The Washington herald., 1908-03-23
On Board Z. s. s. Louisiana,
L. 5. Rattle Fleet,
on Cnllao Hafbor. Feb. ..

porations have no souls, or that politics
makes strange bedfellows, is another that
in international affairs the friends of yes
terday may be the foes OF to-day. and
that nations. as nations. have no men,
ories. II il is true, Peru is the rule prov
Ing exception. Her gracious welcome 10
the American fleet. from the first acclaim
OF greeting to the last farewell, was
marked by a sincerity that was. peculiar
in the exchange OF international cour-
tesies.
There was reason for this. OF all South
American countries none Is more devoted
" the friend OF the United States than
Peru. In the time of Peru's direst dis
tress. when the hell horrors of war left
her plundered. sacked, pillaged, as no ma
ton in modern times has been desponed:
when she was bereft of nearly her entire
population Of early manhood when dyna-
mite and the torch were employed in a
heartless exhibition of brutality 10 mark
as permanently as possible the pathway
OF a mOcking conquerOr; when the van
,salism Of victory even destroyed the trees
Of botanical gardens, robbed altars of
decorations cut paintings from frames 10
children. destroyed civic utilities for the
sake OF wanton destruction: when the
conqueror struck the most terrible blow
that conQuerOr can strike. the violation
Of the sanctity Of homes-and be it re-
membered that the women OF Peru are
declared by all authority to be the most
beautiful, proud. and high spirited in the
wOrld-when all this was done, the first
nation 70 comfort 10 advise, to shield was
the United States.
Grateful for Our Aid.
True, once or twice the United States
seemed TO falter and Peru almost cried
out with bitterness because Of it. but
there was another haudclasp with sincere
words of real friendship back of il. and
Peru emerged from her trial grateful and
steadfast- That was quarter of a cen
tury ago. and Peru said she would re-
member. Her hospitality TO the great
American feet proved that she did She
IS no longer poverty stricken. She is fair
ly well TO do. and things are looking bet
ter all the time. She lives in comfort
She even wears colOrs occasionally. She
has young men again, and their energy
is making for prosperity and advance
Peru said as plainly as could be:
i am truly glad TO see you. We can't
do as much for you in the way OF enter
tainment as our hearts could wish. We
can't lavish wealth upon you, but such
as we have is yours, all yours. We have
remembered
Everything In Delicate Taste.
And so II was that Perus entettain-
ment of the fleet was not extravagant or
burdensome. It was delicate rather than
effusive. Il was the welcome and hos
pitality OF high breeding. From the first
gun OF the cruiser Bolognesi, sent 80
miles out to sea to escort the fleet in to
Callao, 20 the last "Eep! Eep! Eep,
OOrahi' on the tug that followed us
farthest TO sea as we left this morning
every act of hospitality was in perfect
taste and in a spirit utterly foreign to
vulgar display.
The unofficial welcome was everywhere.
IL began as soon as the ships entered
Callao Bay. There are no headands or
hills surrounding the harbor, which is
practically an open roadstead. The fleet
had to anchor two lies out. The harbor
was crowded with - sorts OF little craft
laden TO the danger point. Every tug
every launch, all the sailbOats that could
be found, rowing barges, dories. two large
ocean-going steamers. came out to say
howdy and bearing cheering people by
the thousand. Some OF the little craft
fired national salUtes with toy cannon
Those that had whistles tied down the
cords One tug was crowded with young
men who insisted on giving the Cornell
yell every time a ship passed by.
Thousands Watch the ships.
AS soon as anchors were cast a look
shoreward revealed that tens of thou
sands had come to the waterfront Later
when one went ashore he learned that
the government had declared a holiday in
honor Of the arrival OF the fleet, and that
al OF CallaO and Lima, seven miles dis
tant. had come down to see the ships.
The stores and shops were closed as if II
were Sunday. Business was at a stand
still Official visits were begun at once.
but those who could get away made haste
to go to Lima on the modern trolley sys-
TEN, which. in addition to two railroads.
accommodates the traffic between the two
cities.
The visitor noted that Callao was an III
smelling place of garish coIored houses
and narrow streets-a mere port OF 10000
characteristics Of some of the cities on
the southern shore of the Mediterranean.
Once out in the fat country, the visitor
was reminded somewhat Of the country
between Brooklyn and Coney Island
Truck farms We're frequent. What looked
70 be American corn was growing pro-
fusely side by side with banana trees and
sUgarcane fields. Patches of good. old
fashioned egetables-onions. cabbages
radishes, lettuce-were also under cuItiva-
ti0n. Large herds of fine cattle grazed in
some of the fields and in others were
herded splendid hocks of sheen. II looked
almost like home. The fences alone were
strange. They were made of thick blocks
OF dried mud. The entire cultivation was
dependent upon irrigation from the Rimac
River. the splendid mountain stream that
dashes down from the Andes in torrent
clear to the sea.
City PIacarded with Welcomes
Then one came to Lima itself. situated
on plain girdled by the foothills of the
Andes. with its low lying houses, all made
OF mud plastered upon bamboo reeds,
with. not a roof in the city that would
shed water for in Lima It never rains; TO
Lima. the one city in the western hemi-
sphere which has preserved a large
amount Of the architecture of the Middle
Ages and Is rich IN traditions of the past.
There in this city of 10000 people with
its well paved streets. its busting activi-
ties. its fine climate (the temperature
never goes above 50 degrees. although the
cisy is only Y degrees from the equator)
and attractive people the Americans found
plastered on every building in town