The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-25
ED HOWE'S NOTES.
Visits Port of Spain, Island of
Trinidad.
Carnival in Progress When the
Visitors Arrive.
PROSPERITY IN AIR.
People in All the West Indian
Towns Happy.
The Asphalt Lake, and Oysters
That Grow on Trees.
Monday, Feb. Z

| a carnival: on our arrival in the town,
| we found the streets filed with mask
ers, and they grew more boisterous as
| the day advanced. But they seemed to
have orders from the police not to
| bother visitors; anyway. 1 mingled with
| the maskers all day. while out sight
seeing, but was never bothered. In
returning to the ship in the evening,
we encountered an enormous crowd
where street railway tracks crossed.
| Seven or eight mounted police were
busy, in addition to a dozen more po
| licemen on foot. and though we were
| neld 20 minutes, we were not molested
in any way. Most of the maskers were
colored, and many of them were old
| fashioned jubilee singers for Trinidad is
| full of negroes. and nearly all of them
| talk English, since England took the is
land from the Spanish in 1892. But here,
as in many other West Indian towns,
English has been corrupted until Amer
leans understand it with difficulty.
/ 1 saw hundreds of maskers, but saw
! only one who was funny. During
! carriage drive. 1 encountered masked
man who was drunk. and returning
home. He was feeling very humble and
! sick, and Keeling badly. But he wore
an innocent. sober face. and 1t was
very funny to see that innocent, sober
face attached to that drunken body.
Port of Spain is said to be the most
| prosperous city in the West Indies,
and certainly it has more fine resi-
dences than any other place We have
visited. The town is English in every
| feature, and American bills are taken
| everywhere, although few refused to
| take American silver when we offered
it at the stores: The merchants were
at q great disadvantage: with a ship
! load of eXcursionists in town, their
clerks refused to work. in many in
| stances. Judge Walker ordered two
suits of light clothes this morning, to
be finished tomorrow. but when he call
ed to be fitted. the tailor said he could
not fill the order. as his tailorS had
struck work, and joined the carnival
crowds. Everywhere we heard the same
story: the "Moltke' excursionists were
eager to buy, but the merchants could
not wait on them. the clerks insisting
on their right to a holiday.
During a ride into the country. we
met many Hindus; people from India.
For so years the English have been
binging Hindus to Trinidad. to work
on the sugar plantations. The Hindus
sign a three-year contract, which
amounts 10 SlaN cry. OH the planta-
tons, slave drivers are employed, who
see that the Hindus do a full days
work. The Hindus receive % cents
day during the three years of their in
/ denture, and then become free. Most
of them remain here. and become small
farmers or tradesmen. AS result,
majority of the PEOPLE of the island arg
said to be East Indians.
1 became very tired Of negro maSkerS
during the day, therefore when 1 saw
three of them whipped, 1 was pleased.
A negro woman was going along about
her business, carrying a bundle of
washing, when three maskers began
bothering her. She became very an
cry, and the maskers followed her.
Finally she put down her basket, and
scratched and screamed and fought I'M
til the three men ran away in disgrace.
There seemed to be as many women ss
men among the carnival crowds.
And how the people in the houses
filled the windows and doors, to see
what was going on! We passed one
| house five times, and every time we saw
a fat young white girl standing in the
door, taking the greatest interest in the
carnival. There were no street decora-
| tons: simply a lot of colored people
wearing costumes and masks, and TACT
| ing smart" But they did not as much
as look at me all day, and 1 am CRATE
full.
We met many adult Hindus who We're
born here. and talked excellent English,
having been educated in English
schools.
1t is surprising how faithful the East
Indians here remain to their own coun-
try, for they look exactly like the Hill
dus seen in India, and dress exactly like
them. They bring their priests with
them, and caste exists here, as in India
and some of the East Indians here can
not understand the language spoken by
other East Indians on Trinidad island.
A great number of languages are
spoken in India; something like three
hundred, | believe, although l am not
certain as to the real number. 1 have
@4%
leave their native country, under any
consideration. This seems to be a mis-
take, since thousands of them are in
| Trinidad. One section of Port of Spain
is known as Coolie village. and there
the East Indians live, side by side with
the negroes, and mingling freely with
| them. An educated Hindu informed me
| that his people never intermarried with
the negroes; negro informed me that
| they did. 1t is a saying on the ship:
shipboard, and believe only half you
see" This precaution might also be
adopted with profit on land
Most travellers, when they reach a
| town, hire a carriage in which to ride
| about. 1 always find street cars more
! satisfactory; they are quicker, and the
| builders of street railways find the in
teresting places as surely as boys. And
all the cities we have visited over here
have had fine electric street railways.
And when you ride in an electric car.
you miss seeing the driver brutality
whip his horse. The usual carriage here
| is drawn by one small horse, and four
| passengers are often loaded in the car
| riage. I always obey the rules dis
| played in public places: I never did
| stand on the platform of a railroad car
| because the rule printed on the door
| says passengers must not and in rid
/ ing in an electric car in Port of Spain
| this morning, 1 noticed a printed rule
| saying passengers must not talk to the
motorman. We passed a fine park in
| which many strange looking cattle