Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1939-05-25
HAvANA--TOUR|NG THE CITY

On our first tour, we had about A
in the company at one time. w
went through Old Havana first. 1t
streets are very narrow In ancien
days the law required this in orde
to get the benefit Of the shade
Here were beautiful grilled win
dows, and brass studded doorways
We visited the old churches. The
cathedral is the one where The
bones of Columbus rested until af
ter the war of independence. Thel
the Spanish government took then
away from triumphant Cuba to de
feated Spain.
Our group was then conducted tt
the greatest cigar factory, where
cigars are made by hand, and after
witnessing the process, we visited
the Oldest and biggest distillery in
Havana, the Trocadero. We wit.
messed the procedure by which rum
is made, up to the place where it is
aged,or ripened in 1900 gallon
hogsheads. We did not get into g
drinking bout. Forty people gather
ed at two tables, and 20 different
kinds of liquor were poured out, or
at least it had that many names. |
found that even here l was in good
company, for lady and a man at
my right, and young man at my
left, refrained from using the drinks.
We had a good laugh together, as
others showed embarrassment, dis
gust or displeasure.
Old Moro Castle proved a grim
affair. Inside was enacted a death
scene by strangling or garroting. A
doomed companion of the victim
looked down from a window above,
and knew that his own fate was
near. It was gruesome. 1t was the
horrible way of old Spain to get rid
of prisoners The light of the beacon
can be seen out at sea 18 miles, by
ships approaching the harbor.
We visited Havana University
with it's many fine new buildings.
They claim $4,000 students. Fresh
men are known as novates, and
have shaven heads, from custom or
from hazing, or from some other
reason. Nearby is free hospital,
for the poor, and there is one for
children. This part of the city is
called the Vedado, which means for
bidden, and is rich and beautiful
suburb. Only the rich, or higher
classes, so called, may live here.
Havana has two other classes, the
middle class, and the poor, includ-
ing the negro population. How
ever it seems the negro is not ex-
cluded from church, school or other
public places, simply because he is a
negro.
Since the American occupation in
1902, Havana has become an att
tractive and dignifed metropolis,
with beautiful buildings, parks and
thoroughfares. A noble statue of
Jose Marti, scholar, philosopher,
author, statesman and martyr, is
placed in Central Park, which you
pass every day. This remarkable |
man is speaking, his massive brow |
leans forward of its own weight, as
you look in admiration. He died in |
front of his troops.
MaXimo Gomez, very old man |
brought the war for independence to
a successful conclusion. He is hon.
ored with an impressive equestrian I
statue, close to the presidential pal
ace. The evening closes with |
stroll through half mile of side
walk cafes, ON the Prado, opposite
the capitol.
People live in the open They
walk, talk, sit, eat and drink to-
gether in these famous show places.
Families sit together amid much
fun and merriment, as the girl or
chestras play Afro-Cuban music.
They get excited, men act like mad,
become frenzied, hysterical.
musicians, peddlers with
sonorous voices, and autos blowing
horns at every intersection, complete
the bedlam. Incessant and almost
intolerable noise, and taXis moving
at dangerous speed, keeps tired
nerves from rest ard sleep. Late
that night, new friend, Julius
Rodriguezy Aranho, made a request
that when / reach Yucatan, confer
with his father, a doctor, who keeps
4 monkey farm, and bring back two
one for him and one for
me- He wrote a letter in Spanish
TO his father, about the monkeys
(monnos), which l kept but did not
deliver My excuse was that the
ship authorities would not permit so
many monkeys on board at one time.
Howard H. Scott.