The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-07-12

have few. The windows and doors
are of fancy iron grill work, or among
poorer people of wood. The chairs of
bent wood rockers, and straight sitting
chairs.
The Churches or Cathedrals are the
only buildings very much ornamented.
Some of them have magnificent, hand
some hand hammered silver affairs,
figures and shrines, even the lamps
and candle stands are Of this precious
metal. The floors are stone or marble
! and no benches or chairs, these are
carried by servants for the wealthy
Just before service commences. The
poor people take theirs with them
camp-meeting fashion. Whites and
blacks worship together, and the Aeas
are no respectors Of persons, they creep
and crawl and bite till one looks as if
he had chickenpox. The people pay
little attention to the service and none
to the sermon, chattering while the
priest delivers his discourse.
Mr.. Donaldson has already written
about some Of the customs. Women
cannot walk alone on the streets, girls
must always have duenna along.
One pretty little senorita educated
in the United States said, '.We would
Ike to go out alone, talk to the gentle
men, etc., and we are anxious for
American customs to come in.
Life is taken easily, and certainly
housekeeping duties are light. Nature
is SO lavish one could almost live on
her productions without cooking.
Vegetables are in season all the
year round, those We have and many
strange varieties. Bananas, lines and
cocoanuts are always to be had. The
orange, (the best), do not last very
long and are succeeded by small, bitter
varieties. I had fresh strawberries
from open gardens in March, and the
gentleman who raised them said he
had them since November.
The cooking is done by natives in
small iron pans, supported by three
iron pegs. The bottom has holes SO
ashes can fall below on the floor.
Charcoal is used, and frying, boiling
and stewing is done on these pans.
An old fashioned oven is built at one
side and suppose is used on grand
occasions. The one at the hotel ]
never saw used. The bread is bought
from men who bake and deliver it to
your door. Most Of it is in roll form
and very white and very hard, but
light and pretty good after you become
accustomed to it. The meals are: first
coffee and rolls early in the morning,
breakfast from 10 to IL, dinner from
4 to 6. Some have supper. Dinner
and breakfast always begin with soup,
then vegetables, stews, fritters, ONE.
lettes, etc., in courses, salad and
usually crisp, fresh lettuce. dessert
then last delicious coffee, the kind
that the colonel Of our regiment says
you have to get up and salute.
American Beauty end Marshal Mel
roses, blooming in open air during our
winter months, seemed queer, but
were SO beautiful. Palms of all de-
scriptions and even almond trees
flourish. The Cubans say the Spanish
cut trees all in and around the city,
afraid of ambuscades and so many
handsome gardens and yards are in
ruins. Nature will restore all this in
few years, as the soil is so rich any
thing stuck in the ground grows. Po-
tatoes have to be planted once, also
sugar cane.
The city Of Puerto Principe, or the
port, Of the Prince, was originally on
the coast where Nueritas now is, but
the marshes around produced malaria
so the town was moved back up into
the hills in the interior. The last
accounts give the number Of inhabi-
tants as 10000, making this the third
city in size in Cuba, Havana and San
tiago ranking first and second respec-
lively. The houses are the same as
already spoken Of and the city looks
like an old Moorish town transplanted
in Cuba.
OF course there are lots Of converts
and monasteries, this being a Catholic
country. So On the queer, narrow,
winding streets that all look alike, one
frequently meets nuns and priests and
monks, each dressed in black, gray or
maroon, according to his or her order.
It was on the train I saw the first
bare-footed, shaveheaded priest. Most
of them are very jolly-looking, and