Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-04-03
HAVANA STANDARDIZATION
RACES THERE NUMBER HALF
MILLION PEOPLE.
Houses ARE 0yercrOwded. The Sunday
Mardi Gras Ia Lent.Four SabbathS of
Pleasure And Parade. Havana The
Heart Throb of Cuba.
THE PRICELESS PEARL OF THE
GREAT ANTILLES.

We stated in former letter that the
population of Havana is estimated at
$50, 600. The race divisions are native
whites. foreign whites. negroes, mixed
and Chinese. Three-fourths of the
people in Havana are said to live in
the most densely populated locations
in the world.
The typical tenement house is like
most of the other Cuban houses-but
one story, but the tenement house Is
oblong with court i'm the centre
with rooms opening upon it from
two sides. In this IL is not at all
uncommon for families of five or ten
people to live in two small dark
rooms. Havana is overcrowded in the
houses, and there is also an over
crowding OF the houses themselves.
II is said the city covers smaller
area than any other city Of its popu-
lation either in Europe or America.
Tho tourist sees many Cinnamon in
Havana. lie forms an industrious
part of the community and is often
seen carrying burdens, swung from
poles balanced from his shoulders
after the fashion of the natives. There
are Chinese truck farms on the out
skirts of the city and many of them
engage in the market gardening in
dustry. AT Camp Columbia nearly
every morning the Chinese truck gar
deners sell their fruits and vegetables
and find many patrons. The Chinese
in Cuba are reminder of the eoolie
trade. This brought to the Island
hundreds of thousands TO virtual
slavery. The planters paid S400 for
the coolies and they were imported
under a contract TO serve eight years
at 81 per month. They were not
profitable as human chattles as many
of them committed suicide.
The law has now suppressed both
bull fighting and cockhghting in
Havana, although strenuous effort
is being made TO revive cockfighting
and prominent Cubans waited upon
Governor Magoon during our visit to
urge its revival. 1t is horrible,
cruel fight, but the natives delight in
IT,, and consider it favorite recrea-
tion, as well as a popular native sport
Baseball is favorite athletic sport
and the most important games are
played ,on Sunday. Indeed, Sunday
is the day of recreation and sport in
Cuba and the first four Sundays in
Lent are given over to n regular Mardi
Gras. Men. women and children
parade the streets in fancy costume,
some are masked. All are ia car
riages, wagons or on horseback. There
are bands of music, beautiful floats
and handsome horses elegantly cap
arisoned.
From to & o'clock every Sunday
afternoon for the first four Sundays in
Lent, hundreds of Cubans in gala dress
and fancy costumes help TO make
merry and there is surging sea of
around the beautiful Male
cou, on the Prado and opposite the
whose mirth and gayety is
n striking contrast to the angry waves
of the surging sea that lashes MORO
Castle just across the harbor opposite.
Hundreds OF dollars are spent each
Sunday in purchasing the confetti
and serpentipe thrown at the merry
and in turn thrown by them
at friends and strangers on these fes-
tive occasions, and the next day cart
loads of gay colored paper may be
seen hauled away by the white
wings" Throngs witness the festiv
tiles and Americans wonder at such
of keeping Lent. But Sun
days in Lent here in Havana are said
10 De icast uayb anu rs sucn tney are
observed in manner much like our
New Orleans Mardi Gras. II is a aus
tom that dates back to the time when
Havana was a walled city.
Havana in those old days-the Ha-
vana within the walls-was one Of
tile richest and most important spots
for its size on the earth, and the Ha-
vann OF today, the Havnaa without the
walls, with all its beauty, its luxu-
riant fora, its mercantile and agricul-
tural opulence-proclaims its import
ance and speaks but one Language to
the eye of the stranger-that Havana
is the heart, the life throb of Cuba,
the great priceless Pearl of the An
titles. Il. A. g.