The suburban citizen., 1901-02-16
ODD PORTO RICAN WAYS
ALL THE ISLAND ToPsY-TURVY IN
THE AMERICAN EYES.

Wag Tails Up and Down.
Porto Rico is most remarkable for
what 1t is not, but might be. Ii is an
island Of negation. Its people should
be marked with minus signs. Its laws,
customs and manners are the opposite
Of everything in the American code.
Everything upon the islands, writes
the Arroyo correspondent of the New
York Sun, is the result of a struggle
against nature and natural methods,
from the mountains whose broken
peaks tell OF the eruption which left
them high above the sea to the poor
est little razorback pig, which for gen.
erations has been struggling to be a
real hog; from the men who were
once straight bred Indians Africans
or Spaniards, and are now all three,
to the little, inch-through tomatoes
which would be ruddy, succulent fruit
If they had the least encouragement.
The mountains alone seem to have
finished their struggle. The other ele-
ments are still in the throes. Every
thing ON the island is done in the
wrong way. In order to do anything
right it must be done wrong. What
seem to be the fronts of the city
houses are really the backs. The
backs Of the houses, which are the
real fronts, are in the front yard
which is at the back, and the fronts
Of the houses, which are really the
backs, face the alley which is called a
street.
The front yard in the back usually
contains what is called a garden This
garden is paved with bricks or fat
stones. and variety is gained by max
ing raised concrete circles or squares,
in each Of which is placed a little
hump of dirt, and from the hump
grows a bush or shrub as luxuriantly
as the scant nutriment and the re-
1ected heat from the brick pavement
will permit. There is never a spear of
grass or an inch Of lawn.
The windows of the houses in this
Island violate all the traditional reas-
ons for the establishment and exist
ence OF openings in the walls Of dwell
ings for purposes of light and ventila-
alton. There are no glazed windows.
A few rich men have glass in the front
doors of their houses, but it is merely
a decorative matter and indicates opu-
lence. The matter of light and air
has been the subject of earnest consid-
GRAFTON on the part of tine municipal
authorities. Every municipality has lts
official architect who supervises the
construction of all buildings and is
sues all building permits. He sees
that all the laws are strictly complied
with, and the laws have been care
fully framed with a view to compel
ling all the city buildings to have
plenty of light and air. The ingenuity
with which the laws have been framed
is equalled only by the ingenuity with
which they have been nullifed.
1t is provided by law that the cell
ing OF every house shall not be less
than thirteen feet high, and that each
house shall have an open court yard
enc quarter of the size of the building.
The airiness thus obtained is offset by
the manner in which the building Is
constructed Next to the open court
is built a long hall. In the rooms
which open from this hall there are
no windows. The rooms are without
ventilation except what comes through
the doors. They are, therefore, most
delightful for sleeping; an absolutely
close room is esteemed a great luxury
in land where sixty.six degrees Fab
renheit is icy winter weather. The
poor people who are unable to shut
the air completely out OF their miser-
able shacks swathe their heads in
blankets when they sleep
The window novelty has caused
much discussion among the Americans
and the arguments caused by the
Porto Rlcan habit Of keeping the
front shutters closed when the wind
blows have been heated and frequent,
One prying Americana attempted to
secure positive information, and put
mild native to the torture in this man
ner:
Say, Spiggoti, why don't you have
windows in those rooms opening off
the hallY
"The law forbids,' replied the native.
"Forbids whatY
Having the window"
"Why?r
The native shrugged his shoulders.
"Why does it forbid having win
dows, spiggoti:' persisted the Amerl-
can.
"Oh, don't know. It's an old law"
"But why is it law? What is to pre-
vent
I'VE might get through the windows
on our neighbors property"
"Well, what If you did? Would you
harm the property"
Il don't know. ! suppose they
nlght not like It, eh?'
"Ain't you honest"
81 think so; yes"
"'Yes, don't think you mean. II
you've got such a fool law, why didn't
you build the hall on the dark side|'
"Oh don't know