Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-31
The View of Mont Pelee.

The View OF Mont Pelee.
And so as you approached the town you
saw before you terrace upon terrace of pic
turesque houses creamy tinted with red
tiled roofs, backed up against the palms
and dense foliage of the tropics which
clothe the mornes with never-fading green.
Away behind to the north stands the great
mountain called Pelee. lifting its head in
to the misty veil of cloud which hangs
above It,. the mighty forces of volcano
burning within. II Is this treacherous SEN
tinel which has burst forth, dealing death
ana destruction, and turning the beauty
or nature into a vast crematorium.
The windows Of the st. Pierre houses
were without glass or frames. and had
simply heavy wooden blinds with movable
STATS, closed by shutters, which kept out
the driving rain. The houses along the
Rue Victor Hugo, the principal street. had
terraced courtyards at their rear, inclosed
Dy SOLID stone walls overlooking the har-
Dor, where the ships of all nations were
wont to float. The depth of water close in
shore is SO great that large ships could be
moored almost under the caves of the
houses. In these courtyardS, which Were
hlled with roses and fruit-bearing fig vines
training over trelliS, were bathing pools
hiled with the Gouyave water which came
down from the mountains and supplied st.
Pierre with pure drinking water also.
Rue Victor Hugo.
The end of the Rue Victor Hugo was
Ignominious. After gradually narrowing
down, 1t became merely an alley, so full of
all abominabie smells that 1t won for itself
the name of the Street of a Thousand
Smells All the streets of this Inflated
town were narrow and very poorly lighted
at night by a few ancient lamps. so that by
O'Clock In the evening the town fell into
complete obscurity. and one might we'll
imagine himself In some medieval French
town.
But during the day the Rue Victor Hugo
was hued with what mas been called "a
population of the Arabian Nights" So
dazzling a combination of color, barbaric in
Its intensity, could scarcely be found else
where-certainly not In the Caribbee Is
lands. Yellow in all its vivldness predomi-
mated In turban. foulard and gown. Pink.
green. purple blue. In stripes, plaids and
ngures. wrapped about the 1.-THE bodies or
gracefully wound about the weil-poised
heads-such was the first impression ones
eyes received of the native population of
Martinique.
Dress of the People.
Nowhere does that distinctive article of
adornment, the turban, play so important
role as among the creole women there. A
mere head covering in Barbados or Anti
qua. In Martinique the stiffiy starched, gaily
colored madras" becomes a distinctly or
namental headdress, and 1t is worn with
certain grace which proclaims the lingering
trace of true French blood in the dark cur
rent in the veins.
The beauty of the creole is proverbial
and even the common people share to a
certain extent In this beauty The mu-
latresse capresse, or metisSe, differs as
much from the negresses of Jamaica or
Barbados as the pure Caucasian type diff
fers from them. These people have in many
cases. in too many, curious mixture of
blood. ranging from the "saccatra" almost
pure negro, to the so-called Sang mele,"
almost pure Caucasian-a mingling of races
which lends to them the warm beauty of
the tropics, together with the refinement of
feature of their sisters The most beautiful
of all, however, are those who have the
blood of the three races, Garth. negro and
white. the blending of the old Indian with
the two usurping races lending a charm of
color and feature as rare as it is beautiful