THE PITTSBURG DISPATCH
PtT THIRD PART.
PIGES 17 TO 20.
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PITTSBURG, SXJNDiCT, lLY
i889.
S
. $BEf SPANISH HAIff.
a
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'BeTerly Crnmp Writes About the
Site of the FaWed Eldorado
AMOKG THE WIKDWARD ISLABDS.
ilate of Pitch Which Supplies the "fforia
4 With Asphaltum.
"iIH OEIGIX OP THE ELDORADO MITH
rcosBisrosMSCE or thb pispatch.'I
POST OP
SPAIN, TBDa
dad, March 30.
Trinidad is the
largest of the
"Windward Islands
as large Us all the
rest of them to
getherand is real
ly a fragment of
the continent,
broken off by some
terrestrial convul
sion and gradually
separated by the erosion of the water from
the Orinoco river, whose delta reaches for a
distance of 600 miles. The island was chris
tened by Columbus, -who reached its shores
in 1198, after being buffeted by winds and
wares and detained by calms for several
months, and being reduced to the utmost
extremity. There was only one small cask
of fresh water on the ship, and the sailors
had been on half rations for some time. The
heat of the "doldrums," as a belt of wind
less area along the equator is called, where
the vessel had been lying becalmed, had
opened the scams and it was leaking so
badly that two-thirds of the men were kept
continually at the pumps. It was the morn
ing of Trinity Sunday when the land was
first seen, and the pious old discoverer knelt
upon the sand and consecrated it with
prayer to the Trinity, to whom he attributed
his salvation. Here Columbus and his ship
mates found much needed rest, and were
able to repair their craft, using the natural
pitch of the island to calk the seams.
TRINIDAD'S HABBOB.
As Trinidad is approached the clear,
Bright blue of the water of the sea is ob
scured by the Sediment from the Orinoco,
and it becomes the color of chocolate. Pass-
The Bigh Woodt.
iagthrough a narrow channel, called the
Dragon's Month, the steamer enters the
beautiful Gulf of Paria, the great embroch
ore of the Orinoco, itself a mighty harbor,
SO miles long by 40 miles wide, completely
land-locked, and shallow enough for a ship
to anchor anywhere. On one side are the
low plains of Trinidad, covered with glisten
ing cane, while on the other rise the
monstrous mountains of Cumana, rugged,
mysterious and impenetrable, clothed lrom
top to bottom with immense trees and
crowned with wreaths of vapor. Here is
the end of the great chain of the Andes, the
spinal column of the Southern continent,
which, when they reach the south end of the
Isthmus of Darien, turn to the eastward
and follow the line of coast so closely that
the passing ships can often see the snow
banks near their -tsunimits when far out at
sea.
The island of Trinidad has a population
very nearly the same as that of Martinique,
although it has an area many times as
great. The principal city, called Port of
Spam, with about 20,000 inhabitants, has a
poor harbor, or rather, no harbor at all, for
ships have to anchor fully a mile from the
shore, and the freight that reaches and
leaves the port has to be transported to and
from the ships in lighters. It is a nasty
place, full of vultures, which sit like evil
spirits upon the housetops and feed upon
the refuse that is cast into the streets, but it
is said that they are the most valuable and
industrious of all the inhabitants, and
without them, lacking any system of sewer
age, the city would suffer from a perpetual
plague. The ground as well as the air is
full of loathsome creatures, vermin of all
kinds, tarantulas, scorpions, centipedes,
deadly serpents, lizards, vampires and
chigoes, or "jigger," as they are called,
little worms that harbor in the cracks of the
tile floors and bore into the feet of whom
ever walks about barefooted, producing
painful and often dangerous ulcers. Like
most of the cities in South America, Port of
Spain has straight, level streets, badlv
paved, with lines of low houses without
architectural pretensions, evil smells,
. swarms of dogs, chickens, goats and naked
children. One is struck at once with the
number of people who seem to have nothing
to do, and is not surprised when told that
there are at least 5,000 beings in the city
without visible means of support. They
are loo lazy to work, but all seem to be eat
ing something, generally fruit, which is as
cheap and plenty as dirt, and when they are
not eating, like the burglar who "is not
burgling, they lie basking in the sun."
A LAEG OP PITCH.
The most interesting place in Trinidad is
the famous pitch lake lrom which comes the
world's supply of asphaltum. It covers 99
acres, and contains millions of tons of pitch,
which never grows less in amount, for that
taken out during the day is renewed by
nature every night In the neighborhood of
this Strcian pool the air is heavy with the
most sickening odors, and the surrounding
country is covered with its overflow, so that
the earth is as hard as the pavements of
Washington; but neither the steam and
fumes that asise from the pitch roasting -in
the sun, nor the asphaltum in the soil, seem
to injure vegetation, for flowers and fruits
actually grow in the midst of them, and
jnneapples are there brought to the greatest
perfection. The lake is a floating massiof
Ifphaltum, seamed by narrow channels f
clear water, with a. iev straggling islands
covered with thin, low shrubs. At the cen
tcr, the fountain of all the foulness, the pitch
is at boiling heat, and covered with yellow
and white sulphurous foam, upon which are
floating innumerable bubbles filled with
loathsome gas. Thet old proverb that one
may not touch pitch without being defiled
does not hold good here, for this substance
will not stick to the .hands, and you can
take tip a chunk and mold it like clay with
out soiling your fingers. The supply for
shipment is chopped lrom the surface, where
it has been hardened and dried by the evap
oration ot the moisture, but like the ice on
the ionds of the trozen zones, the quantity
'cut away during the day is til ways repljcrd
during the night, for some action ot nat-ure
keeps forcing the nasty snbstance out of the
earth.
