Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-12


H.. M five Central American states,
~ E Costa Rica shows the great
H est per capita wealth OF them
A, Ns9El all. 1t has the largest pro
ax3sulHI portion of white population,
and in everything that makes a people
happy and prosperous it is the pest OF
the five little republics, whose total
population is less than that OIL Oii,o ONO
and whose total area is but llttle
greater than that of California. the
per capita imports of Costa Rlca equal
the per capita imports of the other
four republics combined. Its per cap
ita exports are nearly three times as
great as those of its nearest rival ana
four times as great as the average for
the other four republics.
The advantageous position Whlch
Costa Rica holds in these particulars
is reflected in the character of its gov
ernment. 1t has been most free of all
the republics from civil contention and
strife. With property there always
comes an added responsibility on the
part of the Individual, and he does not
go to war so lightly as when nothing
but his own person is atlstake.
1t is said that more varieties OIL
plants grow in Costa Rica than in any
other place in the new world. The eX-
huberant vegetation fills the coast and
lowlands and reaches to the highest
mountains. This beautiful land has
700 kinds of birds. The richest and
most precious metals are in its noun
tains. Pearls are gathered from It's
waters as we'll as the snail which pro-
duces the Tyrian purple. The forests
abound with the finest dye woods,
medicinal trees, herbs, cinchona, rose
wood, mahogany, cedar, sandalWood
and all the finest timber of the two
zones.
One is hardly prepared for the state
ment that a Costa Rican town has one
of the finest theaters in the world, yet
San Jose, the capital of the country,
boasts this distinction. 1t has the Ma
tional theater, which was built at a
cost of $1,000, 000 1t is said that for
perfection of detail and wealth of dec
Grafton it surpasses any building in
the United States, with the possible
exceptions of the library of congress
and the Boston public library. The
best sculptors and artists contributed
in making the foyer of this theater
equal to the finest of those of Europe.
The floor of the auditorium can be
lifted to the level of the stage by hy-
drauic pressure and this is alone on
the occasion of great balls, making
it one of the largest and finest ball
rooms in the new world.
The forests of Costa Rica are not
essentially different from those of the
other Central American states, but
they are especially rich in India rub
ber and the tree that gives us quinine.
The gathering of India rubber is an
interesting procedure. About thirty
five people constitute the average
party that goes in quest of it. They
dress in coarse cotton clothes, wear
sandals and knot red bandana hand
kerchiefs about their heads. Every
man carries his own outfit, consisting
of a blanket, sandals, gun, fishing
tackle and a machete. The machete
is a universal tool with the natives.
1t is used to defend the hunter from
wild beasts, to cut a path through the
forests, to trim poles for a hut or to
fell tree.
A camp is built with poles and palm
leaves, a fireplace is made and then
the main work of the expedition begins.
The average caoutchouc tree will run
dry in a day and yields from fifteen
to twenty gallons of sap. When this is
carried to camp it is first strained to
free it from dirt and leaves and is
then hardened by mingling with the
juice of vine found in the forest.
After this it is kneaded like dough and
The natives have their own way Of
making waterproof goods. They
spread piece Of canvas on the ground
and pour the sap over it, taking care
that the cloth shall have an even
coating. To accomplish this they use
cocoanut husks or small paddles. EX-
posure to the sun completes the job
and the goods are ready for use. When
the expedition returns there is a bol-
iday season. The average laborer
spends all he has made while away
and as much more as he can borrow
from his employer. When he touches
the bottom of his pocket he is ready
to return to work.
The climate of Costa Rica helps to
make it the favored state of Central
America. The atmosphere of its high
plateaus is pure and invigorating, and
the temperature remains abQAt the
same throughout the year. On ac-
count of the malarial conditions which