The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-18
HOW THEY DO IN HAVANA.
Hotel Thefts-BusIness OppOrtuni-
tics-WOmen's Ways.
Havana Letter In New York Post.

ties " Omehs ways.
Havana Letter IN New York Post.
In our capacity as renovators and re-
freshers we are certain TO cause innum-
cradle changes in Cuba, yet the people
have an irrepressible life that must con-
tinue to mark them as different and alien.
We may put in marble baths and whole
some sanitation, but 1t will take an armed
force to keep them pleasant to our sense
of cleanliness and right habits We may
liberate the women from those barred win.
dows and guardian duennas which now i'm
pugn their own tendencies almost as much
those of the men, but we must also
make the male Cuban and Spaniard who'll
ly American before these defenses will be
safely taken away. Then we may put
honester, less rascally officials i'm power,
bring many creeds to contest the religious
monopoly that is at present protected; and
after that is done there viii still remain
a large reformation of custom and charac-
ter to be accomplished-if we are to con-
vince the usual American that this peo-
pie is adjusted to our requirements.
There is a disposition on the part of the
few Americans who have come here since
the war TO undertake to make over and
readjust the habits and inclinations and
customs Of this people. you must not
whistle for a cabman," 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
got to change that, and l may as well be-.
gin 10 let them know it," His attitude to-
wards the language is similar. Why
shouldn't everybody speak English? 1t
is absurd, after all we've done for the
Cubans, to be expected to learn their
CT oil And fhaf,
why should an American be obliged to
carry around in has mouth for ever this
taste of red peppers and rancid oil?' Vain,
indeed, would ID be to tell him that
there are travellers who like to find some
thing foreign in foreign places; he would
dispute il; he is traveller himself, has
Travelled for years, touching regularly, for
purposes of trade, Meriden, Conn.,, Spring
field, Mass, Portsmouth, N. H., and Au-
gusta, Me-, and he never saw the time
when he wanted things any different from
what he was used to. In some directions
l think reformer like him may do good
in Havana, If he is here long enough. AL
ready he has had several hotel servants
dismissed, because, taking their cue from
the representatives of law and the crown
i'm the island, they were careful In their
charges to provide each time for small
surplus which could be pocketed. Tipping
Is not usual ana inns Is the way the ser
wants get around it.
lie has spent lot OF time, too, In tell
ing the oldest of the Havana hotel man.
ayers how to run his house. Hitherto, when
Americans made any complaint, this man
ager would say, very gently, But remem-
Der, 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 systematized,
ana mas grown Respectable by general prae-
tice, so no Cuban and no Spaniard is On
the least embarrassed when found cheat
ing.
Your hotel bill Is brought to you every
Monday. II VIII never do to go right down
and pay IL. What is that first charge for
ACKNOWLEDGMENT You paid your own
fare from the snip to the shore (the ship
does not land YOU, ana your own cab
fare 10 the hoteli but the clerks assume
that you didn't or that you won't remem-
Der, and place 1t IN your account, payable
an gold. Here is an item about "advanc-.
ing 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 81 gold, be-
cause 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 interest In. that manner you
scrutinize your bill, finding at the end an
overcharge of two-thirds of days board,
and after having all visible discrepancies
rectihed, go out to a money-changer, and
turn American bills into Spanish gold.
Unless you know the wiles of the hotel
clerk, he VIII give you change, upon pay
ment of your account, in silver or about
half the change you should 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.
An this is annoying to strangers bred to
do business upon a stable basis, and who