New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-09
WOMEN OF CARIBBEES,
Their Grace of Carriage and Las
trOuS EyeS Described.


Glmpses of West Indian interiors. which no
but a traveller would have noticed,
given by Ida NJ II. Starr in her book On
Gardens of the Caribbees." published by L. c.
Page & Co. Boston. Her impression of the women
Of that revolutiOn-tossed land, Venezuela for in
stance. is interesting. Speaking of a play In the
smart theatre at Caracas. she describes this i'm
preston follows:
'The house was apportoned in the usual foreign
style, with two tiers of boxes crcling each side
from the Presidents box in the rear centre The
women, as usual occupied the front seats in the
boxes, and were thus in position to be and
observed very closely. And never-I make ex-
ception whatever-have seen such modest. wom-
anly appearing were present at the opera
that night. They did not gigge nor stare hIrt-
They were richly. beautifully. becomingly gowned.
but although arrayed with desire to please, they
were modest and unassumins a lot of little
girls at dolls tea party Their eyes no sooner
met yours than they drOpped-not a6ectedly but
naturally naIvely-and it impossible TO refrain
from forming opinion of the conditions Of
ciety from the faces and actions Of those women.
Whatever faults the Spaniard may have be-
queathed to his descendants whatever his failings
in government and kindred problems the women
these beautiful women of Caracas-made US feel
that they had set for themselves high standards
OF morality; that the social life away beyond
the level we had expected; that the family. the
wife. is sacred trust, given the man to protect
In honor and virtue long as he lives
There is. doubt. much to be said against the
ligid life Of secluson led by the Spanish women.
but there is this to be said In its favor; 1t has
created race Of men who honor and respect their
homes. a race Of men whose attitude toward
women is universally respectful and deferentiaI
With all stif-necked England self-sufa-
cheney we have yet much to learn, women OF the
North; and perhaps there none who could teach
US more gently effectively than the modest,
Womanly women of Caracas"
The mixture of black and white encountered
he fc10 dc oTTaITo1
on French ideas instead Of American. in which the
touch of the tar brush passes unnoticed. are
touched upon She describes a Haytien officer Of
the Black Republic. respondent In gold lace. but
barefoot. She irresistibly impressed that she
was in the midst of an opera bOuffe with negroes
playing government But then she stroIled
away. out beyond the Presidents palace ''to where
a row Of houses. evidently homes Of the Haytien
four hundred hidden away behind high French
gatewayS and walls draped from the glare
of the white under glistening leaves Of heavy
foliage. Red. red flowers high up in the tops Of
trees. hung like drops of blood the crumbling
broken fountains. a sad little marble Cupid still
prOuetted in stony glee a stained and dried
up basin. The gateway a wonder In chiselled
stone and poisoning iron. all but hidden in
mass Of tangled vines. 1 stood enchanted before
the oUtspreading garden; and then woman OF
wondroUs face came down the steps Of the
sion and out into the garden toward
Down the path she came with a swift and
graceful movement not walking. but gliding; her
garments fell from her in loose. sweeping lines Of
grace. As she approached a delicate pink flush
overspread her olive face, while with exquisite
charm. in most perfect French. she invited
the cool seClusOn of her veranda She the
color of a hazel nut. Her hair hung In two long.
glorious braids. just half inclined in
caresses about her oval face. Her eyes were of a
radiant brilliancy. She straight cypress,
and her head was set on with poise of young
palm tree. 1t did not seem credible that there
could exist aDy relation between this brilliant
beings
ing over their sizzling pots in the market place"
woman encountered the same puzzlng type.
-, ohe was tan ana angular; her features were as
ciestn cut as though ch4seIled IN marblej she was
clearly Caucasian IN type; her mouth had
masters not slaves: but her skin was like a
smoke Drowned pipe, and her hair waved in quick
table of Dominican mahogany with carved less
and oval top. and there the sidebOard
old plate and quantest pieces of Dresden china and
Italian glass gistened as it had once done at the
lips of its ioroly master. Where has it
6t air t dS b and R br6 6gPf a Tf bez
over from England long, long ago. There was just
and that wanted most-the story OF that grand
father She was the grande dame; his history was
mltted only the patrician in her blood. not the
her face but aiasI there was thar other stam1
Going to church in Kingston. the party met with
The owners of the seat in which the priest had
Placed Places US arrived and we were requested BY
words to move along In the mean time the
the same dumb language We were requested to
move back the other way. Thus we were wedged
In closely between the two respective OF the
seat. ana they We're not hey
black. The pew owners were the rightfuI possess
SOrS, ana the White man the stranger apparently
OF little consequence. l saw marks Of Difference
paid to the white strangers; they were placed
In the same position In which a negro would find
himself in a Mississippi gathering of white people
II you have ever witnessed the enthusiasm with
which a negro is welcomed in such a place YOU
can understand our position that day in ia
maica.
Mrs. Starr IS an accomplished musician. and she
mentions IN many places the impression made uDOn
her by the music Of the Islands SDeakine Of
Porto Rico musicians Of the humber he
says; They carried not only the guitar Of the
ordinary fern, but also funny little one, not a
quarter so big, and curious round gourd with
which they accented the of he meas
ure by ScrdpluS with a bit of wire in a most deg
ferrous manner ! can wen imagine the o0rtevr70t
or some or our European musicians for such
conservative of foreign schools, I could but ac-
knowledge the deep influence of these untutOred
artStS and yielded myself in fascination 10 the
weird rhythm of their music. Music TO these people
their Northern brothers, it is necessary to them
as is the OutpOUrIns sunlight and they use il with
a freedom and companionship and love unknown
CuriousIy enough. down in Trinidad IS n he
FOUND verltahle glimpse Of the Far Fas+-nF
Hindoostan. HindOO labOrers are imported there
by ShIpIoads to work upon the vast sugar ..ld
cacao plantations upon which il has been found
negroes. Wandering through the HindOO colony
Mrs. Starr found herself surrounded nv girls who
were simply covered with silver and gold They
wear as many as twenty bracelets on each arm Of
into serpent's coils and heads others engraved