Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-01-10
A SOUTH AMERICAN CAPITAL
Life Above the Clouds, in the Chief City OF Colombia.


man VINO mas been accustomed 10 eight
or ten hours daily labor in one Of our
northern cities win here find II impos-
sible to apply himself closely more than
four or five hours each day II he ex-
ceeds the limit, omiuous signs Of ner-
yous prostratiOn are sure 20 follow
Persons OF ordinary calm temperament
when IN the north, In high attitudes Of
The far south soon find themselves mere
bundles Of nerves, strung 10 such ten
sion az To- induce excessive irritabillty
insomnia and mental exhaustion, even
without special strain, mental or ply
steal
Though in a land where all things are
quaint az was Egypt IN the days Of Mo-
ses, this old Bogota presents m appear
ance Of unusual picturesqueness. JUS
narrow and crooked streets, winding
up Hill and down. are paved with the
smallest aud sharpest Of "cobbles' set
on end: md In the middle OF each street
Is cut deep ditch, through which the
melted SHOWS Of the nearby mountains
dance in noisy riyulets The city has a
population, slightly exceeding 100000,
and In many respects is quite modern
IN others fully 200 years behind the
times It's white walled houses are
mostly Of one-story, with projecting
roofs of red tiles and windows with
green painted lattice In lieu Of glass,
between whose bars the beautiful dark
eyes OF Colombian women peer out with
wondering curiosity at las estrangeras
Americanas." Though built Of adobe
and unprepossesslng In outside appear
ancc there are many elegant homes IN
COlombia's capital, spacious ana Wen
furnished. OF course the prevailing ar
chitecture Is that which the Moors be-
quoathed to the early Spanlards-eyery
house like q fort, It's bare, bland walls
flush with the pavement, carefully con-
cealing every trace OF hOme-life from
the passer-by; while within are bloom
and beauty sunlight and cheerfulness.
Those more modern casias that exult
IN the luxury OF second story--and
there are more of them In Bogota than
one often finds In Spanish American
city nave no windows at all on the
ground floor, the rooms fronting the
street being used for shops, warehouses
and stables, the proprietors and their
families nreferriDg to live above. Even
the biggest and grandest of these
houses have never more than one en-
trance, and that consists OF a pair OF
enormous double doors, often elabor-
ately carved and surmounted by coat
of-arms. opening into a narrow passage,
paved like the street, which leads into
the central courtyard. Through TINS
one entrance, not only the family and
their guests must come and go, but
carriages drive In and donkcys laden
with charcoal, sacks u grain for the
animals stabbed somewhere within, and
provisions for the lardcr, The hand
some residences. including all the two
stored ones, have wide corridors sur
rounding their court-yards, above ana
below, into which every room opens
The court, open overhead TO the sky, Is
beautiful with shrubs and flowers, a
central fountain, and often statuary;
and the corridors are shaded by cur
talns OF striped canvas, arranged on
rollers, so that they can be raised and
lowered according to the position of
the sun. Trailing vines overrun the
corridors. singing birds In cages around
and hammocks are swung In shaded
rocks Here the mistress OF the man
sion brings her books embroidery or
guitar; here the children play, and the
master smokes his eternal cigarros. In
short, the family life practically goes
on OUT OF doors, but IN stfictest privacy,
so fer as the outer world OF the street
Is concerned.
The city Is constructed after no regu-
lar plan, hut struggles down gently
slopng hillside with three considerable
streams running through IT, Its streets
are named after the Saints, famous
public men, or the dates Of decisive bat
ties; as, for example the Gale. (street)
de San Juan Batlste, Bolivar street,
Cinco de Mayo, CFifth OF May) street.
A distinctive feature Of Bogota Is It's
eucalyptus trees OF the globulous varle-
~ which interspersed with a few sick
" willows, shade every avenue The
first eucalyptus trees were introduced
here about 80 years ago, under the i'm
preston that they would ward of
mountain fevers; now there are thou
sands Of those scraggy worm breeding,
melancholy trees,
FANNIE b. WARD.