Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1901-01-18
Letter from Cuba.
HAVANA, CUBA, Jan. II, 100.

HAVANA OUBA, Jan. IL, ldUl.
Editor Sentinel:
Several months have elapsed since hav e
trespassed on your space with any word from
Cuba. Time passes swiftly with those OF us
who are well advanced along the highway Of
life, especially II kept busy In the struggle
for daily bread TO which fact is due the
season OF silence TO which have treated your
readers
Two years have passed since first came TO
Cuba. | have seen a large portion Of the
island and learned as much as possible Of the
character of the people have tasted about
all Of the native fruits and vegetables and
have eaten the various kinds of food upon
which the people live have patrOniZed their
hotels and boarding houses, abided in some
Of their homes, conformed 10 their customs,
and taken note OF their pleasures and diver
sions and have finally concluded that they
get much lees satisfaction out Of life than do
the people of the States. Everybody loves
his home-land-how much, he does not real
ize until compelled to be absent from 1t for a
considerable length Of time but, aside from
this Unborn attachment and preference, must
say that the satisfaction, comfort and pleas
ure OF living 10 old Montgomery county
with its snow-storms, bowling wintry winds,
somewhat dismal rainy seasons, sultry sum-
mer days, and ALTO me outweigh two'fold
all the chan that are 10 be found in this
sunny southern cline.
Think of rising every morning 10 the year
and never catching single glimpse OF the
frozen breath of old Jack Frost glistening on
the window.pane Think of passing through
all the winter months and never heholding q
SINCE fake Of snow, not even at Christmas
time Think Of never sitting by the Preside,
L., Ill ha
autumn winds whistle through the naked
trees and howl around the house, filing the
heart with gratitude for the shelter you en-
joy Think Of wearing a straw hat and linen
coat from January to December and never
once enjoying the satisfaction of jamming
both hands deep down into your trousers
| pockets in order TO keep them warm
Trees and grass continually green, flowers
blooming all the time not a drop Of water
freezing throughout the livelong year, no
season nor relish for pumpkin pies, buck
wheat cakes, or fresh country saussge-these
privations make life dreary indeed.
An old song says that
"Spring would be but gloomy weather,
If we had nothing else but spring"
The monotony of continual summer wealth
er is tlresome and oppressive. During the
long, weary ,fervid days OF the warmer months
one almost feels as IL (but for the duties and
responsibilities of life) it would be quite a
relief to lie down aud die in snowdrif.
am now boarding in an American board
ing house--a real, genuine American board
ing house--for the first time since | have
been in Cuba. Ii is located at FL Vedado, a
suburban town situated on an elevated site a
few miles west of Havana, Immediately on
the seashore, where the scenery Is very beau
tiful and the surroundings much more salu-
brious than in the crowded city and we &C.
tually have fresh light bread and butter and
palatabe meats for breakfast aud eatable
vegetables and other substantial food for
dinner and we have clean floors TO walk
upon, clean chairs TO sit In, and clean beds
TO sleep in-luxures had not enjoyed for
several months. What a comfort these things
are after having been long deprived Of them |
As have previously written you, Cuba is
in many respects very slow and dull. The
tendency Of the natives is never to do any
thing to-day that can be put off till to-mor-
row. In fact the most popular motto of the
great majority is "Manana" (to-mo ROW
The habit Of procrastinstion really seems to
be peculiar to the climate.
In this connection, ! am often reminded of
a remark of the late Bob Ingersoll, the cele-
brated atheist or agnostic. Upon being asked
what he thought Of proposition 10 annex
Santo Domingo to the United States, he an
swered substantially as follows:
81 am opposed TO it, for the reason that you
cannot raise American citizens in that kind
Of soil and climate. You can take We thou
sand Of the leading citizens of Boston, Eve
thousand Congregational mi nisters, and FIVE
thousand ruling elders, with their wives, and
send them to live in Santo Domingo and If
you 90 down there during the second sue
ceeding generation you will find their de-
scendants riding mules bareback, with grape
vine brides, their hair sticking out Of the
tops of their sombreros, and carrying game
rooster under each arm, going to a cock-fght
on Sunday"
The Cubans Of to-day are descendants Of
Indians, Spaniards, Africans, Frenchmen and
a sprinkling of many other nationalites, and
yet their general characteristics are almost
universally identical.
IL does seem as if the climate has great
deal to do with making them as they are.