The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-24
SUNDAY IS LIVELY
Mr.. Cooper on the Customs
of the Porto ,Ricans.
LOTTERY DRAWING OCCURS
While a BuII-Fight of Usual
Spanish Variety Takes Place

The conclusion Of Mr.. S. W. Cooper's
very interesting letter from San Jose
Costa Rica, Central America, to the
Eagle, the first part of which was pub
lished in yesterday mornings issue, is as
follows, reciting his impressions of the
Strange population and their equally
strange environment:
In passing down the street was first
inclined TO use a sort OF irregular side
walk about three feet wide. but soon I
took the middle of the street, with the
chickens, dogs strange odors, peculiar
people, the COX and the ass" Presently
l came to a flock Of something like buzz
zards. and to my surprise they were quite
sociable. never flying as I passed. They
are the scavengers of the country and
are never shot. 1 at once took a train
for one of the large banana farms, wish
ing to study the cultivation of the same
This fruit is raised III the low and most
tropical part of the country, hence tie
most unhealthy, while the coffee hasci-
'endas are found far in the interior at an
elevation of 1000 feet among the noun
tains.. In the lowlands near the sea 1
was surprised to learn that the native
soon sickens and cannot thrive, and as
the cultivation of the land increases the
negroes from Jamaica come in to do the
work, being the only persons yet found
who do not fall victims to the PERM
cious fevers which continuously Turk in
the tropical swamps of that region Com
ing as they do from an English island
they bring their language with them and
along the coast they are most in evil
dence with their incessant rum drinking
and noise The tropical side of the coun-
try is what ! most enjoy. The almost
impenetrable forests, perfumed by many
charming flowers, festooned with waving
moss, with fruit and climbing vines, are
truly grand, enlivened as they are by the
f1utter of gorgeous birds, the chatter of
the monkey and the growl of the ia
guar. Here almost everything seems to
grow but ice. Sometime since I read
an article on the natural history of the
Amazon, and the azThor, specializing on
the future of the human race, thought
that under the equator alone it will reach
the highest form of perfection. 1t is true
that there nature is most generous and
thoughtful of vegetable and the lower an
imal life, but not to the development Of
the better and intellectual side of man.
Here the everlasting summer is seduc-
tive and the fertile low lands yield an
abundance of fruit all the year around
In some instances it is not necessary TO
tickle the ground with noe or make 1t
lsush with a harvest" In thinking over
tie cause of the degeneracy of the Span
'i@@d ard Indian, one is led to believe that
n chimes where man has to battle with
nature for his food, not to receive it from
he hand as a gift; where he is a work.
6 and not an idler; where hard winters
frry off the weak and brace up the
st-onE: there only is that selection of
work that keeps the human race advanc-
.iaS and prevents it retrograding, now
thai Mars mas been dethrOted and Vul-
can set on high. Probably nowhere but
IN tropical America can it be said that
the Introduction Of European civilization
has caused a retrogression. and that those
communities are the happiest and best
governed which retain most of their old
customs and habits Yet here it would
appear to be so. The civilization that
Cortez overthrow was more suitable for
the natives than that which has sup
planted it. Who can read the accounts
of the populous towns Of Mexico and of
this country in the time of Montezuma,
with their magnificent buildings and
rlazzas; their gardens. both geological
and botanical; their markets, attended
by merchants from the surrounding coun-
tries; their cunning art GeCers Of rock. sill
yer and gold; their love of order. of
cleanliness: their morality and wonder
full patriotism without feeling that their
conquests OF Mexico and the tropical land
to its south were depIorable calamities