The Washington herald., 1909-01-25

o1,tJ inn6DlIantS, and ABOUT one-iiLO u
them are negroes. exactly the same pro
portion as in the Capital Of the United
states. The city is modern in the sense
that nearly ali Of the advantages Of the
age OF steam and electricity are obtain
Z able, in the sense that the hotels are
thoroughly cosmopolitan. Yet there are
many things that are out OF the ordinary
and which are distinctively Cuban al
though some OF them have their origin in
the Unitea States government
For instance. there is the money sys-
TEN. An American business man who has
lived in Havana for nine years has
learned 70 carry no less than FIVE purses
in his pockets at all times. One is dedi-
Gated 10 American silver, another TO
American gold and paper, the third 10
Spanish silver. and enc each 10 Spanish
gold and French gold. Each one Of the
sixteen daily newspapers in Havana car
ries a. its masthead the daily prices OF
money exchange But the current mar
ket prices DO not rule in all business
transactions. so that great care must be
exercised.
When the Americans first TOOK hold Of
Cuban affairs in 1899 the unit OF the mon
etsry system was the Spanish peso OF 100
centavos- At that time II was worth 50
cents in American money That rate Of
exchange was then established, officially.
and II remains in force so far as the gov
e-nment and the chartered public service
corporations are concerned. As a matter
OF fact. the Spanish peso IS now worth 81
10 s. cents IN ordinary commerce the
exchange IS at that figure. One may take
an American dollar into any one OF the
scores Of money changing shops. each
displaying the sign ''Cembio de moneda,"
and get about Sis in Spanish silver. But
st the pOst-oflcs or az the railway oflce
or on the street car the Spanish dollar is
worth only 50 cents. As Spanish silver IS
the money Of the people, and IS almost
the only currency in use in daily transsc-
tons. and is the standard OF prices in al
mercantile establishments, the arbitrary
standard works great hardship. II also
opens the avenue for considerable pecula-
tons on the part Of government en-
plOyes. A stamp clerk al q branch post
office can easily make al extra hundred
dollars in a week by selling stamps for
Spanish money al 50 cents, and then.
turning that money into American az S.
settling in American money from his Own
pocket. The wise man carries all sorts OF
change. and he makes money by T. The
banks have two sets Of books one for
Spanish money and one for American
Checks must show what kind OF money
IS on deposit 10 be drawn against. In the
larger transactions Spanish and French
gold are generally in Use. As the people
Er~-
steam railroads and the street railways
greatly enhance their profits by the dOu-
bic system Of exchange Some day Cuba
many have a money system OF It's own
Certainly one Of the crying needs Of the
hour is a reform in the currency system.
The banking. Ike every other consider
able business in the island is in the
hands OF foreigners The Spanish control
the mercantile business and they likewise
DO most OF the banking business. Cana
dian banks are much IN evidence. and
since the days OF the war American bank
ing capital is a prominent factor The
CUbans themselves have little 10 do With
banking Of the country. except as they
have been taken into partnership by the
Americans.
~
ban ideas sometimes leads 70 ridiculous
situations. One OF the newest and finest
buildings in Havana Is the Hotel Seville
ArchitectUraIly II IS a replica OF some IA
nous Moorish palace. Practically il is
designed 20 be the first really. truly
American hotel in Cuba Every convent
ence invented by Manhattan hostelries
was installed before the hotel was opened
for business Even the rates were remi-
niscent Of Broadway. The proprietors. a
Spanish-Cuban firm which already owned
several hotels in Havana. decided that
they would complete the list OF sttrac-
tons by giving their walters an American
schooling. Head walters and several as
sistants were imported from continental
Europe via New York They had been
long enough IN Gotham TO adopt the An
glo-SaXOn methods. whatever may have
been the quality OF their English.
These foreign head walters began 10 do
revolutionary things They declared that
walters must not smoke in the dining
room while serving patrons. The Cuban
walters swore they would not give up
their cigarettes: but they concluded 10
conhne their smoking 10 the kitchen.
Then the tyrannicsl head walters ordered
the whole sJaff 10 shave their mustsches.
a Cuban revers his npustaChe as an Arab
reveres the beard % the Prophet This
was an outrage 20 which the hot blood OF
Cuba Libre could not submit. Between q
job and mUstache there was but one pos
sible choice-the Job must 60
Whereupon the English-speaking guests
OF a dozen hotels found themselves face
10 face with the problem Of ordering a
-T-r-
who knew not the significance OF the
words ham and eggs" There was a
walters strike. The walters lost out, OF
course. and the raw strike breakers got
the jobs But the waiter in the Havana |
hotel may be seen to-day blowing the
blue cigarette smoke through the ends Of |
his curling mustaches L was a victory
for Cuba Libre.
The institution Of marriage has been /
greatly popularized since Anglo-Saxon /
ideas Of morality followed the Stars and /
Stripes into Cuba The religion Of Cuba |
IS horrifed at the frequency OF divorces |
IN the United States. but under Spanish |
rule Il had made the marriage fees 50 4
high that only the rich could afford 4
wedding ceremony The poor people /
mated and lived together without sane /
ton Of authority. civil or ecclesiastical. |
Since the rise OF American influence a |
great change has been effected. The fees 4
have been reduced, the ceremonies simpli- 4
fed. and marrying IS now almost as easy |
as in the United States. Protestant mis-
sionaries have devoted much tine TO edu-
eating the people along this line. Catho-
lie priests from the United States have
revivified man. congregations OF that /
faith and have Instituted many excellent
reforms in paroehial administration.
The percentage OF illegitimate children
is. therefore. constantly decreasing. Yet
the record is still sstonishingly large