The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1906-01-11
better class in Argentina are above

their lights, and are devoted TO WOrkS
of charity and the claims of kinship
Indeed, the religion of 1.-THE country is
practically kept alive by the weaker
sex, for the men consider it a mark of
progressive advancement to affect in
tidelism and as a rule do not go to
church at all for devotional purposes.
But it must be confessed that the lives
of these model matronS are narrow
With matrimony and motherhood they
seem to consider their mission in life
entirely accomplished and settle down
contentedly to become mere nOnentieS
and shapeless Jumps of fat. They are
completely satisfied with themselves,
however and look upon anything APP
preaching the life of the new woman
with unspeakable horror. After de-
jeunier they sleep awhile and after din
ner they sit in the sala and gossip with
other Jumps of fat. 1t is the custom of
those who have not grown too lazy to
ride to the Gale Florida in the even
ing, to toddle solemnly up and down
that fashionable promenade for an
hour, and then ride home again; but
the majority of wealthy dowagers re-
strict their outdoor exercise to riding
in their carriages up and down the
Corso at Palermo. The manners of
most of them are generally aggressive
" naughty to say the least, and what
to them is courtesy they demand AS
a right. For example, it is common in
a crowded street car for richly dressed
women to ask men to vacate their
seats for them and then to plump them
selves down without even look of ac-
acknowledgement. At any hour of the
day you may see ponderous dowagers,
laden with jewels and in snowy attire
bearing down street like a ship under
sail. elbowing everybody off the narrow
sidewalk on which it is Impossible to
walk two abreast, themselves never
budgng an inch. One longs to throw
something at them, merely to see if the
self satisfied expression on their coun-
tenances may not change bit.
Generally speaking, the male Argen-
tinian is handsome creature, or more
correctly speaking, a pretty creature,
though understood and effemlDate and
decidedly more ornamental than use
ful. In manners and dress he affects
French fashions to the EXTREMIST de-
gree; his coming is heralded by hun
bred perfumes, his symmetrical NOUS
tache is twisted tol invisible points,
his patent leather shoes tapered to
tooth-pick toes, his Powered waistcoat,
gorgeous cravat, jeweed fob and i'm
maculate linen all the very apex of
style. He is not only eminently snowy,
but witty and clever, good linguist
because the gift of gab' is inherent),
and what he lacks in originality is
made up by his marvellous faculty of
imitation. From the constitution of
his country to the fashion of his neck
tie, every thing about him is faithful
copy of some foreign production. AS
bon comrade he is affable, generous
and thoroughly unreliable. The most
difficult things in life for him are to be
punctual at an appointment, to keep
promise, to stick to the point in dis
cusson, to call spade spade and not
something that sounds more magnlii-
cent and in bis t1Owery speeches of ur-
meaning bombast to keep from wrap
ping nonsense round with pomp and
darkness till it seems profound Being
bv no means enamored of work he
ciings to the professions and leaves to
the poorer emigrants the heWing of
wood and drawing of water, and ii he
must toll for his daily bread, he will do
it with nothing but ink or his tongue.
The new civil marriage law is veXa-
tious measure, as strict as the laws re-
lating to illigitimacy are lax. by It's
provision persons deslrous of contract
ing matrimOny must first enter INTO Il
public engagement and promise OF
marriage, the names, natlonaIltleS, call
ings and ages of the contracting parties
being published day by day for Specl-
| fled time in the newspapers. Each
party must produce all manner of doc
uments in attestation of his or her
origin. certificate of birth and baptism,
| and must give particulars with regard
! to his or her parents. All this may be
easy enough to the natives, or to one
! born iii the country, but few foreign
ers have the required particulars at
/ hand and cannot marry until they have
produced them from Europe or else
where. In many cases the difficulties
are unsurmountable, and at the best
the annoyance of delay and publicity
are great AS a natural result STATISTICS
show that the marriage rate has de-
creased alarmingly within the last few
years, and that illegitimacy has cor
respondingly increased. The latter,
however, does not seem to be consld-
cred very serious matter, in hybred
community composed of representa-
tives of all the countries of the world,
especially as the laws of this land are
nearly, if not quite, as favorable to the
| illegitimate as to the legitimate heirs.
House rent is extremely high in
Buenos Ayres-that is, in the fashion
able quarter of palaces, where the
| facades, coonades and courtyards ale
of Genoese marble,-from $4,000 to
$1,000 year being not Fan unusual
price to pay for house of six or eight
immense rooms AS a rule the style OF
living is copied from that of Paris, and
the native nabobs vie with one another
in giving gorgeous ENTERTAINMENTS; but
of course society is very cosmopolitan
in a place where morning papers are
published in five different languages;
Buenos Ayres has always been famed
for the hospitality of its old Creole
families, descendants of many brave
cavalier who broke the lance with the
Moors of Granada and have preserved
a strain of elegance and refined taste
that tells of sangre aZul.
FANNIE B. WARD.