The pitch lake is a Mystery which scien-
,.UU hare. duenssed .fcr star vean. Kit
m
Walter Ealeigh wrote the first account of it
in 1595, when he landed there on his voyage
in search of the Eldorado and the land of
the Amazons. Humboldt gave a good deal
or study to the phenomenon, and declared
that the pitch lake is "a constantly aggre
gating mass formed from the cosmical
gaseous fluid," which seems to settle it
r '""I mie away is a mud volcano on the
Mountain of San Fernando, called "Salse"
a circular pile of mud some two or three
acres in extent, bottomless and hot, and evi
dently occupying some old crater. The mud
is icaned ud in piles like monstrous ant
hills, at the top of which are holes through
which the moist stuff oozes, and sometimes
flames are said to appear. The contents of
this basin are really imnure asphaltum, for
the odor is about the same as that abont the
Pitch Lake and the component parts are
similar, but the greater quantity of earth in
the mixture makes it worthless "for economi
cal purposes.
AJT AaiEBICAlT PEOTECTOKAXE.
Citizens of the United States have under
taken the development ot the Orinoco coun
try. The Orinoco river is the third in size
in the world, and is navigable for thousands
of miles. Steamers can go within a short
distance of Bogota in Colombia, and much of
the trade of Colombia will someday seekthis
channel. It is not generally known that the
Amazon ana the urinoco rise at the same
source, and that were the bars,
other impediments removed, a light draught
boat could enter the mouth of one and sail
out of the mouth of the other. Various
schemes hare been proposed for dredging
tne cnannei, ana it win some day be done,
thus opening the greatestline of Ircsh water
navigation in the world. There are now two
steamboat companies engaeed upon the Or
inoco and its branches, both owned and opera
ted by citizens ot the United States, and
it is understood that Venezuela is willing to
concede to our Government the exclusive
right of navigation and the absolute control
of the Orinoco system, its motive bemt? to
indnce immigration to that valley, which
has been hitherto retarded by the frequent
revolutions. It is not encouraging to farm
ers to have their crops seized by the army;
and if the United States will extend protec
torate over the territory it is thought that
immigrants will go in. A very large area
ol the Orinoco country has been conceded to
colonization companies" whose headquarters
are in New York, but so far they hare done
nothing in the way of settling lands. One
company has an entire State, of an area
equal to Ohio, in which there are now very1
few settlers and a small number of semi
civilized Indians, raising cattle on the llano
or ranges.
The country has never been thoroughly
explored, and nobody knows exactly what
cab be fonnd or raised there; but the most
astonishing stories have been told of it ever
since the days of discovery. The Govern-'
ment of Venezuela has recently sent an ex
ploring steamer up the various branches of
the river, but it was not able to go far be
cause of the snags and other impediments in
the channel.
THE FABLED ELDOBADO.
There lies the Eldorado of which the
world dreamed for 200 years; that is the
country on which more ambition rested than
any man has known. It was discovered by
the Adelantado Gonzalez de Casada, a
treacherous knight who was sent out by Pi
zarroonan exploring expedition after the
conquest of Peru. He went with Pizarro'S
brother, butwith a handful of men deserted
him, stole his food and took canoes down
the river; while young Pizarro narrowly es
caped death from starvation. To escape the
consequences of his desertion, when he re
turned to Spain in a vessel of his own con
struction, Casada told the most fabu
lous stories of the land he had seen,
and for this reason was welcomed as a hero
instead of being hung as a knave. One An
tonio Galvano wrote a book describing
Casada's adventures, and that rolnma
caused more heart burning and brain fever
in .Europe than all the doctors of medicine
or geographv could cure. In this book"
i&sada described the city of ldorado h
claimed to have found in the midst of a
lake, whose meanest house surpassed in
grandeur the Inca palaces and temples
Pizarro overthrew.
"All the vessels in this house and
kitchen," wrote the merciless liar, "are of
gold and silver Studded with diamonds and
precious stones. In this house are statues
Of solid gold as large us. giants, and other
fieures in proportion, of the beasts, birds,
fishes, trees and herbs of his kingdom; yea
and robes and budgets and chests and
CboJi'e and Katlve.
troughs of solid gold. There is a garden of
pleasure in the Island where they are wont
to recreate themselves, in which are also
figures of gold and silver of an invention
and magnificence the like of which was
never seen. And the king of this country,
yea, and all his court wear apparel of the
most famous texture, so that it doth appear
like garments sprinkled with gold and sil
ver dust, from his sandals to his crown.1'
FOLLOWERS OP A PHANTOM.
The story this man told was read and be
lieved in all the courts of Europe, and the
golden lie cost millions of lives of the
bravest men of two centuries, who followed
the phantom into the green gulfs of the
Orinoco and the Amazon never to emergo
again. They thought Pizarro and
Cortes would be begjrars compared with
him who found the Eldorado, and they
Btaked their lives and their wealth bn the
chance. It was no myth to those who had
seen the treasures Cortes brought from
Mexico and Pizarro from Pern; and the
absence of exaggerations in the descriptions
of what were found in these countries justi
fied a belief in many a romance that was
told. The man Casada brought lumps of
virgin gold picked up in Guiana to prove
his words, and even the fable of the Ama
zons was not consiaerea extravagant by ex
plorers who had seen Indian women fighting
by their husbands' sides.
The free Norse rovers, with their golden
curls, ot all the seaward folc were the first
to cross the bosom of the Atlantic, and
there are legends in the North country that
Eric the Bed and his men saw America
before Columbus did. But they made no
note of their explorations, and it was left
for the latter to make the official announce
ment ot the birth of a new world, and his
successors to carry into It a carnival of
blood as cruel as that of Caligula. Cblum-
ous piccea tne iock oi tne Western treasure
honse and all Spain rushed there to plun
der. Then when Spain Was secure in her
authority over the heathen,. Sir Francis
Drake, Sir Walter Baicigh, Sir Htimphrey
Gilbert John Hawkins, and other old sea
dogs robbed the Spaniards or their ill-gbttcn
booty, and conquered them whenever the
two nations met Beverly Catnip.
A Constant Suitor.
