The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-05-06
THE HOME LIFE
OF PORTO RICO
A Very Pleasant Spot is This FertiI
New Possession in the Warm
Tropical Waters.

Three small islands In the Caribbean sea
have for the past two years played an
| important part in the great drama winch
| is spread cut for the inhabitants OF the
| earth to view. Small enough to be called
| insignificant, not too thickly inhabited
| for homes of peace, rich enough for
plenty these islands have, through no
fault of their own, but by the curious
| fate which brought warning nations TO
! their shores, been the scene Of as bitter
| conflicts as were ever waged upon any
| mainland.
| II there had been story of poverty
| to tell, then Cuba, Hayti and Porto Rico
| might have been allowed to rot In nun
| ger and cbirion; but in the soil Whlcn
| covers them there is wealth. and the sons
! of man have not yet finished with a strus-
| gle to get it.
| Cuba now belongs to itself; and Porto
| Rico belongs to the United States. The
| Porto jRicans want independence, or, at
| least representation FOR thenfelves, and
| that Is the cause Of the struggle whictH
| is going on among them-a leat efui struS-
| gle, for they are not warllke people. put a
| struggle that causes many hitter heart.
| No more beautiful place than Porto
Rico can be found in the tropical belt
| which extends across the Western Henri
| sphere from the Pacific Ocean over TIE
| peninsula of Mexico, across the Gulf OF,
| Mexico, and over the Caribbean Sea-all
| dotted with islands and juteing out with
| neninSulas. Even Cuba, the garden-spOt
| of the world. is mountainous, and Hayti
| has It's sterile parts. But Porto Rico
| is fertile from end to end full Of all
| produce for the dedication of man: and
! endowed naturally with sweet-woods and
| growths that yield sugar, syrup and all
| kinds of delicacies that bring fabulous
| prices in comparison with otEer products.
| Nor is Porto Rico a garden alone! It
| has its cities, ana beautiful ones they
| are, well built up with low but ornamental
houses. and with streets paved in way
| that would shame many a northern city
| which boasts of enterprise. San Juan is
| the principal and largest city in Porto
| Rico. It is also the only city on the ISL
! and that was fortified, up to the time
! that its Qualifications were silenced by
| the guns of American warships two years
| ago.
Though The surface is diversified by
many hills and mountains the ground is
| SO fertile that even the highest peaks
| boast cultivation. Luquilo, which has
| an eminence of nearly 1900 feet, has the
| greatest altitude of any of the mountain
| chains (which form the backbone Of the
! Island.
| Porto Rico is the southernmost and
| eastermost of any OF our tropical pos
| sessions. and its great variety of products
| makes it one of the most important. Cot
| fee tobacco. and sugar are the principal
| growtts Of the island, but there are
| delicious fruits and vegetables growing
| in the soil that in a few years Will be
! in great demand in American markets.
| In fact. at the present time, Porto Rican
| mangoes, alligator pears and mandarines
| are products that bring substantial prices
| to the American frutters who import them
| Tie long term of Spanish rule in the
| island has divided the Inhabitants of the
| island into many separate and distinct
classes.
| MANY CLASSES
The wife and daughter of some native
| sub-official may lounge all day in greater
| elegance 1Ipon her secend-story balcony
! than her less fortunate sister who Occur
pies the ground floor; yet both women
! do lounge and smoke cigarettes.
embroider q little, rarely read, and have
! little to distinguish one from the other.
. The best houses are meagerly fur
! nishet-bare Eoor. a Comfortable, six
! chairs arranged with military precision
on each side and facing the table; a large
| mirror, now and then a piano, and the
| hest room of the house is complete.
Food is usually bought ready prepared
from vendors. Among the lower classes
food is, taken at any time of day. There
is no family gathering at table. me
/ purchase of a roll of bread. a mango,
| pineapple. or bananas, with occasionally
| then a. few centavos' Cents worth of the
/ dulce-a. ma tive sweetmeat. prepared from
/ cocoanut or pineapple-augments the days
/ meal.
Coffee is almost unknown to the poor,
who depend upon cocoanut milk and cane
| Juice.
The weather have Kitchens of print
| tive type using a charcoal fire in a
| brazier, or upon a brick stove. A tour
| of seven days recently made across the
| island presented the same bin of fare
| at each meal:
| Morning-Black coffee and roll OF
| bread. with, brtter.
Breakfast, at noon-Esgs, soup. beef
steak cooked in garlic, rice, dulce, cheese
| and coffee, with milk or black coffee or
! rum
/ with fish, entrees and vegetables. and
| wine Or rum.
The food is prepared in part by the
| legion of servants. if the family is we'll
| TODD Or bought in part. but the lack
| of effort in securing it leaves the women
! without much ambition beyond procuring
| one days necessities.
This lack of motive and the quiet
! demeanor of the native make the race
1 seem nlolent
Taxation upon marriage rites has in
/ the mast years changed the standard of
4. morals in this direction. and tbehind-the-
/ church., or conmon-law. marriages have
been the rule These family ties are
well preserved, Il is 'creditable to the
| cnrnmon-iaw system and to the people
that I,e mutual VOWS are kept with great
fidelity. -, ,,,t;,-.
4 IS A story is told of a wealthy Old natfse
,ecar,1ly giving a three-days' fete in honor
of his final church and civil marriage
to the loved and honored Old VIE =.
Si3daughter had been sent 70 New ars
f far ! sstnhv. Upon her return she urged
the marriage rite upon her parents.