Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-03-02
DIR. MORAN
Talks About His Trip.
Was Much Impressed by
Visit to Cuba.
He Obtained Many Items
of Interest,
Which He will Tell of In a
Lecture.
Will Write a Series Of Letters For
Catholic Periodicals.

Dr.. Francis Il. Moran, pastor of St.
Mary's church, who returned homo
Thursday at noon from visit to Cuba,
is very much impressed by his visit,
and remarked that it was full of inter
est and pleasure. His visit to the
island was made for the dual purpose
of taking rest from his duties, as
| well as to inquire into the general
condition of affairs there. He travel
ed from Havana to Mantanzas, thence
to Cienfuegos, thence to Trinidad and
as far as Santiago.
While in Cuba he met many Of the
distinguished personages Of the church
and the officers in charge. In conver.
sation with General fltzhugh Lee, he
was told thGt the island was settling
down into state of comparative
peace, and that the expectation is that
the United States will remember its
promise to give stable government
to Cuba. Whether or not this implies
that the United States government
intends to completely turn the island
over to the Cubans, the general would
not state. The general spoke very
highly OF the internal resources of the
island and referred to his last annual
report for his general opinion OF
things.
"In Cuba" says Father Moran
''there are three separate and distinct
parties, viz: The annexationists, tc
which practically all Spaniards ad
here; the proteetorates, also favoring
the United States government exer
cising some supervision over the Gu
ban officers, and the independents
who demand Cuba for the Cubans
| The Spaniards, for the most part, rep
resent the wealth of the country, and
all wish the United States to control
the property rights, feeling that in
so doing. their affairs would be more
secure. The same sentiment is shared
by those who favor the protectorate
| The great mass of the Cubans desire
unqualified independence, but we can
not free ourselves of the suspicion
that, back of this, there is some sell
fishness in the hope of obtaining Of.
flee.
Havana is city of from 100000
TO 25O000 inhabitants, and from the
harbor 1t makes a good impression
on the stranger. Stepping ashore
there is borne upon the mind sense
of how completely foreign is the city
In its streets, buildings and general
appearance. In fact, one woulS think
that he had travelled 5000 miles from
America, and was standing in South
ern Spain, instead of only being with
in 90 miles of Key West, Fla. There
is comparative cleanliness in Havana
now, and yet thousand odors all mix
ed into one peryade the atmosphere.
The houses are substantial win n
wealth of colonnades predominating
and the windows, great, large win
dows, are protected by iron gratings,
or grills, and every house Of any pre-
tentions has its court yard with a
garden of tropical fruits and flowers.
"There are a number of charitable
institutions in Havana, with its crown
| ing work of mercy--a lazaretto, where
the lepers are tenderly cared for by
the sisters of charity and under the
spiritual direction Of the priests The
institution at present has 91 inmates.
There are AZ public buildings there,
of which the civil palace is the most
prominent. There are 1856 private
schools, university, a conservatory
of music, and other institutions of
culture and learning. There are three
newspapers published there to supply
the news for English-speaking resi-
dents and travellers. La Lucha prints
one page in English; the Herald and
Journal are entirely in English. Sam
Small, the ex-evangelist, is the editor
of the Herald, and his language, al
ways forcible, is often strikingly pic
turesque,
There are great number Of fine
church edi6ces, principally among
which are the cathedral, the church
of the Jesuit fathers, the Lazarlst
church and the popular San Felipe.
The Augustinian fathers from Phila-
delphla, represented by Father Jones
'valnquette, have charge of San Au-