Bivtnnah ltews.1
There is a certain young man in Americus
who can give the average lover points on
the business of courting. He visits his
inamorata every night, remainintr from inst
after supper to late bedtime, nhd on Sun-J
uojock. iiunuciji vniu uer uciore DreaK
fast. and remains all day, nor does he tear
himself awar until abbut mldbicht The
young lady's friends think lis "staying"
powers are simply wederfI, and tt he
will wis her ii it is 'within &6tmm ef
:.z
DIPBJBEBLV
Its Prevalence at Present Itfortly Bso to
BIrect Personal Contagion.
Youth's Companion.!
Within the- last few months the medical
profession in Boston have been giving
earnest and extended' consideration to this
modern disease, which has so rapidly come
to be one of New England's three great
scourges the other two being consumption
and pneumonia' "We present, in .brief,
some of the more important facts elicited by1
the discussion.
First Contrary to previous belief, there
seems to be no special relation between its
prevalence aud bad drainage or other un
sanitary conditions. The best districts in
Boston have suffered as much as the worst
in some cases even "more so. It is the
same elesewhere, as careful investigations
attest
Second Its prevalence must at present
be regarded as due to direct personal conta
eion. It is greatest rn the school months,
with a marked falling off in July and Au
gust Patients are often allowed to go about
lreely during convalescence, while sot yet
fully free from the disease.
Dr. Folsom says: "It is not uncommon
for me to see patients in the out-department,
who come with diphtheria, sitting'sido by
side With patients- affected with other dis
eases, thus exposing many -persons to the
danger of infection during the time they
remain id the waiting-room of the hospi
tal." Some of these persons have ridden to the
hospital in crowded ears.
But mild cases are the chief source of
the trouble. Dr.- Prince says: "It is my
constant experience to meet 'with case after
case of undoubted diphtheria, where there
are patches of membrane in the throat, and
yet the symptoms are so mild that the child
is allowed to mingle with the rest of the
family and go abdut the streets. I think
there is no question- that stich cases are
the most proline source of the contagion."
Farther, among the cases that often fail
to b& recognized are those ot nasal diphthe
ria. The membrane is out of sight, and for
a time, at least, the' disease is easily mis
taken for a cold. It should be remembered
that this, and all the lighter forms of
diphtheria, may give rise, to the most malignant-ThirdA
case of malignant- diphtheria
is, not seldom, mistaken lor one of mem
branous croup, commonly regarded as non
contagious It is, therefore, neither re
ported nor duly" guarded against
Fourth It is necessary"fhat diphtheria
should be taken charge of as" a- contagious'
disease by the Board of Health, with full
i powers and all adequate provisions, and,
further, that measures should be taken for
; the better understanding of the disease' by
Fifth Diphtheria is a most debilitating
disease. On of its chief dangers if death
by heart-failure, and that, too, when' the
patient seems to be in a state ot convales
cence. From the first everything shonld
be done to keep up the strength by food and
stimulants.
SIM1-LICITT IN SfllE.
Tts Test Br Watch doienporarylJleratare
i to be Jirdffer".
Charles Dudley Warner In the Atlmtld 3 '
"We may test eotemporary literature by its
conformitv to the canon of simplicity; that'
is, if it has1 not that, we may conclude that
it lacks one essential lasting quality. It'
may please; it may be ingenious, brilliant,.
e"venr It may be the fashion of the day, a"fld
a fashion that will hold its powers of pleas
ing for half a'century, but it will be a fash
ion. Msnnerismi efleqarse, will not deceive
us, norxiravagaoces. eccentricities, affecta
tions, nor the stratum after effect br th
I use of coined or far-fetched words and prod-
there is such a thing as style; good and bad;
and the style should be the writer's own
and characteristic of him as his speech is.
But the moment I admire a style for its
own sake, a style that attracts' my attentidn
constantly that I say, How godd that isl T
begin to be suspicious. If it is" too godd,
too pronouncedly good, I fear I shall not
like- ft so well on second reading; If it
comes to stand between me and the thought,
or the personalitv behind the thought, I
grew more and more suspicious. Is
the book a window, through which
I am td see life? Then I cannot
have the" glass too clear. Is' it to affect
me like a strain of music? Then I am still
more disturbed by auy-affectationsi Is it to
jjroduee the effect of a picture? Then I
know I want the simplest harmony oT color".
And I have learned that the most effective
word-painting, as it is called, is the" sim
plest This is trde if it is a question only'
oi present enjoyment, uut we may off
sure that any piece of literature" which at
tracts only Ay a" trick pf style, however it
may blaze up for a day and startle the
the world with a flash, lacks' the element of
endurance.
"We do nof need much experience to tell
us the difference between a lamp and a
Roman candle. Even in our day Wet hare'
seen many reputations' flare- up, 'illuminate
the Sky and fned go dtit irl utteV darkness.
"When We take a proper historical perspec
tive we see that it is'the- universal, the sim
ple that lasts.
THE CONQUEST OP THE SHOKEE.
An Incident Which Thirty Yean A so Would'
Have LookeA Like Burlesque.
The following little incident is worth not
ing as arising out of a great change" in ni
tibnal custom, says' the London Gtofo.
Scene A railwiv carriage, occupied by an
enormous man smoking a cigar, with which
he makes the atmosphere resemble the
Strand in a- November fog, and a thin,,
nervous person, with a bag Of sandwiehes.
Says the latter, "I beg'ydtiftfardon, sir, but
will it irfcommode you if I venture to eat?"
The former, with a gracious wave of the
cloud-giving weed, "Not at all!"
Twenty or 30 years ago this would have
looked like burlesque1. Then the smoker had
only a bare toleration afforded him. He was
not allowed to indulge his favorite propen
sity even on the platform of a railway sta
tion, but was warned off by placards,, which
may still be seen at some stations. The ac
commodation proviaea iot him was poor and
scanty and woe betide him if he ventured to
take any liberties in prohibited places. Now
he has1 things all his own way. To his su
preme" will and pleasure the misguided per
sons who Io not smoke must conform, and
wherever friends meet arrangements are
made iof his convenience, while even those
strong-nlil5ded ladies who asserttheir rights
to attend public dinners' and other functions
heroically endure rather than protest against
the once tletested fames. This is nice .for (he
smoker, who would jro to few dinners if flu.
prived of what Prince Bismarck has called
the delicious seventh course.
i PECPMAB SDI01DE.
