Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-06
THE PLAZA IN CUBA
OUTDOOR LIFE IN THE QUEEN IS
LAND OF THE INDIES.
Masses and Glasses in the Tropics
Spend Much Time In the Cities
Public Squares.

From the Cuba Review.
All roads in Cuba lead to the plaza, or
public square, and town without its plaza
would be like an egg without salt or beauty
/ minus mirror.
| But, then, no town Is without It's plaza
| and most of them can boast of a series
Each OF the larger towns has its municipal
| band, and upon at least one evening of
each week it plays in the principal plaza
! Then the plaza Is gala sight, worth going
many mile to witness.
| 1t is then that the houses, so jealousy
closed by day. open wide their doors and
from them step sonora and the senoritas, ner
daughters, all bending their steps in the
>one direction. unless. indeed. they belong
/ to the wealthy classes and own a carriage,
or'perhaps hire one for the promenade
| as 1t Is called. 1t is gay then, the plaza,
| with its neat walks, where the electric
| lights twinkle merry welcome, where the
| fountains splash softly and the royal palms
| toss their scornful heads in the cool breeze
! of evening.
The picture is pretty one whether one
sees 1t from the slow and stately procession
| OF open carriages moving about the outside
| or the square or joins the throng sitting on
| the numerous benches or promenadng UP
and down in gay knots upon the walks,
where the lights cast wonderful waving
| shadows of huge, graceful palm leaves.
Be sure that the plaza is chaperoned By
| church, a graceful bulk now against the
| dark blue velvet sky by day, splendid
| times with a history centuries long and
bears traces of wind and weather on its
| soft-hued walls.
Clubs in Cuba
| Most towns are possessed of at least one
| club perhaps two or even three Cuban
| Spanish and an American one and usually
| at least one If not all of them face the
plaza, so that the members may enjoy the
| music from the wide piazzas. Here, too.
| usually face the post offices and the NUM-
clpal buildings, and perhaps the palace of
inc governor. For tine Cuban town or city
mas not the haphazard air too often seen in
| the plan of the American one where the
| park or parks have been added as an after
| thought, and are accessible to the masses
ohly 10Y trolley. The Cuban idea has APP
| parently been to select the spot for the
| plaza and build the town upon it. This is
hitting tribute TO the soft climate. which
makes life In the open air a pleasure for
| twelve months of the sunshiny year
And so the people reach the plaza early
| Senior in his suit of immaculate white with
| his hair and boots shining beautifully and
MS cigarette alfght; sonora in the black
winch was until very recently the uniform
| of the Cuban woman when she was afoot:
senorita is a splendid splash of color her
| airy gown is of vivid pink blue mauve or
red, with perhaps a general preference in
dreams. She has also abandoned her man
tilla, save in the country districts or per-
| hapS for church wear; but she retains the
rose or carnation set high in her dusky hair
| above the left ear That flower is indis-
pensable, and poor indeed would be the
| girl who could not afford one at least for
| band night" One only guess at the
coquettish care given to the place of that
vivid blossom ere senorita is ready to leave
her fathers house.
One thing IS strange here to American
| eyes on these gala evenings, and that Is
| the isolation of the sexes One sees the
| girls in brilliant groups each one a SYM
phony of color. or walking demurely by the
side of iuenna; but there are no absorbed
young couples strolling together, unchap-
eroned and unnoticed And yet let no one
| imagine that no winged shafts of Cupid are
let loose tonight; for the eye is eloquent IN
Cuba and the most demure of senoritas
must sometimes lift her own from the
ground.
Plaza in Daylight
Nor is the plaza neglected by day: here
sit or loiter many picturesque group; old
men past their work gaily clad nurses with
children, servants waiting to be hired each
with small bundle of her working clothes.
that she may be ready to go at once to the
| home of sonora, her potential mistress and
gracefully gesticulating pairs or knots of
the women of the poorer classes on their
way to or from church OF market
Ihey are indeed wonderfully 1.-THE and
graceful in our eyes, these women of the
people, with their footed, majestic car
rage. the carriage gained by generations of
carrying burdens on the head and, alas,
not to be initiated. Each one is bareheaded.
as she enjoys her gossip, yet about her
shoulders bangles scarf of lace or even a
long strip of some light cloth Perhaps
by and by, she will take leave of her
friends and saunter across the plaza to the
dim, cool entrance of the church, pausng
at its portals to adjust the scarf into a
head covering and pauSing also on her
exit to remove It.
The wise tourist spends MANY a delightful
hour in the plaza, and much wisdom as to
Cuban manners and customs will be his
even If perforce he uses but his eyes his
ears being closed to the Spanish which
tickles like honey from the tripping tongue
The Cuban usually speaks rapidly and talks
with eyes and elbow, with hand and arm
and shoulders, not infrequently springing to
his feet to tell his story with greater free
dom of motion.
In the more pretentious plazas n fountain
softly tinkles and gay beds of scarlet and
yellow blossoms make rich contrast to the
insistent green of grass and palm and the
almost unreal blue of the sky, a blue
deep, so rich that 1t reminds you of the
scenery of the opera on our northern stage,
and the picturesquely clad women and chill
dren might almost be the happy villagers"
whose gaiety is the direct result of climate
which is a spendthrift of sunshine.
The rural guard passing through the
piazza is NOT the ledSI picturesque OF HSQreS,
he is trim and natty in his khaki uniform
and broad campaign hat. well-se-up and
soldierly young fellow.
Where Children Play.
If the plaza be situated in the districts
where the poorer classes predominate the
lightly clad children dabble, laughing in
the water of the fountain. from which by
and by the policemen will benignly move
them on. Old colored men and women doze
lightly on the benches beneath the trees. A