The Washington herald., 1908-02-15

here and there; others are straight, until
you feel that all you need is a brass band
10 make You march; others take you in
swoops this way and that; arrows and
daggers point themselves at you; bou-
quets in stone attract you until you al
most feel that you want TO stoop to get
Whit; but the predominant feeling is
that the designs were sunk for sailors to
roll back TO the ship on, heaviug TO Oc-
casionally for bearings; or for intoxicated
men 10 take another tack in the hope of
finding a shorter way.
one Of the bluejackets hit this particu-
lar beach" one afternoon after he had
been drinking copiously but not well. He
stopped short and called &c his mate. a
few feet away:
".Bill, come here! Take me away! What
do I see? Look at EN-! Snakes? Yes, they
are snakes. got 'eml Hit that big fell
Ter on the head It's the brig fer me
when l get back. Take me away. BIZ!
Think o. the disgrace o. gettin' the jim
jams in a foreign port. Bowery booze fer
me after this! Take me away, BIZ! 'Tain't
snakes? Honest? Jes sidewalk? Ray
for Brazil"
Then the blueiaclyet got on his knees
anu ANAA 10 AAicihE atAE ~ was INS NAAs-
walk " while a crowd Of Brazilians gather
ed around and some of them thought
Yankee sailors either had queer ways of
investigation or of making their devotions
under the effect OF libations and smiled.
and in Portuguese told Bill and Tom they
were good fellows.
The Monroe Palace.
AS one went to the south on this Cen
tral avenue ne came upon the nearly
finished municipal theater, one OF the
handsomest playhouses in the world. and
probably the largest in the western
hemisphere. Then came the new public
library and other federal and municipal
buildings that are being erected back Of
old CASTILLO Hill, where the first settlers
squatted, and the remains OF their mud
died mannerof living still present them
selves TO the eye And then one came
to the white Renaissance pile, the strik-
ingly beautiful Monroe Palace. named az
ter our own Monroe, whose famous doc
trtne is woven into the woOf and warp
OF the Brazilian Institutions.
This palace is where the Pan-American
Congress met, where Secretary Root
made a profound impression in his ad-
dress.
The Bay BOuIevRrds.
Then one saw the boulevard system.
Again one must repress himself It IS
safe to say that no city in the world has
anything Ike IT, that no avenue OF high
way is more beautiful and imposing.
Illuminated with thousands OF lights at
vfcr-r 20 a4TanF ba hnrhrr fa rhur
Of a Ions. crescent Of diamonds flashing
upon the forehead Of the bay. No one
who has ever seen this highway Of miles
with its palatial dwellings fronting upon
1t and set back against the hills can ever
forget it.
Then the Americans began 10 wander
about the city. The narrow streets in
the business district are like those of
Havana and many other cities Of people
Of Latin descent Through this part of
town run little mule propelled tramways
with the narrow rails so close 10 the side
walk that when the tram is crowded TO
the side steps there is danger Of sweep
ing the passengers of in passing pedes-
trians. The visitors saw the cafes. real
cafes. where the principal drink is cof-
fee, Strong as the devil. as black as ink
as hot as he'll and as sweet as love"
Some Of the Americans liked the coffee
but the wise ones confined their drinking
TO Hmeades. Then the visitors saw the
many crowded cinematograph shows the
crowded shops the powdered and what
Americans would call Overdressed. women
the panorama Of the highways. the news
boys. the hundreds of lottery shops
But above all else they noted the clean
condition Of things. They asked if it was
a sudden squirt Of cleanliness and were
told that il was not They asked how
about these new streets and the extensive.
harmonious and comprehensive building
that is going on. II was declared to be
part OF a broad policy that has been in
progress for four or five years, part Of a
plan TO make Rio one Of the most beau
tiful cities in the world. a plan TO make
it fit the magnificent surroundings which
nature has provided for it. American
opinion was all summed UP in this gen
eTal expression:
''As handsome a city as ever saw"
Jacks Welcome Ashore.
It was when the bluejackets went ashore
that the Americans began to realize what
BraMls welcome really meant. The boys
landed with a whoop and began 10 scat
ter. Sailorlike some Of them headed for
the saloons, but the people expected that
and were surprised that more Of them
didn't fall by the wayside Most of the
men, however. went in for rational enjay-
ment. They crowded the postal card en-
poriums, they bought fruit and trinkets
they piled on the tramways and weut any
old place so long as it was somewhere.
They filled the streets, the cinemsto-
graph places. Yes. they hired altomo-
biles and rode about Ike nabobs to the
astOnishment OF the natives, who must
have wondered at the pTincely wages
the United States paid its men. They
went to the best restaurants and hotels.
Everywhere they We're welcomed. Eng
lish spoken here" was a frequent sign,
They were even allowed to loll on the
grass of the many beautiful parks, an act
that costs a native a fine of five to fifteen
milreis. They were respectful to all. but
they had a commanding way about them
that took. They owned the town; they
knew it. but did not attempt to take the
slightest advantage Of it.
AS the days went by and one saw the
behavior Of these bluejackets his Amer
lean heart was filed with pride over
them. They were clean. intelligent man
". open, as fine a brand Of sailors as
ever wore a uniform, Obeyed an order, or
sported their money lavishly in foreign
port
Useful Information Bureau.
The first thing that greeted the eve OF
every man who landed at the beautiful
park that used TO be an eyesore in the
central part of the water front was a big
sign reading:
information Bureau for American seamen.
It was an information bureau. a real
one