The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-07
GEN. WOOD AND THE BOYS.
Why the Youths of Cuba Adore the
American Commander.

why the Youths of Cuba Adore the
American Commander.
Santiago. Jan. 2.-If there is one popular
man in Cuba, that man is Gen. Leonard
Wood who has just been appointed COVER
nor of the island. There are not many
boys and girls in the city of Santiago who
do not know Gen. Wood when they see
him on his big gray horse as he rides
about the town. l remember seeing three
little half clad olive skinned boys stop in
the middle of the street on seeing the gen.
eral, pun off their tattered caps and salute
him with military precision. all three
showing their white teeth as they smiled.
And the General saluted in return as If
they had been soldiers.
The tenth of last October was a ia
nous anniversary day for the Cubans-a
sort of Cuban Fourth of July-but Gu
riously enough the inhabitants of Santa
90 had decided TO celebrate it in silence,
to have no merry making, no music, no
PROFESSIONS. OF course this disappointed
thousands of Cuban children quite as
keenly as the boys of an American city
would have been disappointed if they had
been deprived of fire crackers on the
Fourth of July. Gen. Wood heard of the
trouble and having a boy of his own, he
knew just what to do. He sent an invita-
ton to all the children of the city to take
a ride on the harbor in the government
vessels. Bright and early on the great day
all the tugs and other harbor craft be-
longing to the Americans appeared at the
wharf side footing their whistles, and
hundreds of children who had gathered
all in their best attire, tumbled aboard.
Boat after boat was loaded and set out
down the bay, with a band playing THE
star Spangled Banner and the Cuban ma
tional air. In each of The boats there was
a barrel filled with lemonade, and the
voyage which followed was such as only
a crowd of children who had never before
made such an excursion, could enjoy. The
SpaniaTds had been in command at San
tiago for nearly four hundred years, but
there was never a governor who took any
interest in the boys until the Americans
came.
Since then Gen. Wood is known in San
tiago as "Our Friend by the boys Not
many weeks after the picnic on the har
Dor a great delegation of children APP
peared at the palace and asked to see tine
governor. Gen. Wood is a tall powerfully
built man and he wears a brown khaki
suit and spurs The average Cuban man
reaches hardly above his shoulder and so
when he appeared among the boys and
girls he looked like a very giant. The
spokesman presented the petition. He
said that the boys and girls of Santiago
had heard that the boys and girls of
America were only required 20 go to school
five days a week. whereas every Cuban
school holds a session on Saturday the
same as any other day. Now were not
the Cubans free? And shouldn't they be
entitled to the same privileges as their
friends, the American boys and girls? And
thus they made strong plea for a Sat-
urday holiday-a plea with which every
American boy and girl will sympathize.
The governor heard them through and
then he explained to them that the time
had not yet come for making such changes
in the school system of Cuba, but that
some time they might expect to enjoy the
same privileges as the American boys and
girls And they left him with a cheer.
~ There are. indeed no stronger friends
of the Americans in Cuba than the boys
and girls. They want to know just what
is done in American schools how the
American children act, what they play
and everything else about them. And then
they want to do exactly the same things
What is more. they are anxious to learn
English and they are learning il much
faster than the grown people. frequently
when you go into a store in Cuba the
clerks cannot understand what you say,
but they will bring some boy who is able
to talk with you.