The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1922-03-03

On the first mornings ride, we
visited the Henry Clay Book factory
and saw the famous Cuban cigars
manufac tured, entirely by hand. We |
saw the fine municipal and govern
ment buildings and no city can |
boast more imposing structures, al
though to the uninitiated, it did
seem little beneath the dignity OF
government to be running lottery |
in it's treasury building. We saw
churches and cathedrals, visiting the
interior of one only. the MERGED, a
truly beautiful church with its re-
production of the st. Peters dome in
miniature, its copies of some of the
worlds finest religious paintings, its
frescoes, and mural paintings, some
of which were made to stand out from
the fiat surface like bias relief, it's
altar a copy of "My Lady of Lourdes"
with the grotto effect is both unique
and beautiful We did not forget to
look at the statues, most of them of
men of heroic deeds in the days of
the revolutions. Our morning trip
also took us out to the Vadado, which
means forbidden ground" or place
for hunting, but the Vadado is now
the fashionable quarter and has
palaces where the aristocracy live.
These palaces are imposing as you
ride by them but it is said that no
idea of the grandeur of their in
teriors can be gained by the fieeting
glimpse you get of them. Judging
from the furniture shops, gilt, mahog-
any, elaborate carvings, crystal chan
deliers and fermentation is the type
Of these furnishings. The formal
gardens, called the japanese and
Chinese Gardens are really parks and
are gorgeousin the evening, especial
ly the garden which has the. electric
ally lighted fountain, which changes
the hue of it's waters through the
rainbow colors.
One afternoon was given up to
shopping, but the women report the
shops as not being unusual and no
bargains except in perfumes and
toilet articles. Obispo and O'Reilly
streets are the favorite shopping
districts.
Friday evening, we took the night
trip with the Blue Line. 1t was
little early for the tenderloin but a
fair idea of it's life could be had. At
tendance at Chinese theatre is an
event in the amusement life. Every
thing is upside down, the foot lights
are on the ceiling, the orchestra is at
the back of the stage, all stage en-
frances are from the side-back, the
property man in shirt sleeves is on
the side and brings the various
properties to the actors as they need
them. There is no acting as we under
stand the word but the orchestra
sounds like a cat fight and goes on
without interruption while the actors
sing most of their parts and sound
like soprano cats on backyard fence.
1t is one of the interesting sights of
the Chinese quarter of Havana, a
city of four hundred thousand with
! thirty-fve thousand Chinese, who
really maintain city within city.
Then our ride took us out past the
new and magnificent Almendares
hotel to the Casino, one of the finest
gambling places of the world. 1t is
said to be another Monte Carlo, only
with finer setting. AS we were
there before twelve the playing was
only beginning but again good idea
of the games of chance and the
people of fashion was gained.
Saturday morning, again with the
Royal Blue Line, we "did" the harbor
and the forts. Crossing the harbor
/ to it's narrow opening between the
forts, we looked across to La Fuerza
Fort, the earliest fort, begun in
1868 Dy reTHdiluO LIE DOIO DclOp iiS
set sail to discover the Mississippi
river and incidentally to lose his life.
1t was here that his faithful wife
waited in vain for four years and
then died upon hearing of De Soto's
death. We also looked across to La
Punta Fort but we were content to
visit only two of the four fortresses
built to defend the harbor in the
days that forts were of some use.
We spent much time and walked
several hundred feet in La Cabana
fortress, which is back on the point
from Moro Castle. 1t is a curiosity
that a moat was built all around this
fortress but water never was in it for
it is high above the harbor and how
the Spaniards thought they could in
duce the water to flow around it, is
puzzle to the students today for