The Washington herald., 1908-01-12

/ The greatest feet Of battle ships that
ever went a-cruising is flying the Stars
and Stripes IN the harbor OF Rio de
Janeir0 to-day. and 1900 officers and
men representing the great republic Of
| the North are the honored guests OF the
great republic Of the South. Brazil has
made it known IN many ways that this
visit OF Admiral Evans feet is a COM
pliment which Is thoroughly appreciated.
/ The visit Of Secretary Root was the be-
ginning OF an era Of closer relations be-
/ tween these two largest republics on
earth, and the visit Of the fleet will
/ serve TO further promote those good re-
/ lations.
On this occasion Rio de Janeiro will
do herself proud Naval officers Of the
world have already said that the Bra
lillian capital is the most hospitable city
/ on earth. The President, Alfonso Penna,
will entertain Admiral Evans, the Amer
| lean Ambassador. and a number Of off-
! GERS at a dinner at the palace at Petrop-
oils This will be the beginning OF
round OF entertainments which includes
several great banquets. a promenade.
garden party, and the like. Meanwhile
such of the men as are given shore leave
| will be permitted 10 have a good time in
true sailor fashion, the guardians Of the
/ peace looking 10 their comfort rather
than to their discomfort
/ Rio de Janeiro is one Of the most
beautiful Of cities. It's harbor is one Of
/ the finest on earth. 1t is surrounded by
mountains which rise abruptly from the
very waters Of the ocean aad bay, and
| its scenery combines the charm Of sea,
mountain. and tropical forest The city
/ Is clean. for the sanitary engineers have
banished smells and those health-de-
strovlng missmas which were for 50
many centuries associated Tith the tr0p-
/ tcs. If there is case Of yellow fever
now, the health department responds to
/ q call with dlsinfectants and mosquito
netting as promptly as a fire company
/ to a fire alarm.
/ Rio is being built over on plan which
will make Il an ideal City Beautiful, and
/ also a great seaport The crescent OF
4 the bay front is skirted by a magnificent
boulevard which VIII be twenty-five
/ miles long when completed. The govern
/ ment IS spending 100000 on improve
meuts in the harbor and the building OF
modern docks and wharves. Ihrougn
/ the very heart OF the old city was cut
the splendid Ayenida Central Hundreds
Of houses were torn down, thousands OF
people hustled 10 new homes, and nils
almost high enough to be called noun
talns were cut away. Then the wide
! street was laid out, modern buildings
erected. the thoroughfare paved with as
phalt. with rows Of lights on eacR slde
and another down the center Inc cen
/ ter is relieved by frequent patches OF
/ green, each supporting a tree. And an
OF this done IN eighteen montns. Inc
illumination OF the street Is always beau
/ tiful, on gala occasions II IS like falTy-
/ land. When Mr. Root was received In
Rio from each Of the lamp posts along
/ tha+ great thoroughfare was suspended
! a basket filed with flowers, orchids, ana
the ike which would have cost a million
dollars in our Northern country.
/ However. It IS not in this central ave-
nue. that our naval officers will md the
real life Of Rio de Janeiro. For that
tbs,, must 20 70 the heart Of the CITY,
and the heart Of the city is the Rua DO
Ouvidor. This street IS about nan
,,ua long. Is quite narrow, and vehicles
are not permitted upon IL. Here are all
the fashionable shops and coffee houses
here is the life of the city. POLITICIANS
meet in the Ouvidor 20 talk politics,
singers TO talk the opera. business men
10 talk business, everybody 10 gossip
and have a good time. And al a!ons
are the coffee houses, where one may %
served with tiny cups Of the bia%ili1'i'
national beverage. .t.+
coffee 10 be nj for the gods, snoulo DC
as hot as hell. as black as night. ana %
sv-ast as love" And this describes the
roffee Of the Ouvidor. Liquors are drunk
in the citv. Of course, and rum IS very
rbeeD But there are few barrooms and
drunkenness is quite rare. The nation
is given over to coffee drinking and the
social life Of the taproOm OF England and
,ra SELDOM Of the United States is found
over the coffee cups Of the OuFidoI-
An hours run across the bay, half
hour on a train, another half hour on a
icog-wheeI train climbing almost straight
ND into the mountains, and one comes 10
Petropolis. the diplomatic capital OF the
republlc. Petropolis is a riot OF tTop-
lea! beauty. Through the center OF the
uriDcipaI streets flows a dashIng noun
tain stream On all sides are the homes
of the diplomatic corps. And here IS
the palace of the President built by
Dom Pedro as summer residence. Many
persons live in Petropolis and go TO RIO
I de Janiero each day for business spend
ing four hours Of the day in going and
coming. and a portion of that time on the
IscuI-rackiBg. bOdv-breaking COg-wheel
read. But it is from Petropols that the
diplomatic life of the country proceeds
Brazil is not a diplomatic child. Baron
Rio de Branco, the Brazilian minister Of
! foreign affairs. who will give banquet
Of 500 covers in the Monroe Palace to our
naval officers is man Of great learn
/ ing and great resource. He was the rep
resentative Of Brazil at the German i'm
periaI court and there became fast
friend Of the German Emperor. II the
/ United States should not treat Brazil
fairly. Baron Rio de Branco would build
| a Kaiser Wilhelm palace right alongside
of our Monroe Palace. and give the Mon
roe doctrine a test But as there is no
reason why Brazil and the United States
should quarrel. and as such incidents as
the visit Of Secretary Root and the call
| Of the great fleet are certain TO promote
more friendly feelings, it may be pre-
dicted that the baron viii not be called
upon to erect another public building
with a political name, and the Monroe
/ Palace will stand.
Americans Of the United States IS a
rule pay too little attention to the other
Americans Brazil has a proud history
and the Brazilian does not like TO ind
! his North American cousin so denseiy
| ignorant about H. Brazil is the only
| A Ar,aricar stai.. which once rmled nver a