Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-11


oranges from the land to the boats, which
are to take them to the markets of the
south. 1t is estimated that sixty million
oranges are thus annually shipped down
the Paraguay river to Buenos Ayres, and
the loading of this fruit IS one of the great
sights of the voyage.
AS we came up to Asuncion we saw at
every town mountains of oranges on the
shores with hundreds Of Paraguay girls
kneeling before them and putting them in
baskets. while other hundreds were carry
ing them on TO the steamers.
The scene is one that you cannot have
outside this country. Stop with me at Villa
Pillar and look at it. Villa Pillar has about
10000 people 1t Is a town on the east
bank of the Paraguay river, a day or so s
ride below Asuncion. AS the steamer stops
at the landing we notice that every garden
has its orange tree and that such trees
shade the streets. We see OK carts coming
in from the orchards creaking under their
golden loads. Each cart holds about 5000
oranges, piled loosely within it like so
many potatoes. The driver directs his oxen
to the piles of oranges on the banks, backs
bis cart up to them and dumps out the
fruit just as our workmen dump dirt when
repairing the roads. Oranges are indeed
worth little more than dirt here. That
whole cart full will sell for s., and we can
buy all we want for cents.
And still every orange is counted. Those
women on their knees are putting the fruit
into the baskets. They count as they work
and careful tally is kept.
The oranges are carried on board by wo-
men who balance their loads on their heads
and walk over gangway to the steamer.
There are n hundred women at this work
now. and the ship is already so loaded
with oranges that wire netting has been
stretched around Its outside like fence
and the fruit piled up within. The deck is
so filled with oranges. in fact, that the
sailors are moving about on boards, which
have been nailed up above ii.
Stop and take look at the girls. They
are passing to and from the bank over
that roadway of boards 500 feet long
which has been built upon trestles out to
the steamers. Each has a round basket
carefully poised on her head, and above
these the golden oranges rise. The girls
are dressed in white gowns, and the breeze
which sweeps up the river wraps their thin
skirts about their 1.-THE forms. And still
they walk without touching their burdens
and the shaking of the planks and the
breeze from the river do not disturb them.
Pretty Girls Who Smoke and Chew.
AS you look You cannot help but admire
the typical Paraguayan maiden. She is SO
well formed and she walks like a goddess.
When young she is as plump as a partridge
in autumn and were 1t not for some of her
ways you might fall in love.
To an American her attractiveness is
spoiled by the use of tobacco. ] have
thought until now that there was no
greater beauty destroyer than the gum
chewing of the American girl, but the
smoking of cigars, as it prevails among
Paraguay women, is far worse. The Para
quay maiden smokes like a chimney. She
begins to use tobacco when she begins to
wear dresses. and even before, for you may
see naked girls of six, eight and ten with
cigars in their mouths. l have seen scores
of little girls of seven and eight smoking
cigars almost big around as their
wrists, and as TO old women, it is hard to
find one out in the country who does not
smoke from morning till night. / speak, Of
course. of the women of the common pao-
pie. Those who are not actually smoking
have cigars between their teeth, which they
chew without lighting for hours at a time.
Many make their own cigars, and tobacco
is so cheap here that you can get a dozen
fairly good cigars for five cents and leaf
tobacco is sold for a few cents pound.
They Arc Business Women.
The Paraguay girls remind me of the
girls of Japan. They look not unlike them
The features of many Paraguayans are half
japanese, and their luxuriant black hair
is of the same character as that you sea in
Japan. In the back districts they have the
same delightful disregard for clothing.
Very young girls as have said, and often
some of the age of fourteen wear nothing
whatever. The Paraguayan women are not
afraid of strangers. They are good natureI
and will laugh and joke for you just as
i
coast of Asia.
The Japanese women are good business
women. This IS also true of the Paraguay
ans. If you would see smart women
traders. come and spend an hour with me
in the market of Asuncion.
It is situated in the heart of the city. 1t
covers an entire square, and 1t looks more
like monastery than a place for buying
and selling. Its roof extends out over
cloisters ten feet wide, and under it there
tS a n col rftny liroer oh hn11o
court and forming the walls of the market
house proper.
The court. the cells and the cloisters are
| filled with women. There are hundreds OF
them all in their bare feet and MANY al
them squattng on the bricks with theil
wares before them. Others stand behnC
| butcher counters and others have little
tables covered with vegetables laces. jew
elry, clothing shoes.
Stop bit and see how thew sell There
are no scales or measures. That vegetable
woman has a stock of green peas. She has
arranged them in piles, about a pint tC
the pile. and sells by eye measure. Tha
butcher woman behind her is cutting of
meat in great strips. The customers judge
what it is worth by it's size and all meat /:
sold by the chunk
Among the Butcher Women
| But let us go further into the marke
! and take q look at the butchers, They
| stand in stalls with pieces of beef on theil
| counters and strips of beef hung upon
| hooks at the back. The favorite cut is
! strip. and much of the meat seems to have
! been cut from the animal in sheets so tha
| the people buy as II were by the ward
/ The usual method is to tear or cut the mea
= from the animals sides and back in LAYER.
| about half an inch thick. one layer beins
| cut off after another until the bone il
| reached. The sheets are then hung up il
| the market and sliced or chopped off as tn.
| customer desires. Each customer brings
| cloth with her to wrap her purchase in
! and she carries her meat or vegetable
| home In q basket, box or pan which sh
| rests unon her head. No market woman
| ever furnishes paper or string for her Gus
| toners. The most common market baske
| IS a dishpan or tin wash basin, and th
Is always carried upon the head.
! Carry Heavy Things on Their Heads
| The head and not the arms Is the place
| of burden of the Paraguayan women. II
| we stand a moment at the corner of the
market we can see all sorts of curious
/ things coming and going on the heads
| Of women. There comes q girl now at
| two-forty pace with a demijohn on hel
| crown and load of wood in her arms
| Her black face is wrapped in black shaw
| and her black legs show out under heI
~ L.. l. -, L.