The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-17

| go out on the streets, and never unless
much "chaperoned." The English and
American visitors appear but palely pref
ty beside the rich, dark beauty Of the
Spanish senoritas and the Costa Ricans.
The class line is drawn distinctly among
| the women, and is ever manifested in
| their dress. A costly silk shawl Is the
inyariable adornment of lady. She
] wears it over her European gown, but
she scorns a hat, and in the day time
| carries only dainty sunshade over the
| elaborate high couture.
| By a common understanding, the work
| ing girl never dons the shawls, but sub
stitutes a narrow silk scarf fringed at
either end. While still another class OF
women, the laborers. are scantily dressed
with sleeveless chemise. low cut. and
sometimes entirely off the shoulders. A
cotton scarf of bright hue is Gifted folded
over the meager bodice, which is worn
with calico skirt. These women are al
ways barefooted and one of the beauties
of the Costa Rican women IS their small
| hands and feet. 1t is pretty sight to see
! the washWomen at their work in the
clear streams about the town. Often
| they will be nude to the waist as they
| beat against the white stones the objects
| of their work. The whites teeth, the
richest compilations, and figures indicat
| ing strength and perfect health, are the
characteristic features Of the Costa Ri
can women.
| A tribute to art is the wonderful San
Jose theater, said to be the most beau
tifu! in the world. The government paid
81, 900 for its construction From with
out it is a gem of Roman architecture.
paintings, rare wood carving and marvel
Gus statues. On either side Of the en-
trance a number Of doors open into
spacious reception rooms, smoking and
refreshment rooms In ALL the painted
panels are marvels of italian art Most
of them were done by Pablo Serro. The
theater proper is somewhat smaller than
the Auditorium, but possessing all Of its
advantages in stage construction and
modern improvements, while it far sur
passes the great Chicago house in beauty
and symmetry. The presidents box, i'm
mediately opposite the stage, is draped
in royal blue and gold, the ceiling of
which is adorned with splendid paint
ing representing peace and justice.
1t was through the courtesy of Mr..
John Meiggs Keith, vice president of the
United States Fruit company, whose pa
per on the South American Republic be-
fore the International Commercial Con-
gress in Philadelphia was so favorably
commented on, that Mary Ann and I
were conducted over the large coffe bene-
ficio belonging to a wealthy Spaniard,
Paul Buron.
The beneffcio or coffee curing and clean
ing establishment is a series of great
concrete basins built in level ground.
The coffee is washed from one basin to
another by an artificial stream of water
until it is finally left heaped up in dry
basin to bleach in the sun for a time.
Many other processes are gone through
in a long, low building in the middle Of
the farm, but the most interesting to me
was the final classifying of the various
grades of coffee. This is done by num-
Der of girls who sit at small tables with
little heaps of the gray bean before them.
They count the small grains, a few at
a time, with all the grace and skill OF
"a novice telling her beads. And, when
no one is supposed to be looking, a hid
den cigarette Will come from under a
table and various little trails of thin
smoke issue from pouting lips. Mr.. Bur
on informed us that the coffee exports
from the interior of Costa Rica amount
to about 10 900 tons per annum.
NO ANNEXATION FOR THEM.
Some of our party were given to ask
ing every Costa Rican they met what he
thought of annexation to the United
States, and the invariable courteous an
swer was that it would be desirable
This sentiment, however. is simply the
expression Of uniform politeness toward
visiting strangers. 1 asked Mr.. John
Keith, who has made a life study Of the
Central American republic, and who has
done so much for their commercial adj
vancement, if there was any basis for
such talk. At first he laughed good ma
turedly at my credu]ity, and then i'm
pressem upon me the fact that a country
so essentially Latin in its Drejudices, be-
liefs and traditions could never embrace
an Anglo-SaXon form Of government.