The Republican journal., 1904-08-04
cross-beams that carry innumerable tel

to last at least fifty years. Although
there are few men to read them, and
Southern women as a rule care nothing
for newspapers, there are three daily
papers published in sleepy Asuncion,
which sell at ten cents the copy. The
Hotel La Cancha-a sort of pleasure
resort, situated on high ground short
distance east of the city, within a
stones throw of the primeval forest, is
nightly ablaze with electricity and has
electric bells and private bath rooms
and other modern Improvements. A
telegraph line connects this distant
capital with Buenos Ayres, and thus
with all parts of the world; and there
are two lines of weekly and two of
monthly steamers plying between this
port and the Atlantic. The old town
presents half-oriental, half-mediaval
appearance-its few splendid palaces,
which belong to the late Dictators and
their families and favorites, sandwiched
among huts of cane and mud, with
bark roofs and one window apiece.
Palms, bananas, passion flowers and
other tropical plants and blooms
abound; but you meet few people, and
these are mostly women. The grassy
streets have a sad, deserted look, con-
stantly reminding one that the sons and
husbands, lovers and brothers, persisted
on the battle fields or died of starvation
in hiding, or rotted in prisons, as thou
sands did who were ignorant of even
what they were accused of, or were
tortured or murdered by the three ty-
rants who ruled and ruined the coun-
ry Here women do the work that in
other parts of the world is monopolized
by the stronger Sex-Such as cleaning
the streets, loading the ships, driving
the ox-carts, cultivating the fields, car
rying on the markets, etc., and it is
said that during the hard, long war
they made the best and bravest soldiers.
Naturally, where men are in the pro-
portion of one to seven, they are at
higher premium than elsewhere, and in
Paraguay they are fguratively kept in
cottonwood by their admiring female
relatives.
The most conspicuous object in the
city is the palace, home Of Lopez which
commands an extensive view and over
shadows everything else, being three
stories high, with lofty square towers
and grand pillared entrance. The lower
story is of cut stone, the others of stuc-
coed brick. The building covers four
acres and was completed at an enor-
nous cost of money and labor wrung
from an unwilling people not long be-
fore the fall of the tyrant Lopez II. 1t
is now an empty, rootlesS, but still
splendid shell, with long rows of win
dows without sashes, like sightless
eyes, and ragged holes made by shot
and shell during the three weeks bonn
bardment by the Brazilians. The lat
ter carried off all that was portable;
what they could not take away was
burned, ard what fire could not con-
sumo was laboriously defaced. The
palace itself, which was built exclusive
ly by native wOrkmen, is said to have
cost upward of $4,000, O0O;..and its in
terror furnishings and decorations were
worth many times that amount.
The women Of Paraguay make
wonderful lace fine as cobweb but very
strong and beautiful-an art which was
taught them centuries ago by the Span
ish nuns. Today a tiny handkerchief
square of it commands fifty dollars in
any market of Europe. Lopez had the
walls of his palace chambers hung with
this priceless lace on background of
crimson satin. 1t is said that the
hangings in his bedroom required the
work of 200 women for several years;
and the lace was fastened to the walls
by clamps of solid gold of the most ex-
quisite workmanship-four hundred of
these clamps in the room, worth per-
haps twenty-five dollars each. The
Paraguayans are famous for skill in
the use Of tools, and especially in the
manufacture of gold and silver orna-
ments. The lace above mentioned is
called nAnduti, and is not made from
thread, but from the infinitesimal
fibers of native tree, which are as
soft and lustrous as silk.
In front of the old palace and almost
touching it are rows of miserable, mud
plastered, grass thatched huts, a sug-
gestive contrast indeed. The better
class of houses are mostly one-storied,
painted straw-color, rose-pink, pea
green, lavender, white and gray-all
with dark green jalousies and heavy
iron bars before the windows. They
are constructed on the old Spanish
plan, SO admirably adapted to hot
climates, as well as to the exigencies
of war, being very solidly built, with
thick walls, cool courts, deeply recess
ed doors and windows, projecting
caves and heavy roofs. They are gen.
orally ioored with Paraguayan marble,
of various colors, than which Italy can