The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-12
U PORTO RICOS WOE,
AN ORDER THAT CHILDREN MIA
BE CLOTHED IN PUBLIC

Efforts of Mothers to Clothe Thar
SAN JUAN. Porto Rico. Jan. 25.-Gen. GUY
Henry. the Military Governor. has decIdoi
that all the little boys and girls " Porto Rios
must nut on clothes. He wants the children
to become cool Americans. and thinks their
moral rs well az their ph7oical hsalrn son n,
improved greatly by a civilized dress. At least
In the streets and public places. Therefore in
n recent order creating municipal boards q,
health he included the subjoined paragraph.
Health boards will formulate regulation,
governing the proper clothing Of .
children and TX n line for the violation Of such
regulations. said fine to be collected and
turned into the municipal treasury for char.
liable purposes
Before the Americans came the little black
and white boyssand girls OF the poorer uart oi
the community played in the streets Of San
Juan and other towns unmolested. Tber
chose the street pavement for a playground
because they had no back yards. And II. in
those days OF Spanish rule. they neglected to
dress. neither citizen nor policeman bothered
them. for unclothed children. between tina
ages OF 2 and 8 years. have been a common
sight on the island since Ponce de Leon
founded the first settlement at Caparra in tina
year 1903. For nearly 400 years. then. chill.
dren enjoyed themselves. unnoticed. by taking
sun baths on the front doorstep. eating their
fll Of oranges and bananas and by rolling on
the dirty pavement. But when the American
troops took possession OF the island govern.
ment on Oct. IS. 1898. these little people be.
gan a life Of misery and trouble. At first tho
soldiers stared at them. Later business men
came from the United States. aud, taking
rooms with the better-off families on the sec.
ond floor. began 10 stumble over the same
rickaninnies on The doorstep. Camera en-.
thusiasts then frightened them into the hcusa
~ a mysterious shaped box and even paid tho
mothers a few coapers to drag the little forms
back into the sunlight. But the native chit
dren found protection and comfort a few davs
ago in the new health law made by Gen. Hhry.
Capt. l.. p. Davidson. Fifth Infantry. upon
being appointed President Of the Board ..
Health on Dec. %. Immediately took IN for
consideration all the questions mentioned in
the new health order. including the roper
dress OF children. For clothing. the Captain
thought the children needed, at least. a cover
ing on their backs. He accordingly INSTRUCT
ed the Chief Of Police. Lieut.. Frank Techter,
Forty New York Volunteers. to en-
force the following ordinances:
n children " will be allowed in the
street unless they are properly clothed"
Lieut.. Techter in turn explained to the Police
Secretary. who translated the order into Span
ish. that the boys must wear a pair Of tryu.
~ dtlu ldIhcbo u EMU anu VIC ElElS tu tlualN
civilized dress In public. 50 on the next ,lav
the forty native policemen and ten American
Corporals, or roundsmen, began a crusade
against unclothed children. Native policemen,
Of course. easily made the mothers understand
that the children. II not properly dressed. must
be kept out OF sight Of the public. And as the
law took effect Immediately. for the next six
hours. or until emergency shirts. trousers and
dresses could be procured. the hordes of lIttlo
natives were missing from the streets.
But in the suburban villages of Puerto de
TERRA and Santurce. CORPORAL A.. P. Witt. who
like eight OF his Yankee comrades in San Juan
could not speak Spanish ~fuently. at first found
the new health law very troublesome. He saw
plenty Of unclothed children. put as his Span
ish vocabulary consisted OF only mdio. bueto
and 81. Senior. which he knew meant respec-
lively bad. good and yes. Sir. he could not m nike
the mothers understand the purpose Of his
visit. At the first house he interpreted the Or
der partly by the sixn language. He captd-ed
. little black 4-year-old youngster. who nat
urally began to cry. and led him to his mother.
".ndto. mdtO." said the Corporal. pointing to
the unclothed lad. referring, OF course. 70 his
nu iity.
Isl. Seiior." replied the mother.
He needs some clothes"
Isl. SeFor." said the mother.
We'll. put some on him. for Gen. Henry SAYS
that all the children In the street must wear
proper clothing" and the CORPORAL. pointing
again to the frightened little boy. said. MAO.
mdlO."
81, SeHor." repeated the mother. who. upon
hearing the police oflcar say "malo. mdio."
interpreted his speech as the recital of some
crime her son had committed against the peace,
Accordingly she started to whip him.
NO. no, no. interrupted the puzzled officer.
And in order to make himself better under.
stood. he picked up an old shirt waist. wrapped
this covering around the pickaninny, and then
added, "B"eno. bu.no." His oh. ect lesson evil
IDENTITY proved. more successful than his SPIN
ish and English srescn, for the mo her soon
corporql Wit was gratiiGedd a. the final sue
mothers had been instructed he decided that
In order to save time and trouble he would call
to all at one time. For an Interpreter he Sc,
cured an elderly English nesress from st.
the convention, Thev assembled in the bSsck
yard Of a neighbor. aud wondered. OF course,
ne object OF this unusual meeting But
kee corrorai.' He Began ssSigne With s50 The ey st tne aeIt
that all the children. as well a the oder per-
such an order had been issueI by Gen. Henry.
h,ucn a reiormatory measui e. 'the Corporal no
before they had recovered their surprise no
t2ld them that in the nited states all the IL
We ,cnllqFen always wore q proper dress. He
added further that as the little children Of
lotto Rico would be citizens soon OF the same
GoNernment they also should adopt the dress
Of CIVILIZATION, But in the general discussion
which followed the Corporal learned from his
internreter that more than half the mothers
Gresent had neither money nor cloth for
dresses. 80 ne Immediately started a moth
II cans, American residents and soldiers 40
leo. He then distributed the cloth among a
lew volunteer dressmakers, and INSTRUCTED
mem ~ make knee trouser s and short jackets
Tor the boys and little Mother HubbardGio for the
girls, His twenty girls dresses were finished
and distributed last week,
When the thirty boys clothes are ready for
dlstributi3n CORPORAL, Witt intends to have a
novel celebration on his most. which includes
me suburban villages OF PuertN de TERRA and
santurce. He intends to have ali the young
sters first Tired M. washed 10 tubs before tEs
ropulaee. and then dressed In their new suits,
FOR u conclusion OF the programme he NAV
even get an army or police Official TO review
them IN parade; But he has decided that COR
once. at least. the boys shall have a soapsuds
bath and q new, clean calico SUIT.
Corporal John 4. Palmans, the only Amer
lean pOIc6maD who can ADeak Snanish huant-