The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-26

600, 900, and as I have said, a large
majority Of these people are women
| The Paraguayans are the offsprings of
the Indians united to some of the best
Spanish element that settled South
America. One of the first cities estab-
lfshed on the continent was this town
of Asuncion. It was built seventy
years before John Smith landed at
jamestown and the Spanish-Indian
babies born then were gray-haired be-
fore Boston sprang into being
Paraguay was for years the leader of
wealth, civilization and culture of this
part Of the world, and 1t was not un-
til the close of our Civil war that it
fell out of the race. 1t then had a
fight with its neighboring republics
which lasted five years and killed off
almost all the men. This ruined the
country. A report went forth that it
was desolate and the bulk Of the
European immigration since then has
gone to the Argentine. Uruguay and
Brazil. There are today less than 10,0 600
foreigners in all Paraguay. I have an
estimate from the secretary Of state
which says that there are now here
5000 Argentines, 1000 Italians, 500
BraZilians and 500 Germans The rest
are French, Swiss, Americans and
English
In addition to these and the 600, 900
native whites and of the mixed breed.
there are about $50, 800 pure Indians.
There is so much Indian blood in the
whites that it is hard to tell where the
red mans blood ends and that of the
Caucasian begins. You see a dash of
gingerbread in the compilations of most
of the people and the language gener-
ally used is that of the Guaran In
dams. 1t is beautiful language, more
soft and melodious than even the
Spanish. and is used by every one out
side the cities
NO LARGE TOWNS.
1 have said that Asuncion has 30. 900
population. The average Paraguayan
considers it very big city. In my
travels 1 have gone through some of
the best settled parts of Paraguay, and
am surprised at the fewness of the
people. There are a number of vii
lagos and some very small cities The
cities are much smaller than the books
would lead you to think. The States
mans Year Book mentions a number
OF from five to twenty thousand. Those
1 have seen have not one-third the
number claimed in the books I spent
some time in Villa Rica It is in the
interior about d hundred miles east of
ASuucion. It is put down as having
10 GOO, but I venture that it cannot
number 5000 souls. Villa Conception.
which is 250 miles north of Asuncion
on the Paraguay river has certainly
not 10000 people. and Villa Encarna-
c1on, the biggest town in South Para
quay, is not nearly so large The small
towns are composed of matched nuts
from fifteen to twenty-five feet so11ara
The smaller cities have one-or two
streets of one-story brick dwellings,
the walls of which are covered with
Stucco. and which are rooted with red
tiles. Some have walls of stone and
are rooted with palm bark The larger
cities have parks or plazas, but none
outside ASuncfon have paved streets or
any modern improvements Even As11n-
c1on Is still lighted by coal oil, and but
rev OF It's people have ever heard of
sewer. The sanitary arrangements
of many Of it's houses are filthy. those
OF the chief hotel, for instance, being
dirty and unhealthy to an extreme.
CITY OF BRIGHT COLORS.
Although Asuncion is older than any
city of North America, it appears de-
hghtfully clean and fresh It's streets
cross one another at right angles. and
they so slope toward the water that
every good rain washes them clean.
We have sixty inches Of rain here
every year, and when 1t does rain it
pours- Only a few Of the streets are
paved. The most of them are of red
SAND, giving the city rose-tinted foun-
datton.
Let US notice the houses. They are
built close to the sidewalks in solid
blocks. forming great one-story walls
with here and there a door or an IRON
barred window opening into the street.
You can tell the different houses by
the colors. Some are painted rose pink.
others sky blue. some blood red and
others Of all tints of yellow and green.
We are now going toward the post
office. 1t is a light lavender On our
way we pass market house painted
rose pink. and little further on there
is a cathedral the color of rich Jersey
cream. Even the public buildings are