The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-06-08
sAuNTsRINes IN HAVANA.
Tourists Meets Many Objects Of In
terest In the Capital.

While the ears and eyes of the tour
ist in Havana are filled with the din
from day to day, and far into the
night, of the major notes of the city's
strenuous life, says the Cuba Review,
the strident gongs on thousands OF car
riages, the equally noisy gongs of the
trolley cars, the masses of color and
minor notes of the teeming life begin
after few days to make themselves
heard, and these have an equal attrac-
tion and charm. The street venders
of Havana and their often melodious
cries and occasionally the reverse as,
for instance, the rasping cry of the
peanut vender when concert is on at
Central Park of the Malecon, are as
interesting to the average globe tro.ter
to whom Havana is but brief stopping
place on his rounds, as to the more Sc
rious observer, to whom everything
in a new land appeals as worthy of
attention.
The street sellers have their hours
and their ways and each appears at his
appointed time. A seller of sweets at
dawn and a seller of mangoes after
sunset are alike ,inconceivable. The
seller of balloons sounds small metal
pitch pipe, such as musicians. use,
while the scissors grinder trundles his
wheel and gives out small plaintive
air from set of reeds. Frequently the
performer embellishes the scale with
fugitive grace notes, according to his
talents and lasts, and the plain scale
becomes quite musical composition.
These two do not intrude upon one
another's methods. The balloon sell
Ter and other balloon sellers will use
a pitch pipe, while the scissors grind
ers will use the reeds, and SO with the
others. The sellers of fruits, of shoes,
of bread, of flowers of notions and
countless other small needs of the
persons have their individual manner
isms and cries and very quaint they
are, too. The tourist will naturally
search out specimens for himself, and
as there is no dearth of good material
he will make discoveries at any hour
of the day in frequented as well as
most unfrequented streets.
Some of the more prosperous of this
street tribe own carts, hauled by dim
inutive donkeys or own ponies, on
which they pack their wares. You will
even come across even more diminu-
tive outfits, in which a goat is the mo-
tive power, and very often the goat
will be comparisoned with bells
and plumes, in imitation of the
American horses attached to the mer-
chandise drays, which are ornamented
with great colored plumes and bells and
brass-studded harness. For the tour
lists needs and desires the great stores
on Obispo, O'Reilly, San Rafael and
other thoroughfares in Havana will be
fouGd sufficient for all demands. Obs
po is an. ideal street Asphalt roadway,
wide concrete sidewalk, overhead avn
ing that stretch from housetop to
housetop, which make a delicious
shade and GOODNESS in the heat of the
day. and stores where the finest of
French and Spanish and American
products are on exhibitions fans, jew
elry, bric-a-brac, silks, laces are here
in the greatest abundance of the rich
est and most ornate workmanship and
at moderate prices. The visitor will
not soon weary of these most attrac-
tive thOrOughfares