SfaO vrW So fond ot tier XApdoc T&at She
Wonfd ftot trie' wii&out it.
Another of fhose s&ange cases of snicide
which are peculiar to Paris has taken place.
A dressmaker wh6 had "been disappointed
in love resolved to make away with herself;
but she on several occasions told her friends
that she did not like to die, as she was too
fondofherlapdog a liftle black spaniel
called Mimi. At last she-folly made up
her mind to diS with her d6jj, which she
filing lrom licr window; three stories high,
and then jumped out after i. The ill-rated
dressmaker was picked up in a dying con
dition aad 'conveyed to a hosnital. wlrm.
shoexpiea. The dgha4io beslt tsd
Ft" """""""s"r"f"y"s"s'l"l"si
NO, TIME BOB PIETY.
Religion in Cuba a Here Matter of
Worldly Kscefesity and
WOfcSIIB A PLIASAHT BASTIME.
The Serentk Day of the Week Generally
Utilized by Pleasure Seekers,
A TOUCHING PICIUEB OF A PESITEHI
tCOnBZSTOXDZXCX tss TBXsrsrATca.J
HlVAKA, May 3;
"When pne visits a
church one should
at least assume a
gravity of demeanor,
whether one feels
disposed to do so or
not
On most occasions
it comes very easy
forme to be serious,
I can sit through a
burlesqne or fares',
which has been pla
carded "uproarously
funny," and never so
ranch as incline to
ward a laugh, I can see the circus clown
try to turn himself inside out. I can watch
the end minstrel man crack his head with
his tambourine ancient up the wildest capers,
lean folio the side-splitting antics of Har
lequin and Pantaloon night after night
without even changing countenance or feel
ing the slightest desire to indulge in the
feeblest hal ha! All this I take it upon my
self to-say I can do, and yet when chance
took me into some Cuban churches recently
A laughing fiend of evil import seemed to
take" possession of me, giving me absolutely
no control over ray risible faculties and
sending me off into almost convulsive merriment-
I hope I shall not be- too severely criti
cized on. this account I could not help
laughing! The step from the sublime to
the ridiculous is such a short one. As for
the apparent lack of veneration in my con
duct, that amounted to nothing at all. No
ono has any veneration in Cnba! They
wouldn't know what it was if they were to
stumble across it A fig for such rubbish,
they would say, arid snap their" fiugers and
laugh'too1: I doubt if they would even rec
ognize it, were they to be brought face to
faee with it, in its' highest form. The
church in Cnba is'an-institntion which has
for its figarc-head Power, in lieu of Be-
A Cuban Priest,
ligion-. Established by law, iddorsed by
ptWrftrfeHrWeanfi
oi tne oia churca or name in itsdarKest
days, and more" to be feared than thtrnrf
tlon's" rulei1 himself. And why not? If"
His JTaiesfv" holds the reiens which eovern
this' wo.-Id, doer not "the church," dn hef
parf, hold" the key which opens' the gate's of
tne wotw w-conie?
A BED-HOT SHEOL.
"to be King or Governor General may b
rery fine thing as far as it goes, buC woe- to
Hing or potentate, however mighty, who
fails to accord the -all powerful supremacy
to the church. He cannot marry without
her sanction", can6t prove his legitimacy,
dare liot die! To do so means- enternal
damnation, and uhending torture, in cavern
ous regions not noted for salubrity of climate,-
The hades of the church of Cuba is
a strictly business ba fee-oven countryy with
a crematory at every street crossing. I
know this from the horrible pictures which
line the walls of the sactuaries. If red-hot
heat was ever put on canvas with startling
fidelity it is,done so here. That it doesn't
creep outrorer the frames and scorch them,
is a" miracle. That there Is a rnin if rt"?
paint left in all the- world would snrprfsfr
anyone who examined the quantity piled
on eachk and every flamejof each and every
picture of one and ail the temples- of wor-
ship of the island.
My own opinion Is that the lurid heat of
the1 "hades" was" originally suggested by
the lurid heit of the elimafev But this ii
entrr-uous and riot at all authentic. I irw
quirtd Of the priestwho escorted me through
' ' r " ' t
A tiaban Church.
one of theso edifices why it was such un
sightly pietures were retained by the
brotherhood. He assured me' that severe
measures tfere necessary "to keep in check
the evil impulse of the tropical tempera
ment, atfd that they We're' hung with a view
of warning thewieked arid vividly portray
ing to them the peril their sins incurred."
As far as I myself was concerned the cari
catures exercised the direct opposite effect
They were So ridiculously conceived and
bunglingly painted that they set me first
smihrig and afterward laughing most im
moderately. The "Sphinx" itself would
have roared at some of the subjects. But the
priest didn't se'e the" jfike at alL Undoubt
edly he lacked humor t He gave me ari "all-heretics-are-doomed"
look when I took
leave of him and scarcely returned my bow.
Almost jvery picture- in the different
churches represents a hell in which, amidst
tongues of flame, writheand wriggle quanti
ties of people. And such people! "A
motley throng" Shakespeare ifcottld say.
Young, old, black white yellow, little, big1,
fat, lean, lame, blind, all Hinds and colors.
iTO MUCH PIETIf,
In one of the smaller Cuban churches I
was enabled to witness a, celebration of
some kind- It began by the crowding in
of a throng of people. When I say people
I mean women, chlldron va r,i,,,.
White men, they tell me, rarely attend
divine service, except on the eve of their
weaaing. xno church exacts this
dulrot
teem, otherwise she
i, uuiHHixi uuc u.innot ncriorni the
.uiK.usc i.-cicuuiijr. as no chairs or pews
are provided everybody kneels "on the
hard marble floor. Someof the la'el
noticed were attended by servants, who ear
ned Stools, fast the niiitll. Vl J
"7'"el' gPeeMe irksome, Mt A let
S,'!??1 WWwlMg overa eai seiwBk-
.. ... . t ,., "t . -v.-j . ",
. ,. v . -, i- ,a4 iare .i,f,.
