The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-02-07
TROPICAL TWELFTH MIGHT.
The Day of Kings Was the Great Festival
of Cuba,

From Golfers weekly.
Twelfth Night or the Day Of the Kings.
as they call it in Havana. was the closing
holiday OF the great Cuban Fiesta Dc "A
Independence. On that day the little
children OF Havana who have never
heard OF Santa Claus and his reindeer
were made happy by finding their hemp
so!ed slippers filed with sweetmests arr
such wonderful trifies as can only be
brought By the Three Wise Kings from
the East on their annual trip 10 the West
Indies.
For Us older children Uncle Sam. IN
an access OF newly acquired parental af-
lection. provided such adult entertain
ments as military baseball games and
regatta OF naval cutters and OF men-of-
wars crews in Havana harbor past Tie
spOil-sp0Et skeleton OF the battie-shi3
Maine. AZ night the cafes were allowed
% keep epen one hour longer; an Ameri-
can band played Dixie in the central
plaza; al the Sport Club. the forrne~
Cercle Milltar OF the Spanish officers. the
Jeunesse coree OF Havana, was 20 give
pail m brief. OsF Independence res
uyal ended IN blaze Of glory and ev-
tryDOoy was satisfied excepting only
provost msTshais and possibly that old
lFreCOncilable. Gen Gomez who has or
oered his troops 10 remain under arms IN
vi the real independence Of Cuba. as he
chooses 10 style H. shall have been ac-
tually accomplished.
To tell the truth. some OF US were grCg-
ing bit weary Of the lOng-cOntinued pa
tTlotic celebration. with its everlasting
caVziczdes BY day and no less incessant
tOm-tCm dances by night II was like
the continuous performance Of a certain
popular pupBet snow On the IIa-
a de dOnserT2te. where craven
Spanish Lna-ionettes are thumped
o.. the head by yaiorOus insur-
TectO puppets az every hour Of the night
and day. When / first passed the place
/ found The show intensely amusing, AMI
fingered long enough 10 see several dim
lnUuEe cAp,ain-generals strung up 10
equally dlmlnutiVe guzsima trees b fierce
mambi' manikns. After The fourth Or
fifth night the thing began 70 wear on my
nerves. ana now ! cannot cross the plaza
and hear the barbaric Jangle 81 the snow
mans music without shudeeT Of dis
gust.
Il vas a diplomatic master stroke on
the part % our authorities 10 let the tests
esd win q general American celebration
@ the former spanish holiday " r. dos
&c Reyes.
al all events" say the Cubans. we
shaH not G. deprived OF our holidays
&-d when capt. Sigsbse caused invita-
tiOa5 % be sent 20 the prominent msgn-
IFS OF Havana society 70 yi@E the Amer
ilan regatta IT, Jhc h&rb6r from his snla
mat the crew mad To take - the uFEer
structure
OF al the celebrations Of Twelfth-nigut
that II azs been NJ fortune 20 take yar:
most enjoyable. As Ne mOgnIed the
garEp.ank Of the bagtie-scarrea Texas.
ron brilliant in rev coat % 1hite paint
Ne Were received by Capt Sigsbee. Who
sicCa fdcin. the wreck OF the Maine.
Around him were his officers. IN their
white uniforms Tor 81 82s a. h0t As any
Fourth az July. snd the awning over the
aftsr-deck ptade II hotter for those Who
stood beneath. over the g&ngplsak came
slsr-bt spangled Cgsan officers. With their
ladies' IN the dsmi-toiiette Of the West
Indies. Chinese Consuls foreign naval
officers from the French and German
SarshipS IL the h4Tbo-. and no end O.
American officers. both naval and mill
tary hand played. punch Vas served
aid Couples seemingly imperyious 10 the
h-at danced on the promenade deck.
mere pSs q queer mixture Of language
a. ne couples swept by. and every be,ly
VAS Interested in everything except ~
o1@t races they had GENE 10 see Tn.
e1eS Ia the rigging aksve made 10 for
tEls' and when Texas boat Won enc OF
Ire races there arose 4 great shout from
ne rissirs, intefmlngied with w.lrd
teotins frsin the steam whistle Even the
tain-sr Consul realized mat something
rad happened. and fastened 10 the Uren~
de o. The ship 20 gaz. anxloualy over ne
waters With huge teiscoDe Ciapped 10
~ ~ eye Perhaps he remembered the
In the meanwhile foreign naval orsesr.
ere making funny little bows 10 Cant
ssote Win mufmured "ConKratuia-
uohs- ~ return ne toasted their En-
frfcE% and Presidents xith a zlasa Of res
plheh mat Was brought hins fsr the sur
pose. The foreign eficsrs responded Vim
q toast 10 the American Navy. Then
iafinS reached the zenith OF popularity
l.ey bowed very formal farewell. ana.
descending the sangplank. settled down In