Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1900-11-10
Honest Pope.
BY Captain Henry Rowan Lernly. U.S.A
Observation-Disclosures

| When the American governor gen.
! eral issued his famous order requiring
| all children TO lee properly clothed IN
/ the street. there WIS Consideration IN
/ San Juan. Previous TO our Cccupa ton
the lower. or wofasu... Glasses had
| never thought OF putting clothes upon
| q young child. especially in the roun-
try. and as result tie island was
filled with brown little Adams and
Ewes without even the Biblical fg
leaf TO hide their nakedness- To some
parents il was a positive hardship to
| clothe their numerous offspring. and.
moreover. il was not considered neces-
sary because OF the mild climate.
For few days the streets We're al
most abandoned by the Juvenile popu-
lation Of the lower classes. and when
the street arabs gradually reappeared
in motley array the style and til of
their clothes were somew hat startling.
An adults sack coat was not infre-
quently the only garment. aud In one
instance at least a fathers waistcoat
had TO serve his small son in lieu of all
clothing. The working classes usually
inhabt the Easements of the San Juan
houses. where their apartments, often
without windows, are grouped about
a patio. or central courtyard. When
an American officer, soldier or ma
tive policeman approached one of these
habitations there would he a scamper-
ing from the main door of naked chill
dren into the gloom of the interior.
| was the fortunate possessor of
smattering of Spanish and this fact
l.l .Is,Ttx n. =
La Correspondence, the principal pa
per of the city. which was usually
brought TO me by a small urchin. Jose
Santos by name, but better known by
the diminutive of Pope pronounced
Paypayl Pepe was old enough 10
know better perhaps. but for reasons
of economy and comfort his clothing
WAS generally limited to what might
bc called. in his case. suit of primeval
innocence
Indeed clothes seemed to be abhor-
rent 10 Pepe. and WHEN he condcscend
ed 10 wear them al all they were never
buItoned Any old thing answered the
purpose IL handy. and. If not. Pepe sold
papers and polished shoes. while be
himself was as naked as on the day he
was born His Inconsistencies of the
fact was refreshing. After the publ
cation of the clothing order. however
Pepe disappeared from the public
view. Indeed | was now compelled To
walk several blocks for La Correspon
dencia. and | wondered what had be
come of my smiling and usually alert
little friend
one day as I passed II denxcly popu
lated basement IN the Gale del CriSto
| heard myself hailed i'll Spanish by q
childs voice Say Mr. Officer |
please let me talk to you n moment
would be an English equivalent OF |
what WAS said. but does not correctly |
translate the polite Porto Rican Span |
tSh employed
Come ont of that. Pope WHATS |
the matter with YOU: | said
Il cant come out. mister amt got |
no cloeS And ! cant bring you nc |
more papers cause dc pcriice run me
in if they see me naked" be replied
There is Il vrrDacular in Spanish as
well in English
Well. your father must get you
some clothes"
Il amt go no father. mister"
Then your mother must get them"
Il amt got no mother, neither"
Poor child, What do you want to
talk to me aboutY'
MIR. Americana. won't you stake