I
WSt 'A -TiKZ
line awkurdl-ir to tWr-.fect af the woiHts of
the service- which required a change of
posture, and then tumbling aelter-sKeiter
down agafnr may net look very funny when
written, bnt T dnn't belive- anv on&eoultf
witness the-spectacle and suppress a smile.
j.ne perjormance which loiiowea was
equally ludicrous. Scarcely had the ser
vice drawn to a" close when a long line of
worshipers began" creeping' frdm the statue
of St tuke to that of Su John, and from
St John to St. Joseph and St Peter, and
so on through the whole category of saints
and martyrs, "I am ashamed, of my reli
gion since Ieame to this country,"' said a
Catholic gentleman of ITew Tork to me
quite unexpectedly one day. "I am
ashamed of it for von." I replied, which
I was the truth.
-the Cuban shepherd is a medium-sized,
uort, stout, thick-set, red-faced man, who
wears a wfde-brimmetf hat, rolled up on the
Sides like a scroll, and a seedy, black robe,
bound round the waist by a girdle. "With
an assurance that his situation is perma
nent, he indulges In the utmost ease. No
fasts or vigils for him. On the contrary, he
provides himself with plenty to eat and
drink, and arranges things that he shall
have as little as possible to do. He lives In
a tumble-down lodge near his church, but
his church does pot concern him very much,
"What does concern him at this juncture is
the pleasure which awaits him once he is
free to join his companions.
the Seventh day a holiday.
The church in Cuba imposes no Sunday.
After service the faithful flock to the bull
fight, cockfight, or bal masque. They fill
the cafes, gaming rooms, circuses, theater,
plaza. Good Priday is the only day ill the
year which is really observed. Fronx the
day before until the day following not a car-
The Calhcdrat of .Havana.
riage or car and scarcely a person passes
through the street The whole population
are hard at work pounding and hammering
with all their mieht It-doesn't signify
what kind of utensils are used for the pur
pose. Just so you hammer", and hammer
loud, you are doing the piopet thing. This
is supposed to be the expression of your
grief. It is certain! v a nnittv YnrMlnn
add that's the most that can be said Idt it
,Toward evening, or shortly after nightfall,
comes a procession, which inline United
States would secure each and every partici
pant a night in the lockup if not six months
at Claremont It can only be expressed in
one word, and that is sacrilege!
Prccedlhsr the cortege is a bov Mmlno .
L box which contains big stones. These he
rattles as vigorously as his muscles will per
mit Pilate follOWS with n mrV fonttim- "n
L his bat and a sword dangling at his side.
a.e is impersonated by the biggest blackest,
ugliest negro that can be found. Judas
comes next, with a fiendish sneer on his
painted face ard a box containing the 30
pieces of silver rattling from the top of a
red and yellow painted barber pole. This
personage is remarkabjff for his walk, the
stride being' somewhat after the style of
Lawrence Barrett's, when he stmts down to
the footlights prior to demolishing his army
of SO-cenls-a-mght-supers.
A man who bears the cross and nails, pall
bearers who carry the bier containing the
covered fitrure' to renresent Christ, a street
uuuu, a .mo u. usia n.uiiuy aim cnant-
f "ngnhe'sM't'CTtfai tbe-4ea4heggs of the
: faithful mingling with throngs of the rab-
. TklM1 IT IlntfA srnw . 111-. J .. -tL i
bleand armies of beggars and thieves close
Hi pageant.
A person may live In Cuba pretty much
as he likes, but he must die as the TithvIt
I decrees, or hot die at all, unless he chooses
kj uie ii kb a neatnen, wnicn ne never does.
A corpse is only kept a few hours. Many
arepuf into the tomb still warm. The
hearsa which bears the dead to their, last
resting place is enough to cause the occn-
Eant to rise up and decry it It is a
ideous, rickety, wornout old catafalque,
which lumbers jdltiugly along and
creaks aud groans like some monstrous
animal to whom movement of any kind was
obnoxlons. Paid mourners attend the
funeral it Is their1 business to weep, bnt
theyddir-. They smoke instead, and this
seems to give as much satisfaction. If they
like they can earn a couple of dollars extra
byrefutning to the church and saying some
prayers for the departed soul. This is an
excellent way of turning au honest penny
and many mourners avail themselves of itv
A TOUCHING PICTTJEE.
Some of the large churches of Havana
are very beautiful. I saw a splendidly im
imposing sight in one of them a picture of
my memory even yet It was late in the
afternoon and the blue haze which precedes
nightfall, had crept through the painted
dome of one of the smaller chapels and
fallen upon the life-sized carved wonr!
I figure of the Christ nailed to a rough cross
wmca stooa upon an altar and reached
almost to the ceiling. Upon the head was
pressed the crown ot thorns and through the
poor bleeding hands the cruel spikes.
been through the hazy blue gray
mist the" figure had the appearance of being
in a cloud. On the marble floor, where ayel
lowfay of sunlight Still lingered, knelt a
huge, stalwart negro", black, as a piece of
ebon vr and naked but for the piece of linen
which girded his massive loins His muscu
las arms hung listlessly to bis sides, his
wooly head was upturned in rapt adoration
Of the suffering Savior, whose bruised bodv
stood out dark and awful against the cloudy
mist The startling reality of the cross; the
life-like appearance of the form, had fascin
ated, appalled, half terrorized the ignorant
negro,, whose great searching eyes started
from their sockets, and whose thick lips
quivered and trembled as though he were
really kneeling on that sknll-sbaped hill
called Calvary, watching the sufferings of
the Martyr who died that we mieht live!
IILLIAS SPEKCEE.
He Hirnck It it I,i.
SV
m,
x
Exultant Artist I was determined it .the
Aeademv'aerfad aaviniatsra ii vear.
wat uaey sfietiMi Mae it oa te uaer-rHc ;. i
f ', m g - -- - - J - I
METAMORPHOSIS;
Being an Account of a Strange Experiment in
Phenology, Recently Conducted-
by a Physician.
