The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-05-16
WE MIGHT PATTERN
AFTER VENEZUELA
Said Frank plumley in His Lecture on
'Venezuela' at the Methodist
Church LAST Evening.

AT the Methodist church last evening
4 fair-sized audience enjoyed the lecture
given by the Hon, Frank Plumley Of
Mortified, who spoke on his trip I'd
Venezuela when he went there al ali UNI
pire TO settle the difficulties between that
country and France. Ie spoke over an
hour, and his lecture was not only very
interesting but instructive as wen, He
told particularly Of the lives and habits
of the natives there as he observed them.
lie said that the people were generally
well educated both intellectually and
morally, and had many virtues that the
Americans might we'll try To emulate
III speaking Of the capital city, Cara
cas-, and its dwelling houses he said that
the houses were rather forbidding lools-
ing from the outside from the fact that
they were built solid to the net house
and the sidewalks were built right up
to the walls Of the houses. The streets
are just wide enough for two teaAss to
pass. One reason for the narrow streets
and the sidewalks SO close to the houses,
he said. was that the height Of the Build
ings always kept one side Of the street
shaded from the hot sun. The houses
were also cooler from being huilt to-
gether al only two sides were tEAa ex-
posed to the sun.
In contrast to the forbidding exxanior
of the houses he said that their inter.
iors were beautiful. ali the homsas have
open parties In the middle Of which
there are flowers growing and fountains
playing. The rooms are elegantly fur
nished and the people especially delight
in having their homes well lighted, both
Cay and night.
How They Deal There.
The speaker said that when he frst
arrived at Caracas he was met w the
Netherlands minister and went tO the
La Grande hotel, the largest IN tle city.
Here he was made acquainted with a
peculiar custom of the country. He was
first shown To his room and To his aston.
ishmeht the only things in it were the
bcdstead and the springs. After telling
the landlord that he would take the room
the furniture was then brought In and
the wires for electric light were run III.
His interpreter then told him De would
have to negotiate with the landlord on
the price 10 be paid for the room anl
board and a sum was finally agreed upon,
after the interpreter had battered with
the landlod for about a half hous. IL Is
the custom there for the merchant Or
business man Of any kind to set his first
price about ten times what an article is
worth and then Sit down with the Gus
toner and negotiate on a reasonable
price.
Good School System.
Venezuela has good graded school
system and universities. Tie schools are
supplied with money from q national
fund and il Is the custom every year
for the government To pick out the best
students from the different branches 81
study, supply them with the xaoney and
send them abroad 10 continue their
studies. He said that ii an American
thought that he could 60 70 Venezuela
and teach the people everything he would
find that 1t would be simply an exchange
Of knowledge az the native there can
give as much as they take.
Are Honest People.
Burglary and petit larceny are un.
known in that country ana the speaker
told of an incident in eoroboration Of this
statement that he witnessed IN hotel
there one evening when man with a
trunk full OF costly pearls put mp at the
house and brought his trunk into the af.
flee. During the evening the man went
to the trunk which was unlocked, pulled
out one Of the bags of pearls and poured
the contents, worth thousands of dollars,
onto a table III the office where several
customers looked them over and bought
what they wanted The man then
seooped the rest back into the bag, threw
IL into the trunk and went away leav-
ing the trunk unlocked, with no fear
thar they would be stolen.
The climate is very conducive TO NAL.
arial fever and the people are constantly
troubled by the disease more or less
severely, though il seldom becomes epi.
demic, and the physicians know Just
how to handle the disease to break II
up in short order Another Of the Venoz-
uelans he said was their good behavior
which i universal throughout all classes
Of the people.