Omaha daily bee., 1899-07-23
The Poems of Porto Rico.

courts were naked, but the nudity is now
confined to the babies.
The population of some of the courts is
largely made up of beggars. They are filled
with the lame, the halt and the blind.
San Juan has more professional beggars
than any town Of it's size in the United
States. Indeed, beggars fare better here
than they do with us. The well-to-do peo-
pie of the island are very charitable, and
these who have money will always give
something to those who have not.
This is especially so as to the blind.
Blindness prevails very largely, and it is
considered an afliction Of Providence. l
have seen men borrow money to bestow it
upon the blind when out of change at the
time they were accosted. Some of the blind
ness is caused by the pollen of the sugar
cane getting into the eyes while working,
and l am told that the laborers on the plan
tations are especially liable to it. 1 have
seen blind children in all parts of Porto
Rico, and doubt not that it largely comes
somewhat from insufficient food and heredi-
tary diseases.
In the cities Of Porto Rico there is one
day Of the week when the beggars are ex-
peCted to go about asking aims. This has
always been the custom, and 1t is so well
established that our governor general has
sanctioned it under American rule. The day
is Saturday. On this day every merchant
and business nan expects a call from the
beggars and puts a pile Of centavos (coins,
each worth six-tenths of a cent?, on his
counter or desk. The beggars come in one
by one. They each take one coin and no
more and then depart, blessing the giver.
The Poems.
The above is the condition of the poor Of
Tho fnurrg Tho ,ao-, o,t t. ~ a,,.,
fare far worse. The meanest negro of our
southern states is richer than a score of
the farm laborers of Porto Rico. His cabin
is worth a dozen Porto Rican shacks and
his monthly wages are equal to the earn
ings of many Of these people for a year.
The nominal wages of the laboring classes
here Is so c%entavos a day, or 80 cents of our
money. This is for first-class labor and Is
the highest sum that has been paid.
The average planter, however, does not
pay his men In money. He pays them in
tin disks, the size OF a nickel, which are
only good at his little store on the planta-
ton. Each of the disks is labeled with his
initial. 1t represents a centavo and can be
spent nowhere else. Upon some of the
plantations money is not paid at all. The
people are given so many bananas for their
days work and their steady work lasts only
lot ABOUT HVe OF SIX months OF the year.
Sunday is the poems market day. On this
day you will see the country roads lined
with men, women and children on their way
to market. Each man carries a bottle, hold
ing it by a string tied to it's neck. The
usual bottle is a half-pint and 1t is taken
to bring back the mans supply Of rum for
the following week. A half pint Is not much,
but this Is all he wants, although rum is
the national drink and he takes some every
morning before breakfast. Indeed, l have
been surprised to see so little drunkenness
here. The chief cases Of intoxication are
among our soldiers, and l have so far seen
ten drunken Americans to every drunken
Porto Rican.
A Poor Mans Home.
/ wish l could transport one Of these Porto
Rlcan huts to the United States. l would