"Written for The. DiSPAica by
&TDNET IUSXLA. (Honry Harland.)
1
CHAPTER 1Y.
2"ert morning', at about 11 o'clock, my
good sister Josephine came to me and said,
"She (s awake now, and wishes to see
you." ,
"I am ai her service," I retained. ""v7ill
she join me here?''
"She is eager to hare yoa operate. She
asked me where yon would do so. I told
I supposed there in her bed1. Then she
said she would: not waste timer by getting
up, and wished me to iul yoa that she is
waiting to have it done."
"Very well. I will go to her directly.
If she is in a favorable condition of mind
and bodyperhaps it would be as well not
to delay. But first, tell me. You hare
held some conversation with her?"
"Yes, a little."
"And what impression do you form of
her character?""
"She is very, very pretty she is ered
beautiful."'
I laughed. ""What has that to do with
her character?"
"I Infer her character as much from her
face as from her speech and actions."
"Oh, I see. And your inference is?"
"That naturally she is a young' woman of
good and generous instincts, but of an im
pulsive and passionate temperament"
"ITes. Well?"
"Prom what .she says, and her manner of
saying it, I imagine that her Impulses or
her passions have betrayed her into the
commission- of some perhaps crime."
'"Vyell? Goon."
"And I think that now, when it is too
late for retrieval, her better nature has as
serted itself has reasserted itself and she
is consumed by remorse and horror."
"My good Josephine, you are the
shrewdest, the wisest, the most penetrating
of women j Your diagnosis coincides in all
particulars with mine. She has, as you
say, committed some bad action, but she is
not intrinsically bad herself. She would
not suffer so in realizing her guilt, were
there not powerful elements of good within
her."
"At any rate, brother, whatever she may
be. whatever she mar have done, there is
something about her thaUaronses sympathy I
ana attracts lining, xiitue as J. nave seen
of her, I already feel myself drawn toward
her; and my heart aches for her."
"That is because yours is the (tenderest
heart in the world. Well, we shall hare
plenty of leisure in which to cultivate her
acquaintance, alter it is over. She will re
maid here with us not less than a year.
And now, will voa go with me to her
room?"
"Would she not prefer to see you alone?"
"Why should she? Come, let as go."
Wd found her sitting up in bed, waiting
for us. By daylight she seemed to me even
more beautiful than she had seemed by gas
light The opulence of her hair, the deli
cacy of her skin, the translucence of her
eyes, the fine and yet noble modeling of her
.feat areslhS eweMofl of desfmrfhes-Hhat
noble modeling Of her I
Llf !.'- " I
brooded over" her whole countenance it was
the sort ot beauty you see ln-xitian s paint
ings, only lessor the earth, earthy,' the sort
of beauty you see In Bapnael's, only more
human.
Having wished her good morning, I pro
ceeded at once to my business as a physi
cian; took her pulse and her temperature,
and asked her how she had slept.
"Perfectly," was ber answer. "I have
not had such a night's sleep for I know not
how Iongj I must have lain in absolute
unconsciousness for fully nine hours; and
what was most grateful, I did not dream."
"It is the composing draught, or rather
the sleeping potion, that I prevailed on you
to drink, which you mnst thank," I ex
plained, "I am delighted to learn that it
did its work so well. t And are yon still in
the same mind in which I left yen? Ydd
have not reconsidered your determination?"
"Indeed I have not. My determination
is stronger than ever. When I awoke this
morning and recalled bur conversation I
could not help fearing that if had never
really taken place. It seemed too wonder
ful to be true. I feared that I had dreamed
it Bht this kind lady, .your sister, has as
sured me that my fear is groundless; and
now I can only say again how deep my grat
itude is, and how impatient I am to have
you begin."
'Ttf aaV
"My beginning must be in the nature of
an interrogatory," i. rejoined, -j. must re
quest of you certain information."
"Whatever questions yon may desire to
ask I will answer."
"Good. My questions shall be few-Only
those formal ones which, as a physician, I
should put to any patient whom,! was about
to treat. First, then, what is yourname?"
I opened my casebook and prepared my
stylographic sen for action.
"My name is Louise Massarte."
"Louise .Massarte," I repeated, writing it
down. "It is a foreign name, is, it not?
Were you born in this country?"
"I was bom in the city of Tours, in
France."
"Native of France," I wrote then, aloud,
"Of French parents."
"Yes. I am French br blood and birth.
But I have lived in America all my life. I
was brought here when I was 2 years old."
"You speak French, then, I take it?" '
"I speak French and English with equal
ease." ,
"Any other language?"
"No other."
"How oldare you, If you will forgive my
askina?"'
"I shall be 26 on the 8th of August"
"Are your parents JivingV"
"Both my mother and father are long
since.dead."
"Have you ftnr brothers' orsisters?"
"I was an only child."
"Are you married or single?"
"I have never been married."
"And now, finally, is there any fact or
circumstance which you would like to men
tion and have recorded? for, you must bear
in mind, you will shortly have forgotten
everything connected with your past; and
if there is anything you will wish to remem
ber, you fasid better fell It to me now, and I
will make a memorandum of it."
To my surprise she blushed crimson.
With eyes fixed upon the counterpane,
cheeks aflame, voice tremulous and faints
"There is nothing, nothing, that I shall
wish to remember," she replied; "nothing
but wbut J efiall be glad to forget." Alter
.i little pause, she added, "I will tell you
mv whole history, sir. If you require it. It
will bo hard lor me; but it is your right to
know it, if it is your-wish."
My sister rose, offering by a gesture to
leave the room.
"J. I think it would be easier for me to
tell it, if you would stay, Miss Benary," the
poor young creature faltered.
"My child, you must not tell it at all,
you must not think ot telling it," I put in.
"It would excite you, and pain you, and
fatiguo you; and any how it is better that
neither myTlster nor I, nor indeed any liv
ing -rerson, should hear it. You yourself
shall have forgotten it in a little while.
