LIFE IN CUBA.
Homes and harits or tub
I'EOPLE.
The Houses Have ni Barred Win
dows Picturesque Dress of
the Women Hospitable
Country Folk,
j QE races in Cuba are no mixed,
I , says May B. Stacey in the
JL New Yotk Recorder, that
6 one ie ever in doubt whether
be is talking to a Metizo, or a Cuban,
or a Spaniard ; but their manners and
customs are very pleasing. On my
arrival in Havana 1 was met by a very
charming and cultivated man, one of
Havana's leading lawyers, and most
courteously entertained for somednys
at his oasa, prior to my visit in the
conntry, where I spent the winter
among the sugar plantations.
The hemes in Cuba are very com
fortable, made of stone with plaster
fronts and immense barred windows
and solid wooden doors. The floors
nre paved; sometimes there is a rug
just where tho chairs are put, and that
it in a square between twa opposite
windows.
Why the people are not all con
sumptives I cannot toll, for they sit
in this draught even in cold days.
They do seem to suffer greatly with
catarrh and asthma.
One of the beauties of Cuban resi
dences ia the open court in the centre
" of the building, which is profusely
decorate 1 with birds and flowers, and
stou Diunu ireoB mo gruwu. jii tue
richer ones there are marble floors,
with fountains and statuary. Cane
u ti v niuvn .uiukiuiQ la udcvi i.iuiu
sively. In one room I saw eight large
willow rooking chairs, and all the la
dies were rocking rapidly as if to keep
time with their talking. There is but
one door to the outside world in those
homes, and everything goes in and out
of it. Marketing goes in, and gar
bage goes out. At the door is kept
constantly barred, I was prepared for
tnything ; even dreams of brigands
flitted through my brain, bnt nothing
bnt friends and the most inoffensive of
marketmen ever entered the house to
my knowledge.
The business men in Cuba take only
a cup of coffee in the morning at
home, and have their breakfast down-
C L ' 1
LOVE MAKING AMONO THE CUBANS.
town,' atjioon time, just 'as onr men
lunch at their club or restaurant, and
dine at home tfter business hours,
I presume it it on aooount of the
limate, but most of the people look
tired, and there is none of the brisk
ness of American!. The men lack the
rigor our flue-looking Amerioan men
have; there are many handsome faoes,
but round shoulders, whioh ever mar
the handsome head.
The women of Cuba are very pio
turesque, when they wear the iaoe
mantilla, but they are adopting the
Amerioan and Frenoh hat, and it is
not becoming. Their kindness to
trangers ia proverbial, and their
quaint way of preaenting their house
to yon, when you oall to toe them, ia
very attractive. One lady, whose em
broidery I muoh admired, for it was
as beautiful and fine at a spider's web,
presented me her handt, "They are
yourt," the aaid, meaning she wonld
embroider something for me, if I de
aired. While taking a walk in the oountry
one day, we passed a house where the
doox was wide open they generally
jt open and the family was at din
Bet. The matter oried ont : "Good
v?nlngr ms you not hungry t Won't
cam Mid tat louwthiaf V
The enstom is to say ! "Thank you
bnt I am not hungry." When you oall
upon a friend a cup of excellent black
coffee' is made at onoe and served. If
a husband and wife oall the husband
is served first, and he drinks only half
of the coffee, and hands the rest to his
wife. This is also the custom at the
table after dinner with the dessert, as
well as the coffee. I must add, I am
thankful it is not the enstom to in
clude the guests. 1 presume it is the
old loving cup, or, perhaps, a daily
reminder to the weaker sex that Adam
was made first.
One thing I noticed particularly was
that at uight the people hold a hand
kerchief over their mouths and nos
trils to prevent breathing the night
air, and in Havana the ladies carry
perfumes with them, as the odors
about the houses are sometimes dread
ful. Few people walk In Cuba. You
take a cab for any distance, dismissing
it when you enter a house and hail an
other one when yon come out, bnt to
call a cab you motion away from yon
instead of to you, as we do in the
States. The reason one does not walk
is because the sidewalks are too nar
row, and the streets very filthy J many
sidewalks are only three feet wide, sev
eral less than two. We felt sure after
A COUXTItY HOME IN CUBA.
trying to hold on with our toes, that
our feet would toon resemble the
monkeys, and wo looked with care,
when removing our shoes, to see if
such a catastrophy had occurred. I
found myself frequently In the gut
ters, whiah are very fllthy, at the
drainage is poor.
