The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-10-21
SHOCKING MORAL DEGENERACY
 ;. ;. AMONG THE PEOPLE OF CUBA
h the Last Analysis This the Cause of the Recent Troubles in the sad-Ienorance of the Women Responsible for the Lack
 of Any Attempt to Train Children.
Havana Correspondence 'f M

Havana Correspondence f Memph's S Commercial Appeal
 In the last analysis the recent troo- bies in Cuba have been moral ones. It fs the character of the people whlcn has been tested and found wanting: Political conditions are fle outWar manifestation of the inward spirltual condition of a race. When they proHe ansound the cause must be sought tor deeper than in the fortnitous con 1ourse of events. the ambition Of one CT two men. or the mistaken policy ot | moment. No one who has lived mueh in Cuba can fail to be deeply lm- pressed with the domestic degradat' on which prevails throughout 'he island. The ignorance of the women IS F. sponsible for the lack Of any at- tempt to train the children o ,n h. nnt tn Ideas of conduct. Little people up to the age of or 4 are permitted hecs In Havana, in fairly respectable fam flies. to run naked. In tke rural d1s tricts the same blissful 'eedom from clothing is permitted to plder chi'- dren. I have been told tsat it IS no mncommon sight to find girls and nudity. In many of the lost elegant homes of Havana. however, the cni;- dren receive lessons of indecency with their mothers milk. The pride' con- ceit and love of dress which preVaf sara not conditions calculated to pr" duce noble conduct. So complete IS the indifference to the ordinary rehne- ment of manners that 8 wealthy gen. 4lsman here in Havana entertained a brilliant company at his home on the evening when his little son was born. The freedom with which parents dts- cuas the most intimate matters be- fore their children, even when these are practically grown r'en ana wo- .uren. too. Is shocking. Cuba con- tains thousands of good men and pure women, and doubtless there are homes here which are models of Christian excellence: but the instances l havs cited are sufhciently numerous to be representative and the cId Inference of moral degeneracy which may be drawn seems fully jus.ied by the facts.
 The last census revealed 10000 cou ples in the Island living togethe: without the formality of marriage. The Cuban term for this kind of re- iation -is "amancibado." The Spanfs5 word Is derived from "mancibo.' young man. and means that the wom- an in the case has sweetheart. Ine appalling total here mentioned does not include other forms cf illicit re- iationship rampant throughout the is- . land The unions in nancibado' seem to o-have been contracted largely as a result of the great ;pense con nected with marriage prior to the American occupation of the island The lowest fee charged .or the cer'' mony was then two or three "cen- tenes," or from $10 to SIS. It is moreover. the custom for the groom to provide the brides rousseau and to pay for the entertainment which ,s absolutely essential to maintain tho social status of the contracting par ties. Confronted by these heavy ex- to whom a "centen" represents value hardly less than a thousand such T the United States, frankly accepted the impossibility of it all and chose his mate much as the birds do. Sin,' the establishment of ;he republic these unions have grown less ire ouent. The civil contract of marriag is inexpensive. and there is less hesi tation about mourning the ether ex penses connected with a legal wed ding.
 Many of these impromptu union have turned out very happily. Tn parties often regard them as full net result Is to weaken the respect fo the marriage tie. This result als follovs from the character of tn marriage laws, which do ot tolerat divorce. The dagrancy with whic the seventh commandment is violate by married men Is matter of con stant astonishment to one educated | :Anglo-Saxon prejucices. The me openly boast of their conduct an
 justify 1t by many ingenious excuses Exceptions there are. of course as to every general statemen I shall make in this article; but the
 serve only to prove the proverbi5 rule. So lax Is the moral standard tn
 women are often found in the lowe classes with two or three children. wh confess without a blush that they hay
 no husband. Their plea is poverty. Un