Why should anybody else romemberit?"
She sighed with evident relief, and mur
mured "Thank yea. Yea we rery goad."
- l"J - -- T-- - WM
Jjfy stster josepeine set down at her sea-
side ana tee awl eM feer head.
t At this marc of tenderness the woman's
lips parted and quivered. Then her eyes
filled. All atoned she buried her face in
the pillow and wept passionately, while her
frame, was shaken by strong", convulsive
sobs.
This was too much for me. I quietly stole
out of the room, leaving Josephine to com
fort her if she could; and descending to my
stodyI procured my instruments and the
requisite anaesthetics.
I watched her carefully as she recovered
from the effects of the ether. An unusually
small quantity of that drug had sufficed to
deprive her of her senses; and now her xe
coverywas extraordinarily rapid.
Having taken her respiration, her tem
perature, and her pulse, and having found
each to ba nearly normal, I looked her
straight in the face, and demanded, making
every syllabic clear and emphatic, "Louisa
Massarte, da yon know me?
Had I addressed mv inquiry to a year-old
infant the result would have been the same.
She gave no token of having compre
hended. -
I repeated the same question in French:
"Louise Massarte, me reconnaissez vous?"
with precisely the same- negative; result
"V
j-.-"--
w wmi
"L
a:
,,s
AS" XNCIDEirT OP
I then wrote that question both in
French add English on a slip of paper, and
held it before her eyes. No sign of Intelli
gence, In the end I applied tests to each of her
five senses, and satisfied myself that each
was unimpaired. After which, "Well,
Josephine," I said, "unless all signs fail,
we have succeeded to admiration. None of
her senses has sustained the slightest In
jury yet she has lost the knowledge of lan
guage, both spoken and written. Now let
ns darken the room. Inflammation, is the
onIT evll consequence we have to fear. We
at5t' 'keepieritf darkness and itt silence
untfi tne wound; has healed.
The wound healed rapidly. Not an un
pleasant symptom of any kind manifested
itself. And. as I had foreseen she would
do, my patient rclearned th? primary
lessons of life with an ease and 'ckness
that Seemed almost miraenlouS'. "i 4ad an
ticipated this, because she was an adultr
because, that is to say, her brain, as an
orcan, was of mature derelopment
She began to speak as soon as ever we
allowed ourselves to speak in her presence,
at first simply imitating the sounds we
made, but very speedily coming to employ
words with understanding. A single lesson
taught ber how to walk. After my sister
had drested her twice she was perfectly well
able to dress hersel1". At the end of an in
credibly short period she could read and
write as easily as I can. Of the former
capability she made good use, detouring
eagerly all such books as we thought wise to
gjve her. Her progress, in a word, pre
cisely corresponded to that made by a
bright child, only it was infinitely more
;apid ; and what a fascinating thing it was
to observe. I need not stop to fell. It was
like watching the growth and blossoming of
some most wonderful and beautiful flower.
We were permitted, so to speak, to be eye
witnesses of a miracle. If yon had met
her at the expiration of one year, and had
conversed with her, you would hare put
her down for a singularly intelligent and
well-informed, yet at the same time singu
larly innocent and unsophisticated girl of 18.
Yes, I mean it a girl of 18. For the
most astonishing result of my operation
most astonishing, because least expected
was this: That id body as well as in mind
she seemed to have been rejuvenated. With
the obliteration of memory, every trace of
experience faded from her face: yon would
have laid a wager it was the face of a young
maiden not yet ont of her teens. She had
said she was all but 26. It was unbelievable
when you looted at bernotir. To the desperate-eyed
woman whom I had dissuaded
from sell-destruction on that clouded sum
mer night a year gone by, she bore only
such a resemblance as a young sister might
have borne. To Josephine I remarked, "Is
it possible that we have builded better than
we knew? That we have stumbled upon
the discovery, which the alchemists sought
in vain the elixir of youth?"
"Indeed, brother," Josephine assented,
"she has the appearance and the manner
oflT,"
"It only proves," said I, "'tho truth of the
old commonplace, that it fa experience and
uui. biuio nmvu b;i- uue, hiiut? ucing iimpiv
the measure of experience. Her experience
has been undone; that is to say, her mem
ory, the storehouse of her experience, has
been destroyed. Hence this return to
adolescence."
Then I laughingly offered to perform my
operation upon Josephine herself, to the end
that she. also might enioy returned youth;
which offer Josephine laughingly declined.
"It is very fortunate, brother, that this
alteration in her appearance has taken
place," my wise sister added; "for now it
will be impossible for anybody who may
have known her in former days to identity
ner, a danger wnicn, otherwise, we should
have had to fear."
"Yes," I acquiesced, "that is very true."
The disposition which our visitor de
veloped, furthermore, was if so sweet and
winnine A quality that in a little while she
had taken all our hearts captive and be
come the delight and the treasure of our
home. Welovcd herlike a daughter, and
the idea of evei1 parting with her was in
tolerable. Thereupon we put our heads'to
getber, and entered into a small conspiracy,
agreeing to represent to her that she was
our niece, the child of our brother, an
orphan, 18 years old, by name Miriam, who
had some time sfneo sustained an accident
which had destroyed her recollection of the
past As onr niece, recently arrived from
New Orleans (our own native city), we in
troduced her to our friends. She recipro
cated our affection in. the tendercst manner,
called us aunt and uncle, and was In every
respect a blessing to our lives so beautiful,
sefceatle, so merry, so devoted.
ThtH nearly lour years eleesed; sad it
wasMeaeey, the 12th of KaMk, 1M6, the
df7Mjbgntaowwlem. ,'y
CHAPTER V.
