Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-17

this letter Is written. 1t Is the city of Para
1t now has a population of 10000 and it is
growing as fast as the dense vegetation by
which il is surrounded.
Para already has electric lights, tele-
phones and street cars. 1t has a vast
theater. two second-class hotels and nu-
Nervous cafes
The town has a very respectable club,
the members of which give dances twice
a week and to which the families of
the better classes come. 1t has some fine
residence streets, a number of beautiful
parks. and We're it not for the fear of the
yellow fever. which always hangs over
il, life in it would not be uncomfortable. As
il is, nearly every foreigner is in constant
dread VI the fever. and half the business
men carry bottles of castor oil about in
their pockets and down a tumblerful at the
slightest headache intima ton of indi-
gcstion. THIS is. | am told. the best rem
edy for immediate use in case of yellow
fever attack.
But let me tell YOU how Para looks AS
You see it from the river it is low white
city with red and other bright-colored build
ings rising out of the white. 4 long row of
palm trees lines the shore. and back of
these are the great wood and corrugated
iron warehouses from which the Para rub
her is shipped to all parts of the world.
You look al this scene through thicket of
I1asts- The Amazon IS here filed with ship
ping There are big ocean steamers from
Enrope and the United States. There are
Iron lighters shaped much like the whale
back boats Of the lakes. There are scores
of queer sailing vessels and hundreds of
dueuut canoes. with dark-faced boatmea
padding them TO and fro
a Street Scene
As you and you find yourself in one of
the busiest Of the South American ports.
Negroes and mulattces are loading and
loading the steamers. They are carrying
on board great boxes of rubber. They are
toting on their heads boxes and bales to
the shore. The crowd about the wharves
is much the same as that on the docks of
New Orleans. The people are of all shades
of white. yellow and black. There are
swarthy negroes from Jamaica. yellow
skinned men from upper Brazil. sallow
Portuguese and a sprinkling of all the
nations of Europe.
The laboring people are in their bare
feet and most of them are bare-headed.
The men wear cotton shirts and trousers,
the latter held up by waist bands. The
women dress in bright-colored calicos. See
that negro trOtting along with "A bale of
sole leather on his head? Behind him is
woman carrying great basket OF man
dioca In the same way, and further back
comes mulatto with an enormous turtle
balanced upon his crown. That turtle is as
big around a wash tub 1t kicks out it's
legs and asorizinEly thrusts forth its head
as II lies there upside down shading the
man.
Here comes a cart. hauled by d pony. 1t
looks as though II had load Of hams In
il. and il goes by the hams smell like
a smoke house. Those are Jumps of rubber
on their way 10 the shipping houses for
sale.
There are scores Of rubber houses near
the WhaTVeS- Every one is handling rubber
and the air smells as though there had been
a recent fire and water had been dashed
over II. Men are carrying rubber from the
canoes to the warehouses. They are taking
IL in and out OF the buildings. They are
chcppirg IL UP and packing it into boxes
ard marking il for shipment to all parts of
the world Para is the greatest rubber port
OF earth. and the chief business of the city
Is The supplying rubber camps with goods
and selling the product.
Look at the Girls.
But let US take street car and ride
out through the residence section. Para Is
one Of the cleanest and best built towns of
Brazil. II has hundreds of houses, made
OF ventilated brick. covered with stucco
and painted in all the coIors Of the rainbow
Some are frescoed and others are decorated
with wreaths and figures In plaster There
are many houses faced with porcelain tiles.
which have been brought here from Por-
tugaL Some OF the houses have balconies
Of wrought iron and many have wrought
iron work over their windows.
The houses all face the streets and are
flush with the sidewalk Each has two or
more windows on the first floor looking out
on the street and each window has one or
more Brazilian girls ioIling on its sill look
ing out The girls are bareheaded with
flowers In their hair They are of all ages
from SIX to sixty and many are sweet six
teen They watch the street cars as they
pass II they see anyone they know they
crook their fingers at him though beck
oning him TO come in This is the method
or saiutation and means How do YOU do"
All the girls are brunettes and some to
such an extent that you can see the negro
blood in their faces. They are not as a
rule, good looking, and far the honeIiest
women / have found this continent are
in the land of Brazil.
The women here not as far advanced
az they are in Chile They have no bust
ness chances in comparison with our wo-
men They do not clerk in the stores. They
have not yet made their way into the teIe-
graph offices. and the girl bookkeeper has
yet 10 break into the business establish
Elents- The beautiful typewriter has not
yet appeared nor are there Brazilian post
office girls telegraph girls Wherever
there are telephones women are employed
at the central station. but outside Of this
about the only respectable thing a woman
can do Is TO take a place In the public
school or become governeSs-
Marriage is considered the chief end of
vtmen. and so far the new woman Is I'M
known in Brazil Marriage is more o mat