Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-25

call Of the government at any time. The
rank and ale Of the army il composed al
most exclusively of Indians. negroes and
naif-breeds. The pay is franc day. from
which they furnish their own subsistence.
They are obedient. faithful and good fight
ers. Some OF the flercest battles ever
fought have taken place In Venezuela with
these fellows on both sides. In the Held
they wear a pair Of cotton drawers. a cotton
shirt, cheap straw hat and a pair of san
dals.
I'm barracks and about the government
buildings they wear red wooden trousers,
blue coats and caps Of red and blue: and
regular army shoes. The officers Of the
army are generally good-looking fellows OF
the best families. who take readily to mill
tary service and enjoy 1t. They wear we'll
usually graduates Of the university.
Caracas q 0ne-Story Paris.
Caracas Is a sort Of one-story Paris. The
shops are all Partisan, and sample bonnets
and costumes come over in every steamer.
All the dressmakers are French, and most
Of the shopkeepers are Frenchmen, who buy
the goods at home. 1t Is not uncommon at
dinner party to find every lady present
wearing an imported costume. At church
the ladies wear plain black dresses. The
windows of the houses are broad and deep.
The silis are cushioned. and every afternoon
the ladies Of the household, especially the
young and pretty ones, sit there and chat
with such paSSers-by as they happen to
know. On pleasant afternoons you will see
all OF the windows occupied. and when young
Salvador saunters home after his labOrs Of
the day are over, he halts and chats with
his sweetheart and presses her hand
through the iron bars, while the mother
obligingly turns her face in an opposite d.
rection for a moment, so as to not en-
barrass the ardent lovers. Shops may be
called any old thing from The Grace Of God
to The Fount of Gladness.' I saw once
over the door of a popular drinking saloon
the sign of The Pearl of the Antilles.
The Color Line.
Children may be christened Jesus Christie
or Jesus Saviour. Were person in the
United States to call out Jesus Saviour to a
servant the community would be shocked.
1t is common thing to see white woman
with an octoroon. or even mulatto for
husband. and even more common to see
white husband with a tinted Venus for a
wife. Some of the most accomplished schol-
ars in the country, some of the most emf
nent lawyers and priests are Of negro blood,
and in the clergy no race distinction Is
recognized. 1 have seen a colored theology
cal student walking arm in arm with a
white comrade, and in the assignment OF
priests among the parishes the bishop never
thinks of race prejudices. The present bish-
op OF Caracas Is reputed to have negro and
wealthiest planters in the country are FULL
blooded negroes.
Emancipation Of Slaves.
'erhe venezuelans anticipated US by more
than ten years In the emancipation Of their
slaves Bolivar was an abolitionist in prac-
tice as we'll as in theory. and when pre-
scented with a million Of dollars as testi-
monia. from citizens of the republic he used
the amount to purchase the liberty of
thousa and slaves. In message to the peo-
Die of Colombia he said: There must be no
caste on this continent. There is no blood
less noble than other blood. All is the same
in the sight Of God. All are heroes who en-
ter into the camps of the battaiions OF
liberty and all are entitled to the just
recompense of valor. honor, of intelligence,
Of sacrifice and virtue