On that day certain imperative Mmm
demanded my presence down tows. IhaA
been summoned, in short, to appear a
witness in a litigation that was pending!
the Court of Common Plea a camsMM
which I felt myself the more disposed to
obey, inasmuch as a penalty of 9Hr at
tached to contempt of it Therefore, de
spite the unprecedented brutality a' tie
weather, and the earnest lemonsfaaaees a
Josephine and Miriam, I was foolharfy
enough to venture out
The clock on our parlor natel-peea
marked a few minutes before 10 when X left
the house; my immediate destination being
the Pifty-fblrd Street station of the Thirl
Avenue Elevated Bailway, distant from mj
door not farther than a quarter of a mile,
and In ordinary circumstances as easy fire
minutes' walk.
However, it must be remembered I was at
that time within threeor fonrmonthsof eoau
pleting my seventieth year; add such s
storm was raging and such a gale blowing
as might- hare strained the mettle of a
youngster one-third my age; a veritable
tempest, indeed, the like ot which Man
hattan Island had never in the memory of
man seen before. I don't mind owning,
therefore, that I was pretty badly exhausted
when I arrived at my journev s end, and
that I had consumed a good half hour la
getting there. My path, as it were, had led
through one continuous and unbroken drift
knee deep at its shallowest, waist high at its
average, and frequently engulfing me up to
my chin. Through this I had dug and
plowed my way, with the wind cold and
furious in my teeth and underarunnin fira
of snow flakes, frozen so hard and driven
with such force that they stung my face like
bird shot and nearly put out my eyes. I
can assure the reader'it was no child's play.
My nose and ears, from burning as if in a
hath of scalding water, had become numb
and rigid like features of wood. The moist
V
!-
r
THE BLIZZAED.
ure from my breath had congealed' in my
beard.until that appendage felt like an Iron
mask. My legs were stiff and heavy; my
shoulders ached. My-respiration had be-
come pamfdl and laborious;, my heart action
so faint as to induce sickness similar to that;
which one suffers at sea.
And finally, to cap the climax, when Z
reached the station, I found a chain stretched
across the entrance to the staircase, and a
placard announcing that no trains were
running. So that I had earned my labor
for my pains; and there was nothing for me
to oo out to turn my lace oaex towarynoaq
and retrace my steps. t-"
Exhausted as I was then, 1 set forth at
once upon that undertaking Of course It
wax exceedingly imprudent fdrme to do so.
wituuiifc lifsb svc&jug Biieifcer in soma mop,
and there resting until I had in a measure
recovered my strength. But I suppose I dlcl,
not at themomentrealizehowfargonel was,
and the prospect of regaining the comfort off
my own fireside was a delioiously temptine1
one- So Off I started, down Fifty-third
street toward Second avenue.
"Very soon, however, I had reason to rev
pent my rashness. Midway in that block 'av
mountainous drift of snow stretched diagJ
onally across the road. I wss half blinded,
my wits were halt frozen; I underestimated
its depth, and plunged boldly into it Next
instant I found myself buried tip to my
nose. I struggled to push on. My legs
were as immovable as if bound with ropes.
Then I strove to dig myself free with my
hands. My arms, too, I learned, were pin
ioned as in a straight waistcoat.
Here was a pleasant predicament; and one
that constantly increased in interest For,
to sty nothing of the deadly and aggressive
cold, the snow was pouring down Upon me
by the bucketful) and I appreciated very
vividly the fact that unless I speedily
effected an escape, I should be covered over'
my head.
My only hope, it was obvious, lay in call
ing for assistance. Whether other hamaai
beings were within hearing distance or not,
I had no means of discovering; for so opaque"
was the atmosphere rendered by the multi-
tude of snowflakes that filled it, I could see '
nothing beyond a radius of two or three
yards; and even the houses that lised the
street were indistinguishable, except whea
by fits and starts, for a second at a time, the
wind rent asunder the veil that hid them,.
However, my only hope lay in trying the
experiment of a call; and that I did with.
the utmost energy I could command.
"Help! Helpl" I cried.
JBut at the sound of my voice, my heart
sank. It was the still small ghost of itself
to such a degree bad the exposure and the
hardships of the last half hour depleted my,
physical resources. And besides dampened
by the blanket, of snow in which I was en-
reloped, and lost in the roar of the duttU ,
cane, the likelihood that it would carry be'
yond a rod in any direction seemed lnfin
ltesimally slight
wen, am lost, thought J, "here no"
00 yards from my own doorstep, lost as
hopelessly as if wrecked in mldocean..
Well, they say death by freezing is compar- '
atiTeij yaiuieas. j.b wui boob do over.i
"Bnt''
Suddenly, with the desperate nnreason-,
ablenessof a" man In extremities like him, ''
who drowning, clutches at a chip. I re
peated my feeble signal of distress: ''Helpt J
iieipr-
I waited half a minute, and repeated iff
for a third time: "Help!" t
Coseeire mr emotions to hear imtantlr.
and from immediately behind me, the ret
...... .. U l-.lt... f V..u... ilTT.11 ..
there!" ; 1
"Hearcn be praisedl" I gasped. Then,""!"
uan you neip me out oi tnis nriitr - m
"I shouldn't wonder," cams the reply."!
"I'll try, anyhow." "to
And therewith I felt mrself seized br two!
strong arms, lifted from off mr feet andVai
moment later set down upon a spot of,the"j
pavement which the wind had swept nearlyJ
clean, where l bad a chance to see ana to!
thank my rescuer,
CHAPTER VI. if$
Hn was a tall and athletic-looking aanHj
perhaps SO years old, with ruddy, good
humored face, an honest pair of blueeresi
and a curling yellow beard. He wejert
seaisstmcap wnicn came aown over, his
ears, sealskin gloves which reached 'up
-i t.r -ln.w -1 , .1.- -f-LL-c
ttUUTi; ills CVBk Bin I H uwij tv fciia eDOW9,4
a pea jacket and rubber boots, His beard,?
his eyebrows and so much of his hair, asl
was exposed, were thick with fro sen. snowj
and from his mustache depended series or"!
Icicles, where his breath had coadeaied and!
congealed.
'I believe t hare to thank you for serins
my life.'! I began, in seh a veiea u i mhIjI
muster, and I noticed that myuttenMeWM