The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-22
RACE PROBLEM IN CUBA
COLOR QUESTION PROVES LIN.
 PLEASANT AT TIMES.
Some spaniards Still Cling to the Mother Country-Courtesy
 Shown by the Cubans.

people in Cuba. and the color problem IS one which assumes an unpleasant aspeet | from time to time. There seems to be no danger however, of the island becoming | a black republic. The negroes have nev- CT been the predominating race, either Tn | numbers or DO yer At times tnere nave | arisen figures of considerable prominence among them, in the vari professions i In music. literature, in arms; but never | have they attained to such heights as 10 | overshadow white men of the same tlne. | The most familiar figure of them All was General Maceo. whose memory IS much | reverenced
 1 There have been many intermarriages | between the white and black races. These | have not been confined entirely to the | lower strata of society. Several men, | prominent in business circles, have black | wives. Society frowns on these marriages and does not receive those contracting | them with open arms.
 | In the lower order of society blacks and | whites are all as one: they live in the | same houses, and itnermarry as Ire quently as though all of the same color | Mulatto women are often quite prett! | and dress with considerable taste. Many | have little education and are much | mere intelligent than their blacker SIS | ters Unlike the very black women they | are more often than not quite slender. and l even with advancing years acquire com l paratively little flesh.
 l Besides Indian features. We often see | those Of the Chinese in faces that are not
 yellow in color. The slanting almond | eyes are the most marked of these fea- lures. and are quite commonly seen In | black faces, not only in Havana. but In | other parts of the island. as well
 The majority of negroes here were born l In the island. as their ancestors were for | geDerations before them Those from the eastern end of Cuba are apt to speak both French and Spanish There are
 many of them who remind us so strongly
 of the old 'uncles" and "mammies" of our South that 1t seems unnatural for
 them to speak only tho Spanish tongue | The number Of native born is augmented by Jamaican negroes, who speak Eng | fish, and by others from the United
 States.
 Cubans whose ancestors came to this country from Spain half a century or
 more ago have very naturally lost their | identity a Spanards, though many of them still insist on being called such.
 Those born and raised in Spain are re- cognized at once by their pronunciation
 of certain letters. "c" being the chief one. As soon as we hear any one pro- l nounce certain words in which that letter occurs we can tell almost to certainty l whether he is Cuban or Spaniard When | we foreigners study Spanish we are
 taught to pronounce 1t as Spaniards do
 But as We progress to the stage T. which
 We carry on conversations with ,Ae Gu bans we meet we very apt to lapse into their mode of pronunciation
 The class of Spaniards which cannot be | mistaken Is that from Gallacia. At sight l them are heavy-set and their faces are very | like those of the Irish immigrants In fact. we might easily mistake them for
 people from the Emerald Isle excepting
 that the expressions of most of them are Tar more stolid. For the most part the | Gallegos that come here are of the peas | ant class, and they bring with them many
 strange words whose meaning we can
 only guess by the connection in which
 they are used l have often wondered
 now many generations of civilization it | would take for this class to become in
 telligent, enlightened members of soci-
 ety.
 The natives of the various snanish
 provinces have formed associations to
 Whlcn persons from those provinces are
 eligible as members. Every principal
 province of the Peninsula is represented
 Tn this way. The associations offer many
 advantages to their members in the way
 ot educational classes, entertainments
 chlery balls-and some of them have we'll
 appointed hospitals. where the members
 are cared for in case of illness These
 organizations are of inestimable benefit
 tS the strangers in strange land from
 the mother country
 There are many islenos Gslanders) from
 the Canary islands They are for inc
 most part of good stature and robust. and
 rom o5serVatton judge that there are
 %more % blondes among them than among
 SPdnlfrds or Cubans Both Span
 and lslenos are energetic and hard work
 Ing until they have been in Cuba long
 enough for the climate to cast It's spell
 ol incidence over them. The Spanish
 merchants are among the most numerous
 and successful In the city. especially in
 the wholesale district Those of the
 spanish blood are not the only ones whom
 tne cumate drives to leisurely habits We
 oi Northern birth find that a few months
 now and then. Tn bracing climate. with
 us stimulating effect. are necessary to
 prevent us from falling into these habits
 Many other nations 1elp to make up
 hn fClA
 are among the very successful people and
 Englishmen likewise have a prosperous
 representation. Frenchmen are numerous
 In some parts of the island Amaricans
 are to be found on all sides-in business
 or In the professions in Havana and
 scattered throughout the country on to
 pdcco sugar, or pineapple lands.
 Most Cubans are sunburned to such an
 extent that they seem very dark in com
 pIeNlon, Many women--even black ones
 overcome this defect to a certain extent
 hy using large quantities of rice powder
 or another kind specially prepared
 Many carry their powder boxes with them
 Tor use from time to time. Blondes are
 Sacrce. Most of the people are dark in
 nalr as well as complexion from infancy
 some children have light hair. hut inc
 very dark streaks in it predict it's later
 color Almost all eyes are dark brown
 and exceedingly pretty. Blue eyes are very rare A child with light hair and
 blue eyes, such as many American chiI-
 dfen nave, attracts universal attention
 deherally speaking. this is a place where men lose flesh until they reach their min mum weight. and women gain This is
 true or foreigners as well as natives IT
 IS the exception to see slender Cuban woman and they become stout very carly In life, before the age of 70 This is doubtless In a measure due to lack of exercise. Not only are Cuban men sIen- 1 der hut they are short in stature A large Cuban is noticeable. By some this IS attributed to the cigarette habit. In the country this small size is not so gen efali the npen-air life serves to add to the stature of the men When stranger Is asked what quality } of the Cuban people impresses him most strongly, he is very apt to answer: Their extreme courtesy" We that have been here longer and have seen more of the people than the casual visitor does. have
 no reason to differ from this opinion
 From the highest to the lowest it is the same. Thc"" Is not more courtesy shown
 by the most distinguished citizen than bv the poor boatman or chairwoman CubanS are not too rushed to be polite Some one has said of one of our largest cities that the people had not time in the hurry of Its life to be ladies and gen tlemen. Here no one is ever in a hurry There seems to be nothing which cannot be put off till another time just as weli as not.
 The little COurtesies of life are so much a part of the people that the thought does not occur to omit any of them as a