The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-09-03

yellow fever will hold sway here. But
few Americans have suffered with inc
fever. and of those few most have recov-
cred. ] was talking with Colonel Roberts.
of Columbia barracks. last night. WHO
was deploring the illness from the fever
of Lieutenant Olmstead. who was IN
charge of the disinfection. etc. of mat
tiers around the detention camp and hos
pitfalls at Pinar del Rio. and who had con-
tracted the disease. but he Is in a fair way
to recover.
Visit to Camp Columbia.
Camp Columbia is n delightful place
| to visit. The officers quarters are COM
| Portable cottages, surrounded with wide
| verandas. only few yards from the
| beach. and where the breeZes blow con-
tinuously. In the mess dining hall last
night at dinner the bread was blown
out of the plates and many things on
| the tables had to be weighted down. To-
day. in the city, as 1 write. 1 am har-
| assed with having my paper constantly
| blown out of my hands, and fiuttering
on the machine to the extent that OPP
| Grating is difficult. Havana Is a glorious
climate, and but for the yellow fever
and some other removable causes. 1t
would be an ideal spot. The Cuban In
politics and the Cuban in private life,
In his home. is another character. They
i
| gree. A guest is to them an honorable
| charge, to be served with care, given
! of their best, and dismissed-apparently-
| with regret. One can't form correct
ideas of n whole people by the conduct
| of the glittering, egotistic, bombastic.
unreliable side of the Cuban race. There
are few more sensitive. cultured. refined
and pleasant peoples than the best
| classes of Cubans, and there are Few
| ri m
| agreeable peoples than the Cuban
| masses. 1t Is unfortunate, moreover.
| that the Cuban people to a great extent
| have had to draw their conclusions about
the American people mainly from the
| adventuresome class, a class which al
ways follows armies and quickly hunts
new fields of development. Naturally a
very large per cent of this class has
| come to Cuba since the army of inter-
vention arrived. and naturally again. in
| many Instances representatives of this
| class have made themselves obnoxious
| to the Cuban people. 1t is true that
| ideas of a people are formed from the
representatives presented In the majority.
and in this instance IT Is the boisterous,
rowdy, drunken. ignorant. braggadocia
| class which has impressed the Cubans
| obnoxiously. The Cubans were ready to
trust implicitly to the honesty and
honor of every American who arrived
after the occupation and In only too
many instances were they made to SUI
| fer. Stores and residences We're rented
without security of any kind, goods sold
| freely on credit. lodging and board sup
| piled without question:, and In Few
months many a landlord was minus his
rent, merchant his goods or the money
| for which they were sold, the lessees
and buyers having departed for parts
unknown. Hotels and boarding houses
had a long balance on the loss side OF
the ledger One subject which Is giving
me a good deal of food for thought and
some amusement is teacher who Is
conducting the largest American school
in the vicinity. who carefully writes
professor" before his name and answers
to the same title In conversation, who
was a day laborer In the states to my
personal knowledge, who is utterly IL
literate, having less education than the
majority of his class, who murders the
presidents English. maltreats all rules
of photography. syntax and prosody,
whose handwriting would shame a boy
IN the first grade of the grammar school.
who states publicly with considerable
gusto that the reason why gets on so
good with these Cubians is because
learn 'um so quick" What is the right
thing to do in a case like this? l asked
a clergyman not long since. and he said
that It was none of my affair; that III
the Cubans patronized the school and
the children learned poor English. Eng
glish which sets at defiance all rules
of grammar contracted the pronuncia-
ton of the illiterate. that was their
lookout, not mine. Is he right? Cases
on a par with this are legion. 1t seems
strange that a race in general SO con-
servative and suspicious as the Cuban
should be so ready In many individual
cases to accord foreigner his own
standard
The Cuban Teachers.
The great event is almost over. The
Cuban teachers arrive IN Havana harbor
this week on the four transports, and
General Wood has wired Colonel Scott
to show them every attention. The
mayor and ayuntamiento and citizens
generally are prepared to give them
warm welcome. They will be taken
about the city. to Moro and Cabanas,
and other points of interest. given a re-
ception, Il Is now said. I'm the palace.
and will have much that will doubtless
be gratifying to them. Superintendent
FRYE believes that the results of this
scheme will be of lasting benefit. but
that remains to be seen. The Cuban IS
not pliable. / was rather amused at
the comments of The Constitution on
ter The Constitution is In sympathy
with the Cuban in his dissatisfaction.
and seems to think the statement that
much of the instruction impaired was
useless, as IT was already acquired, the
kindergarten, for instance: but / would
| like The Constitution to inspect some of
the schools here. examine some of the
teachers and look at the books. / don't
mean to say the books about to be dis
tributed for Mr.. Sam Small has done
fine piece of work in introducing many
of the best schoolbooks, but the books
I'D to this time In use. the methods OF
instruction pursued. The statement that
Laura Fisher and her corps and the other
professors at Harvard had nothing to
teach them would be taken not entirely
literally But 1t Is over with now: the
Cubans can get back to their frijoles,
arroz amarillo, etc. and be happy.
Dredging has commenced on the Cauto
river in the province of Santiago by the
syndicate which is operating the timber
lands in that section. Valuable woods
were unable to be moved except by the
river and that was not navigable even
for small tug boats. An effort was made
10 induce the Cuban government to do
the work of dredging. but General Wood
thought the expenditure unwai@ anted on
the part of the government, therefore the
syndicate agree to deepen the channel
slightly. and when this Is done the cut
ting of timber will commence. This will
give employment to a large force of men
and II is said several million dollars
wortb of mahogany and other hard