The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-08-29

One marvels at the strength Of limb
and neck Of the basket-peddler girls
whose profiles, Compilations. hair and
stature md a paraslel in the descrip-
lions OF the PhOenician women of old
STRIKING Moorish types are also Oft
| en- seen, dark-skinned, with the black.
bronze hair, large, brilliant black ewes
| ana pearly teeth of their ancestors
Ihey lack, of course, the thick Inns
! ana nat noses Of the African types
from more tropical regions than the
| Mediterranean coast.
But by far the greater number Of
people on the streets are Portuguese -"
a race in which is combined sometime
from each of long list of descendants
OF successive invaders. They ara
cIean-lImbed, regular-featured medi-
uIh-slzed people of fine appearance.
Their type is somewhat akin to the
Greek, but they are more swartbv and
also more urbane, even-tempered. and
| cordial
portuguese of the upper classes are
among the most cultured and gracious
people OF the world. Hospitality is a
characteristic, generosity also, and the
arts sciences, and ethics of civiIiza-
ton are appreciated and empIoved-
portuguese men engaged in business
ana commerce are cosmopolitan in the
range of their operations and in tina
compass of their influence.
Ancient and Modern MinuIe.
All the linguistic fnheritances and
racial divergences of the Portuguese
| have a direct influence on the life.
architecture, and economics of the city.
The most ancient of customs and the
| most antique of implements are found
side by side with electric cars, auto
mobiles, modern banking houses, Iuxu-
riously furnished homes, and ultra
styles.
Yet so perfectly natural and unaf-
fected are the people that nothing
seems strange or out of place.. The
city is mosaic of civilization: harsh
and glaring antagonists have melted
into the picture.
Because earthquakes have shaken
the city disastrously in the past, an
architecture has been developed 20 re-
sist earth tremors The best exam
pies of such construction lie in the
business, section OF the new city, the
Cidade Baixa.
The business buildings which house
the banks, jewelry stores, trading
shops of all kinds, and offices are built
of light materials, with walls covered
with ceramic tile. Base stories are
frequently constructed of stone, but
one sees four and six-story buildings
lighter than the average two-story loft
building in America.
The tile covering Is generally In
small sections, six to eight inches
square, and highly colored in most
instanceS-blues, green's, yellows, and
browns.
The use Of tile wall space is a uni
versal complaint with Portuguese arch
fleets, but it is a matter of law in
fisbOn-light materials above the first
story must be used.
Fine Squares and Buildings.
The eight streets running north and
south in the Cidade pour into the
Rocio and the Praca da Figueira. The
ROcio is beautiful square, remark
able for its pavement, laid in a mosaic
pattern which produces an optical IL
fusion responsible for its popular nick
name, Rolling Motion Square"
A large column in the center of the
Rocio supports a bronze statue of Dom
Pedro w, one-time emperor of Brazil
and king of Portugal. Two bronze
fountains, equidistant from the column
at either end of the square, preserve it's
symmetry and afford bathtubs foe all
the pigeons in Estremadura province.
At the north end Of the square is
the imposing theater of Dona Maria III,
remarkable successor of the trial court
I and medieval priSOn-a place of hor-
rors which has become place of en-
ioyment. The other sides of the square
| are bounded by streets with mercan-
| tile establishments. Double rows OF
vigorous trees on the east and west
| sides add the shade so necessary to
the public enjoyment Of parks and
| plazas.
From the northwest corner Of the
| Rocio one enters the Largo de Canoes,
a small square, on the west side or
which is the Central Railway station
and the Avenida Palace hotel, two i'm
portant buildings from the travellers
| standpoint The Largo Is really con-
Meeting plaza between the Rocio and
the Avenida da Liberdade, the Champs
Elysees OF Lisbon. With the Rocio
and the Avenda begins the formal
and semiofficial section of the Cidade