Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-08

old-fashioned Indian millstones are still
the rule rather than the exception.
The clothing of the average N~icaraguan
is extremely simple. Among the poorer
classes the boys run in the Adamic garb
worn before Eve invented her palm-leaf
apron, The girls wear little slips made
from a single piece of muslin. The ordi-
nary clothing of the men consists of a
palm-leaf hat, a shirt and a pair of trous-
ers. All 20 barefooted except the Indians,
who wear sandals. The women wear a
chemise, a cotton skirt and a kind of light
shawl. Those of high caste initiate Euro
pean ways. Labor is plentiful in numbers,
but short in quality. 1t is said that the
average laboTer wants to be treated as a
nabob or hidalgo. Among the poorer classes
baptism is considered a more sacred rite
than marriage.
AS a rule the Nicaraguans are polite,
honest and fun-loving. Their speech
abounds in compliments, and their hospi-
tality is such that the stranger is always
received with courtesy. The best the house
affords, though it may be nothing more
than a cup of coffee and a small cake, is
placed at his disposal. The Indians, though
for centuries treated with cruelty by the
Spaniards, nave not been soured by mis-
use and still go their way with much song
and laughter. They are quick to coin
words and characterize people according 10
their occupation. When the first engineer
ing party on the Nicaragusn canal estab-
lished itself at Rivas the wife of the en-
gineer in charge accompanied it. Later
she received a letter which had no ad-
dress other than La Canalera"-literally
the woman of the canal.
Honesty is a marked characteristic Of
the average low caste Nicaraguan. In the
little stores the customers often wait upon
themselves. Sometimes the storekeepers
have their cigars and cigarettes where the
passerby may get them and drop the price
in a cup by the side Of the box. Even the
beggar will not touch this unguarded cup.
Cock-fighting is the principal pastime Of
the people. Some of the Nicaraguans wear
their hair trimmed close except for a little
circle on top of the head. The barber cuts
a cocoanut in half, fits it on the head like
a cap, then trims away all the hair not
covered by the shell.
The ant life of Nicaragua is most inter
esting, There is one species that are agrl-
culturists of a high order. One sees them
carrying little green leaves toward their
MONIES ana lnen going DdCh lOI AloIe' II
was long presumed that the ants used
these leaves for food, but investigation
showed hat the young ones chew them up
finely and then, in combination with an
other substance, use them as a compost in
which to grow a kind of tiny mushroom
which constitutes food for the ants when
they are shut indoors by the rain. The
evidence of this is so positive as to admit
of no charge Of nature aking
Ants Of another species are great foragers
and travel in hordes on their expedition.
When they come to a brook that is spanned
by a single twig they are not willing to
wait until they can pass over In single
file, Some Of their number crawl out on
the twig and by clinglng to its sides widen
the natural causeway with their bodies.
Then the road is made wide enough for
columns Of fours and Fights, and the delay
Of single filing a vast army across Is
obviated. Perhaps il does not take reason
ing to arrive at the conclusion that columns
of fours can cross a place more quickly
than a single file, but it Is so close to
reasoning that IL is hard to differentiate
it from that mental Operationu.
Nicaragua has practically the same area
as the state Of New York and it's popula-
ton is about equal to that Of the city OF