The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-12-03
AMER|CANIZED HAVANA
HOW THE SPNNtARD ACCEPTS THE
SITUATION.
monograph Man in Eyidcnce-Beg-
gars Want Nickcls Instead of Cop
-Buttonholc Flag Craze.

Havana rs taxing on some OF the as
poets of an American town. says a wri-
ter i'm the Chicago Record. The pho
nograph man has appeared in the
prado. his pockets stuffed with cylin-
ders scratched in the United States,
and every evening his suffering in
strument is hedged in five deep by n
penniless crowd watching the capital
lists with the rubber tubes at their
ears, and listening for stray echoes of
the ierky tunes. The hardest worked
record" of them all is "There'll be n
Hot Time i'm the Old Town Tonight"
which by reason of its popularity
with the army bands at Santiago is
counted by Cubans and Spaniards as
much one of our national airs as Hail
Columbia" or "The Star Spangled
Banner
The buttonhole edition of the stars
and stripes has an immense circulation
in Havana. Why they wear it | can
not say unless the Cuban flag is still
tabooed by the palace officials. who
wink at any display of the American
ensign. Most of the Cuban flags 7
have noticed were pinned on the bos
oms of Cuban women. who seem TO
have certain confidence in the gal
lantry of the order publico, Havana's
military policemen. And vet there is
no display of the American colors in
the shops. though one merchant in
Galiano street, whose sign before the
war was two crossed American flaps
painted on his wall, has freshened up
his pigments and marked all his wares
in American dollars and cents. Two
weeks ago tiny counterfeit of our
red, white and blue hung starched
and graceless over the door of a gold
smiths shop, in Obispo street. 1t was
part of an international congress of
ensigns. Chance may have given il
the prominent place, but there was
design in its shifting, after five days.
TO an obscure place at the back of the
store and the substitution of the tri-
colors of France. Three days ago it
disappeared entirely. and the ONLY ex-
PLANTATION | can get from the proprie-
tor OF the shop is a violent shrug of
his expressive shoulders. The Spanish
officers who are preparing to re-
turn to Spain are buying rings
and brooches by the hatful, and am
tempted to think that my friend the
shopkeeper is simply trimming his
Salls to the prevailing wind
There are other and unmistakable
signs that the INSTRUMENTATION of tbe
city has begun. In street and shop
| you meet men by the score who insist
on Spluttering unintelligible Ollendorf
| at you by way of delicate attention
Most of them have mastered the theo-
rN OF American notation. but they all
make sad work of the individual nu-
IheraIs, and in the end they fail back
on their native tongue. The leaven is
working, however, and the first tour-
lst Will find his way made easy for
MN. Even the beggars have scented
prosperity from afar and demand "f'
cent where before they gave you bles-
sings manifold for copper. In n
MINOR way, the appearance of the
street spanning announcements OF
bargain sales, the "Reminiscences of
The Broadway" "The United States
Bazaar" and a dozen more shops with
IKE prophetic names. the revival of
Milwaukee beer and the American
cocktails, and the eagerness of taiIors
and shirtmakers to get hold of Anne
rlcan models are all significant of the
coming change. A tailor in Obispo
street today showed me the catalogue
circular of a clothing firm far down
on Halstead street. and wondered at
my reluctance to order garments of
the same pattern.