The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-02-09
rHe HAVANA OF TO-DAY.


the fort, the thOroughfaTes. straight as
in ali Spanish colonial towns are narrow
and the houses high, and there are some
tines arcades Of pillars along them. some
tines awnings drawn from side . side.
This part has therefore q kind Of pin tur-
esqueness. enhanced by the occasional
small plazas or open spaces, and 10y the
effects of light and shade which oac gets
in narrow streets with a strong siin and
brilliant sky overhead. In the newer arts
the streets are wider and probably health
ier but they are even more uniform ia The
style CT building. with dttle d nothing
on which the eyes care 70 rest. one gets
the impression Of = city iR which thera
w1s neither an aris1ocTacy deslFlng to as
sert itself by raising stately town houses,
nor a body of Merchants proud OF thelr
municipality. ana Wiling 10 spend tHelF
substance in decorating their dwelling
places as the merchants Of me'siacvai
Italy or of the Hanseaiic and free I'M
perlal cities in Germany were wont 70 co.
This is natural enough when ens re-
members that Havana never had either
a territorial or = commercial arisIocIacy-
Il seems strange. considering how lich
the Roman Church was IL Cuna, mat
neither Bishops nor converts should nave
devoted more Of their revenues 10 the
erection of irnpC sirS or ornate ecclesiasti-
parts Of Spanish America. as, for IN
stance. ir Mexico. Thus there is really
comparatively little 70 see In this Famous
capital Of the Antilles So lar as aren't
lecture IS concerned, 4 f0renocn's walk
is sufficient TO show the tourist all ne Is
likely 10 care Tor.
But if the student Of architecture eN-
periences some appointment II the his
torian finds COMPARATIVELY little which
.r-rf~a -st srsra fre
the earlier annals OF Spanish rule, If the
lover of. costume ard the aspects OF social
life notes less that Is peculiar than ne
expected. there is, nevertheless. a measure
both of beauty and of attracilNe1eSs II
Havana. IL recalls some OF the famous
cities Of the Mediterranean in the bril-
lance of its light and the striking le.i-
lures Of the situation. 1t stands on the
west side OF an inlet Of the sea- two Or
three miles long and less than hat =
mile at its mouth. This is the haven
which Gives its name to the city, and
which affords q perfectly sale and good
anchorage with q depth of water sufii-
cient for all the vessels that use. or are
likely 70 use the port. The older part OF
the town stands on nearly level ground
along the harbor. The newer part IS on rs
ing ground further back, and has spread
notthward SO IS TO face the sea CUISINE
the harbor, while the suburbs atreteh
stiI further along the north coast and IN
land over the activities of wooded Aiils
to the west
Thus. as the visitor. approaches N a
shin. he sees a mass of White buildings
rising on q gentle slope. backed by YER
dure above the bright blue waters, usual
" Gn winter crisping under a northerly
breeze. On the further side OF the hafooI
entrance Moro Castle STANDS upon q
high. rocky cape, against which the waves
are always foaming while g little further
mp the Inlet the picturesque pinklsh-N hite
walls. now half dIapidated OF the old
castle of Guiana crowns the crest or
long cliff. The bay within is dotted WITH
shining. and 1T its head green hills, as
vet untouched by houses. make charm
ing background. recalling (savc for the
clittering mosques and the sombre c3-
en- Horn Constantinople. Neither are
pretty bits wanting inside the CIT boih
he large square called the Parque Cen
trail and the Prado. long, wide avenue
running northeast and southwest from the
square. are filed with fine trees. many
Of them bearing brilliant flowers. So too,
in the suburbs there are groves and Sar-
dens OF great beauty. with hills behind,
whence lovely views over the bay and the
sea are enclosed. Moro Castle forming
q superb central point At 2 spot called
VedadO some four or five miles 10 the
west along the coast. suburb is :Mlne-
ING up which VIII. when the trees 2lanted
round the villas have grown taller and
the roughness OF the newly-made reads
has disappeared be an extremely attrac-
tive place for visitors. since il is iresher
and healthier than the city. and has
GOOD hotel watch was much used by
American officers in the early days Of
the occupation An excellent service OF
electric cars connects It with Ha' ana,
and there IS good sea bathing, IhcuSh
The Cubans. VINO have the hortor So
common among southern people OF enter
in. the sea during the colder months
leave of bathing auc shut M their es-
tatlishments after the middle or ocscber
To a visitor from the north. the water
is deliahtfuilv warm. even in DecTicbef.
The American occupation has already
done wonders for Havana. Yellow fever
has been practically eXdrpated ~ me
efforts OF Gen. Wood and the admtaple
medical staff that works under nirn kl9-
bish is no longer permitted 20 be thrown
into the harboi. The streets have been
cleansed and are now kept In excellent
order. The Grains OF the old wallis Of
the city. which the Cubars desired 20
clear away. have been preserved aud now
form. in several places siugul7riy pie
turesaue memorials or reI-ott spanish
davs. So. too on ancient fertilization on
the west edge If rhc harbcr mouth has
been saved from destruction. and hand
sorne promenade laid cut whence "a
charming view can be had over the sea
and across the inlet 10 The cliffs crowned
by the castles Of Moro and Cabana az
is a curious mark Of the fnsensihility %
the Cubans to historical sentinent that
they 10 not care for the antiquities of
the citr. ara they actually insisted on
the removing az statue 81 Quccn ls1-
bella. the Catholic which stood 'n one
Of tho nlazas. q sovereign for whose
gracious memory eEen those Wh9 rose
against Spanish -ule mIeht have been
expected to have soUe reverence or
all these services The greatest IS the eN-
tluctlou of The raiady which has 80 lela
cursed tie coasts - The Guii ana Saria-
bean Sea Tire stamping out IF Yellow
fever has rot only been blessing ~
CUBA. but gives great nope ~ relieving
from the danger OF It's attacks uron 11l-
weston. New Orleans ard tie Sflf Iorts
az the United States. Moreover. au cE-
ample has been ser which Vera Cruz
NAV soon follow. and which may Dc ui-
tilnately followed even by Ia GuaTra.
Bucnos Aires. and Rio o. Janeiro
As RESPECTS the inifsaitants 81 Havana.
the stranger finds less beauty - face az
costume amele the won1fn than D. mas
been Ted 10 expect The rautiiia - rot
general. ror 1o the dresses generally show
much 81 thc crace and pictures. l-fleas
ore associates with SPANISH countries
Arrcng che Younger women taeVe are
NAM coed lEures rs wei 80 fire. f3es-
but Caaiz fr the oid world and Baltimore
iu thr New IaFs q much E.enEr pore
ton 90 handsome faces
Neither men ncr women rff ne l,