivers OF carts hohbis
their mules by tying the lines about their
front feet.
Women Who Ride Astriae.
Much OF the peddlin. Of Lima Il done
upon horseback. and in many cases the
peddlers are Indian women. Nearly all
Of the milk OF the city IL carried about in
cans tied 70 the two sides OF a. horse
upon the hack OF which with her legs
straddiing The horses neck. sits a bronze
faced woman. dressed In bright calico and
wearing a PREDETERMINED Panama hat.
when the milk woman reaches house
where she has a customer she slides down
over the horses neck and lifts one of
her cans out OF the pocket In which II is
fastened and carries II into the house
The bread wagon OF Lima is a horse with
two psnniers full of loaveS, and many Of
the vegetables are peddled by women who
ride astrsda. The street cars are drawn by
horses. but where there IL a slight grade
an extra horse or helper is hitched 10 tie
side OF the team. This horse is not driven
as In the United States, but ridden BY a
boy In saddle. who has long spurs with
which he keeps the horse up 10 his work.
All sorts OF things are pessdied on donkeys
ridden by men or boys. who sit iust In from,
OF the tails of the beasts with their backs
against the load Of goods they are bedding
There are no huckster wagons or carts and
the drays Of the city are long ,wo-wheelsa