The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-21
CHARACTER OF THE
PEOPLE OF CUBA,
THE IMPEESSiOS OF O\E WHO HAS
BEES AhlONG THEM
Much culture and Uefinrmeut-A Tour
Through the ten raj rorttou OF the
lsl"nd-Bett Glasses Capable OF
Self Governments
10 tho Editoi of The State.


Cuban question in Saturdays cdl-
ton, kindly allow me to say n few
words i'll regard to this problem.
"A short time ago J. had the oppor-
tunlty to visit Habana and to take a
trip into the interior Of tho island,
and being something of student of
phren"logy and a strong adherent
Tor the Cuban liberty, l accepted.
On arriving in Habana early IN
the morning, the custom officials i'm,
mediatel y came aboard. When nv
turn came | remembered that had
quito { few articles which were
dutiable, and wishing to experiment
on the honesty of the official | called
him aside and slipped five dollar
gold piece in his hand whereupon a
broad grin oversproad his counten-
"nce and with good many mods
and thanks he marked me O. X.
After getting ashore and hnstling to
get a carriage 1 ran into young
man nearly knocking him down. AS
soon as he recovered his equilibrium
he apologized most protuseIy for
causing mo such shock and spoke
i'll excellent English. l asked him
how he knew l was an American or
that L spoke English. He said be
saw mo coming from the Mascot,
and as she had just arrived from
an American port he took it for
granted. [ met him few DAYS af-
terward and found he was highly ed
urated. lie spoke several languages
and had travelled abroad. He was
killed a short time afterwara by a
Spanish officer while resenting an
insult to his sister in the suburbs cf
Habana.
| reached my hotel and after
breakfast started ont to present nv
letters Of introduction.
While in the city l made special
study of the Cuban and Spanish
people. In the afternoon and even
ing | was thrown with the aristocra-
cy, and during the day I visited as
much as possible the lower class.
From my observation (Which ex-
tended from Habana to Puerto Prin.
cip", the CT. tai of the provinco,)
found q gltat contrast IN classes
but at tho same time there are a
suflicient-and more than sufficient
Number Of educated Cubans com
petent to run government of their
own and to hold any Office in exis.
tence it matters not what it may be-.
clerk, governor, president or umbas-
sador, but a government such as
ours uhough it /" ay be altogether
now to them) yet under a military
governor appointed for short time
by the United States would be snfli.
clent to regulate them into system
such as ours.
Our correspondent Of a western
journal evidently never went outside
tho cities Of Habana or Santiago, and
certainly did not associate with tho
arletocracv, or he would not have
spoken as he did. Had he taken the
trouble to rido on horseback, or
muleback, to Puerto Principr, he
would have met some Of the finest
people in the world, or, if he had
chosen, he need not have taken that
weary Journey, but simply obtained
letters Of introduction to Cubaus of
education in either city in which he
may have been and would have met
as many refined Cubans as he could
possibly count during his VISIT to tho
island.
| journcyed from Habana to Glen.
fuegos on a mule, and most every
night lodged ut tho homo of a
Cuban planter, nnd | always found
him a gentleman and scholar. |
met with exactly the reverse ovcry
day, hut if they bad "a system of pub
lie schools like we have here ovcry-
thing would be changed and the
Cuban race would become a model
to others. Why? because they are
as industrious rs can be expected in
that warm climate, and are quick to
grasp opportunities, but having been