The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-02-09

! Cuba a Door man, and two years lat
1 er returned to Spain with three mil
! lion pesos to his credit. So thrifty
were the proud Hidalgoes who threw
down a dollar when half of it was
( due somebody else's dollar, and
stalked haughtily away, sneering at
the Yankee pigs who waited for
their change.
The monetary unit of the Spanish
West Indies is the peso, or silver dol
| lar, worth in the United States about
90 cents. The dubloon gold of the
United States is worth $5.01. The
moneys of old Spain current in all
her colonies, are the peseta, the onza,
the medic onZa, the centen (S5.36),
the escusdo, the escudito, the medic
peso, the real fuertC (silver shilling),
medic fuerte, and medic, or siXpence.
In reality, there are the money
standards in this moneyless country
American gold, Spanish gold and sill
yer, and sometimes the close calcula-
tion involved would puzzle the cru
dite brains of a philadelphia law
yer As an example of this, an
American now in Havana tell the fol-
lowing story:
"The other day | went into the
Cafe La Luz to treat some of my new
ly-arrived countrymen. There We're
four of us, and each ordered a differ
ent beverage. threw down a five
dollar American gold-piece in pay
ment. The smile-dispenser studied
long with knitted brow oyer the
knOtty problem of change, and then
handed me back Spanish five-dollar
goldpiece and forty cents in silver.
This pleased the group so well that
treated again, giving back to the sa-
loOn-keeper the five. dollar Spanish
piece. This was easier for him to
reckon on, and my change for the
second deal was five silver dollars
and four cents. Though the price of
drinks is high in Cuba, it would seem
that there is money to be made in
taking them ad libitum, and the
more liquor one buys the more mon
ey he gets. TO study the thing out.
it was this way: There was twenty
per cent. premium on American gold
over Spanish gold, and twenty per
cent. on Spanish gold as compared
with silver. Thus, out of the original
American 5-dollar gold-piece l bought
eight expensive drinks, and still had
$3.50 in silver-and discovered after
ward that the bar-keeper had swind-
led me out of fifteen cents change" ."
In the Cuban calendar there are no
fewer than 250 ''holy days" Sundays
included, in which nobody can be
legally compelled to labor-neither
the man-serVant, nor the maid ser
want, nor the OK, nor the ass, nor pre-
force, the stranger within the gates.
With such extraordinary Difference to
the saints and angels this ought to be
the most religious country under the
sun; but unfortunately, after nasty
prayers in the early morning. the ma
tives employ the remainder of their
feast day in bull batting, cock fighting,
the lottery, the ball, the theatre, in
stead of in attendance on heavenly
parsonage. Sunday is the great gala
day of the week, distinguished by
the added brilliancy of every street
scene in the best clothes of the popu-
lace, boisterous masquerades process
sion, ten-folds activity in shops, sa-
looms and theatres, and noisy presis-
tency of lottery venders. Bull fight
ing is as dear to the natives heart as
ever, though owing to hard times the
expensive amusement is now confined
to a few of the larger cities and GER
tain seasons of the year But the Gu
ban village must be poor, indeed
which has not its several cock-pits in
full blast at least one day in seven.
wherein crowds of men bet their last
real on favorite birds and go wild
with excitement over the edifying
spectacle of two miserable roosters
clawing each to death.
The inyeterate gambling propensity
of the people also finds vent in domi-
noes, chess, baccarat and a thousand
other games of chance and skill, in
which ladies may also indulge in the
privacy Of homeland seldom without
stakes. The Cuban female goes into
gambling with the same innocent zest
which distinguishes her sister-women
Of Northern villages who find their
highest ambition realized in the "lone-
hand prize of progressive euchre.
In this part of the world every table
in hotels, bar-rooms, club houses and
cafes is in requisitiOn all day long and
far into the night on Sundays, for
gaming purposes. In these January
days it looks odd enough to eyes fresh
from the snowy North to see the mar
BILE floors ofall the finest cafes sprink-
led with dampened sawdust, with a
view to GOODNESS, like Bowery beer