The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-02-25
FACTS ABOUT PORTO RICO
DIX. BEARD DESCRIBES OUR NEW
POSSESSION.

DN' HEARD DESCRIBES OUR NEW
POSSESSION.
An interesting Lecture I'm Marquand
Chapel Sau Juan Described $3.50 The
squalor ofits People-The Fertility OF
the Soil-SchooIs and Their Poor
Equipment-SoIdters and Officers Com
Quoting Church Much ELSE About
the Sunny Isle.
Marquand chapel was well filled yes
terday afternoon with an appreciative
audience of students, professors and
Yale people to hear Rev. III. It. Beard,
D. d., tell of his recent journey to Porto
Rico. DR.. Beard is an interesting
speaker. The bright flashes Of fun he
introduces and his extremely modest
manner soon win even a critical college
audience. Yesterday the lecture was
of more than ordinary interest, since
DIR. Beard has just returned from Porto
Rico, where he has been on a tour of
investigation on behalf Of the American
Missionary association. DIR. Beard said
In part
The American M ssionGry association
began its life with the purpose Of pro-
claiming deliverance to the captive and
of bringing help to the poor and the
association has abundantly justified
this purpose. Hence, when a country
like Porto Rico becomes a part of our
nation, including nearly million people
living in the darkest ignorance, it was
asked what the American Missionary
association would do to alleviate the ap-
palling conditions
So early in January DR.. Beard, with
others, went to Porto Rico to investi-
gate the country and bring such infor-
nation as would aid in the establish
ment of schools churches and the other
agencies of American civilizations
EARLY in January" DR.. Beard said,
II first saw the hills Of Porto Rico
The island is a paralleagram ninety
five miles long and thrty-five miles
wide. It has a coast line of $50 miles
and an area of 36, 800 square miles, 300
square miles less than the area of Con-
necticut.
San Juan, as one approaches it, is
picturesque in architecture, with it's
many colored houses and red-tiled
roofs, rising tier after tier in amphithe-
alter FORM 1t has many imposing little
fortresses. The city is narrow Qess
than a quarter of a mile wide) and
struggling, being more than two miles
long. 1t Is a beautiful place only at a
distance; the streets are dirty and very
narrow The people are huddled to-
gether in a marvellous manner amid
smells of ever enduring strength and
intensity. Some 10000 poor wretches
are huddled on the ground floors Of
these houses. The better class live on
the second floors, where the decorations
are mostly species of stucco work.
Sometimes the ground floor will be used
as a store or possibly stable, but all
is in state that to an American would
hardly be regarded as decent. Every
where the town is stirring with a GER
tain form of life we do not care to come
in contact with. Some one has said
that certain number of fleas are good
for dog, just to keep him from rumi-
mating on the fact that he is a dog.
Porto Rico has even overstepped this |
mark.
"san Juan has some few public build
es, built after the pattern of Spanish
architecture There is a hospital, an
asylum and some other buildings. The
climate is one successive June day last
ing all the year round, the temperature
usually being 98 degrees, with a rise
and fall of less than six degrees.
There is scarcely a house with WIN
dow panes, many have no windows at
all. or even doors, and there are no
heating stoves. Sowing, cultivating and
reaping come when GU please, and ON |
the same day, if you wish.
''There is no such thing as weather; |
it is as natural as the air, and causes |
as little comment. Surely the people |
ought to live in cleanliness and COM
fort, but the very reverse is true. The
populat ton of the island is 100000 of |
which 5O0, 900 are white, 100000 colored
There are crowded 243 to the square
mile 100 more to the square mile than
in Connecticut All the blacks are mis-
erably poor The vast majority cat,
house and clothe themselves on five
cents a day The homes are cabins set
on poles raised about two feet from the
ground. The furniture is usually
chair, some straw, knife two feet long,
few wooden cups and platters. The
roofs Of the houses ara matched with
palm leaves; sometimes there are walks,
often not. The personal property of the
people is usually a COW, pig, and &C.
casionaily a diminutive horse of gothic
dimensions. Flour is almost an un-
known quantity 1t was taxed by the
Spaniards until it was worth SIS bar
rel; then the baker was taxed, and the |
bread vender. This made the bread an |
unknown luxury. The chief food is
bananas