The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-04
YANKEE CLERKS In DEMAND
AMUSING EXAMPLES OF ENGLISH AS
1T Is SPOKEN AND WRITTEN.
Glass of Spanish Merchants Whose
Day of Profit Making Is Over
Plumbers Needed.
Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal


is to be the language Of trade in Cuba is
early evidenced by the efforts of the Cuban
and Spanish merchants to learn the Ian
guage of the Yankee invaders. The more
| progressive merchants have hired clerks who
| speak English, and this class of labor is in
great demand Others have clerks WHO
| think they can speak English, and try to
| learn more from their customers It may
be said to the credit of the Havanese that
! they pick up English much quicker than the
Americans form a speaking acquaintance
with Spanish. Latins seem to have a fac
ulty of acquiring languages not to be found
! in the Anglo-SaXon, and we may be sure
that inside of three months English will be
! spoken in every store of any size in Havana.
1t may not be the best of English, but it will
| be English which all Americans can under
stand. Interpreters are commanding good
wages at present, and at the large hotels
! they have all they can do. Some of the
American officers are obliged to rely en-
! tirely on interpreters in getting around the
| city, as the majority of them scarcely know
| enough Spanish to order a carriage.
clearinghouse keepers are setting up
nights learning English in order to cater
to the American trade that is already COM
ing to them. They are also having cards
printed in Spanish and English, some of
which are very amusing to the English
reader. the translation having been made
evidently by the frequent use of diction-
airy, without regarding the grammatical con-
struction of the language In many of the
stores of Havana signs are displayed an
nouncing that English is spoken within in
| this way:
'Inglis spoken. Our very good friends
| will coma i'm and receive MANY exceIIenf
! treatment
A TAILOR'S CARD.
Another example of Havana's new En-
! glish is shown on a card which a Cuban
shirtmaker has been sending out and which
reads:
THE Cuban tailors made shirts are made
to order. Our friends who find touse houses
the most reduced prices that can be OBJ
tanned at the present Great stoke of pocket
| handkarchiefs under shirts of all kinds of
goods which belong to our stock"
This might not pass muster as correct
| English, but it answers the purpose of not
only showing the disposition of the people
to conform with the new order of things,
but informs the American that he can be
supplied with a tailor-made shirt. A sad
dler, with large stock of Spanish saddles
on hand, has hung out this sign
Good friends Americans, this is the sad
| die much used by the patriot Cubans and
| especially the great general, Maxine Gomez.
OF the true Cuban saddle in black leather,
it is more servicable and handsome as any
saddle in Cuba Come in"
To certain class of store keepers in Ha-
vana, however, a knowledge of English will
be of no avail The change from Spanish to
American control has ruined their business.
7
| mense business with the officers and men of
! the Spanish army, will be obliged to close
their shops or give up a business they have
| done all their lives and go into something
! else. This line includes dealers in buttons,
| gold lace and similar equipments, who did
| a thriving business; uniform makers cap
/ makers, swordmakers gunmakers, saddlers,
| bootmakers and everyone engaged in trade
| with the Spanish army. The military goods
| houses are already packing up their stock
of buttons and gold lace for shipment to
| Spain The stuff is of use here now.
| When the American army creates demand
| for similar goods, an American will doubt
! less be on hand to supply them. A Spaniard
| never could give satisfaction He does not
know the Americans want.
WIDE-AWAKE MERCHANTS.
The reverse of this picture Of disaster to
| this particular class of Spanish merchants is
that of prosperity for those who trim their
sails quickly to a favoring breeze, and with
whom conditions are favorable to a change
of base. One merchant in Obispo street has
laid in a stock of American flags, to be
opened up Jan. /. He is putting in his spare
time studying English. Two Greeks who
| keep a fruit store on O'Reilly street have
| stocked their store with American canned
| goods and fancy groceries They already
| have a good demand for their new supplies.
| Goods of that character have never been sold
| in any quantity in Havana. Such simple
| things 9S cracked wheat or hominy are not
| to be obtained, except after a long search. A
ri str will hn
| one of the necessary institutions of Havana
as soon as the occupation takes place.
Another line of business that needs people
| with knowledge of English and with Amer
| lean IDEAS is plumbing. Sanitary plumbing
| IS unknown here. The sanitary conditions of
| the houses OF Havana are too bad to talk
| about in a newspaper. AS soon as General
| Brooke takes hold of affairs here his first
| act Will probably be the ordering of a general
| cleaning out of all water closets. The clean
| ing of the Augean stable will fall into in
| significance as a sanitary undertaking com
| pared with this job and nobody can do the
work better than American plumbers. The
Cubans never like to do such things prop
smell they think it disposed Of AS a result
/ Of this covering-up policy, every sewer in
| Havana is choked to the tops of the houses.
| Here, therefore, is a line of business that
| natives cannot handle successfully, though
they might know English perfectly. Some
| thing more than a knowledge OF English is
| required to make a good plumber.
| In other lines of trade the change from
! one language to another will be satisfactory
| and helpful In social life. also, there is
bound to be more or less effort to introduce
English, though the Spanish and Cuban
women are not as quick to learn languages
| as the men, being more indolent. Where
| personal gain is involved. however, the Ian
| guage comes quickly and even now the
| soldiers Of Uncle Sans blue columns are
/ hailed with Hello. Charliei' very often as
they march past shaded window behind
/ which sit dark-eyed and dark-skinned Sc
noritas 1t may be said in passing that in
| these cases all soldiers are named Charlie
| Even the beggars here are learning En-
| glish, and where the little half-starved girls
who hang around the hotels were whining
"uno centavo' a fortnight ago. they are now
! asking for ''one cent, please" 1 saw an old
| sinner to-day on the sidewalk, sitting with
| his back to a wall in a shady part of the
Prado. with hideously deformed foot
| thrust out as an appeal to the sympathetic
| Seeing an American from affair." he took his
| cigar from his mouth, looked at it critically
/ as the American approac hed, and at the
| proper moment said Give me cents, sir,
| . cents" Failing TO get the cents he re-
/ sumed his smoking. l.. Z. w.
A HOmesick HO0Sier Boy.
The following lines which reached the