The Washington bee., 1899-03-11

CHURCH OF MONS ERRATE, MATANZAS
saints and angels this ought to be the
most religious country under the sun;
but. unfortunately, after hasty prayers
in the early morning the natives EN-
ploy the remainder of their feast days
in bull-baiting, cOck-tighting. the lot
terry. the ball, the theatre, instead of
attendance on heavenly personages.
Sunday is the great gala day of
the week, distinguished by the
added brillancy of every street
scene in the lest cl"rEeS oe the
populace, boisterous masquerade pro-
cessions, tenfold activity in shops, sa-
looms and theatres, and noisy persist
ency of lottery vendors. Bull fighting
is as dear to the native heart as ever,
though owing to hard times the eX-
penSive amusement is now confined to
a few of the larger cities and certain
seasons of the year. But the Cuban
village must be poor indeed which has
not it's several cock-pits in full blast at
least one day in seven, wherein crowds
of men bet their last real on favOrite
birds and 90 wild with excitement over
the edifying spectacle of two miser
able rOoSterS clawing each other to
death.
The inveterate gambling propensity
of the people also finds vent in domin-
oes. chess. baccarat and thousand
other games of chance and skill, if
which women may also indulge in the
privacy Of home-and seldom without
atakes: The Cuban female goes into
gambling with the san, mn ..,nnaGeHHeefnt zest
/ ;al, iStin oh hnr iSta
| 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. barrooms, clubhouses and caf IS
is in requisition all day long and far
! into the night on Sundays for gaming
! purposes.
The funniest thing in the line of
! drinking is TO see the Cubans imbibe
water from monkey Jug" or perone.
The vessel, by the way. which is found
| in every house and hotel bed room, is
delight TO the foreigner. not only by
reason of its artistic beauty. but be-
cause it keeps the water cool in q COM
| paritiyely iceleSs country. There are
| jugs and jugs of varying shapes and
/ signs. The commonest are round and
slender, with two holes in each near
! the handle. which is on top One hole
! through which to pour the water into
/ the jug, and the other. in knot
! which marks the place, is not larger
| than the hollow of goose quill. 1t is
the old story of the bung and the spigot.
Filled with water, the jug is hung on
| a peg or aGy convenient projection in
a spot that is draughty. The currents
OF air cause the thick. porous clay to
perSpire, like like a patient recovering
from Santiago fever" and the result is
that the water is rendered cool and
wholesome. The Cuban fashion of
drinking is not to touch the vessel
with the lips, but open the mouth wide,
! and, holding the jug up, to tilt it until
| a tiny stream trickles down the throat.
! describing a siX-inch curve and strik-
! ing square on the root of the tongue.
! Apparently the highest social institu-
! ton of Cienfuegos is the Sunday even
ing promenade in the plaza, and with
out it | really do not know how the
young people OF the aristocracy would
manage TO mate and marry. During
all the week senoritas of the upper
| class are kept under rigid restriction.
]
and constantly watched by parents
and duennas. as If expected to rush to
the bad if allowed the smallest oppor-
tunity. This system of eternal vigil
ance would doubtless become as irk-
some to the guardians as to the open
ing buds were it not so soon over. At
the age Of thirteen Cuban girl is con-
sidered quite old enough to marry, and
her parents hunt up son-in-law with
out delay-unless, as is more COM
monty the case, some sub-rosa lover
announces himself, or match. salts
factory TO paterfamilias, was arranged
for her with the son of q friend while
the pair were yet in their cradles. The
beauty and charm of the fair Cubans
are as evanescent as irresistible while
they last. Like the lovely wild flowers
Of their island, they mature very early
but fade as rapidly. The prettiest girl
will be plain before she is thirty. and
handsome middle aged woman is not
to be found in Cuba-if anywhere out
side the temperate zone