The milkman, instead of driving a
wagon drives his herd of cows around
town and milks at the door of his cus
tomer. It has this advantage, the
milk is pure. Thore is no cream in
Cuba; they boil tho milk immediately
it is received.
The want of confidence in tho wo
men hurt me very much. We are so
repected and honored at home by our
men that I got indignant when I taw
wives, sisters and iweethearts watched
liko childron. The monstrous barred
windows, seen in all houses, gives
them a prison like aspect, but Cupid
though barred out finds many
ways of slipping through.
Xot Alraitl ot Tarantulas.
The tarantula abonnds in all parts
ot Nicaragua, but from the Atlantio
to the Faoiflo you will not find a na
tive who it afraid of one or who will
admit that the bite ot the repulsive
looking spider it poisonous. The
Rambler saw tarantulas by the soore
taken into the palm of the hand, and
in many placet ohildren had them
harnessed up with vegetable fibre,
driving them abont like beasts of
burden. They look exaotly like the
tarantula of Mexioo. The only thing
they axe dreaded for in Nicaragua is
their habit ot attaoking the fetlooks
of horses, cutting off the hair and in
flioting a wonnd whioh cannot be
healed, and eventually results in the
pastern beooming affeoted and the
hoof rotting off. This is not common
or there wouliu't be a horse left in
the oountry, beoause there are very
few of them as it is and tens of thou
sands of the hairy spiders. It only
happens when the animal is left stand
ing in the thiok "spider glass" for
several hours at a time, and not care
fully examined afterward. The taran
tula then attacks all fonr legs, and in
week the poor horse has to be killed.
As the serawnfbst beasts cost from
1150 to 1250 gold, it may be surmised
that a pretty close watch is kept upon
the fetlock. Nw York Mail and Express.
CniSESE FUNEIUL HOUSE.
Taper Steed Which Celestials Conse
crate to Service of the Dead.
The most marked trait of the Chi
nese is a profound veneration for their
A CHINES FUHEHAL HOIiSK.
ancestors, a characteristic which finds
expression not only in a filial affection
for and obedience to the living par
ents, but also in a holy reverence for
the dead, who are faithfully wor
shiped in the most solemn religious
rites. Th fm e aju4(vtion offered
to the deceased is made up of the
burning of candles, incense ond nilt
paper, accompanied by numerous
genuflections and prostrations. A
necessarv factor in tlm ur.u.. t. ti.
spreading of elaborate feasts, the in
visible essence of which, it is bolioved,
nscenus lor tne delectation and masti
cation of the dear ilmmrto.l Tho rn.
nese believe imnlioitly that the souls
oi me aeaa continue in oonsoious ex
istence and in such oontact with the
scene ot their former ariatanna fi,n
the location ot their graves, the con
stancy oi toe worsnip they receive,
with the richness and variety of the
offerings made to them, are most im
portant in determining tueir happi
nest or misery.
The vulgar belief is that the needs
of the dead are substantially the same
as me ueeus oi tne living, and that
iney can oniy receive tnose necessi
ties by the ministrations of the living.
Food, clothing and money are there-
lore ouereu 10 me spirits, being ren
dered invisible and tmnumittixl tt.
other world by means of fire. The
lunerai ot any one is the occasion for
a solemn bonfire, wherein are con
sumed the Olotbins of the denenaAil.
and enormous sums of . imitation
money. In addition the funeral pyre
often includes paper houses and fur
nishings and servants that the defu-iot
may enjoy distinguished immortality.
If the mourned were a sea captain a
tmner shin would be riven tn thn
flames. It he were an officer of rank
a horse would be provided, as was the
oase in tho funeral whiobloffered an
opportunity for the accompanying il
lustration. Eggs Worth a Fortune.
The egg . of the great auk is
valued at 815,100. That was the
price recently paid by a wealthy col
lector of rare birds' euro's. Thau .
only sixty-eight of this extinct bird's
egg m existence, xwo onus eggs are
in this country ; one is owned by the
Acaaemy or natural Soience in Phila
del phis, and the other is in the oollec
tion of Vassar College. The former
collection held for many years among
its treasnres the rarest of all eggs
an egg of the California condor but
it mysteriously disappeared a few
vears aro. and it is fmnnnAnd mnma
scientiflo sneak thief thought it no sin
THIS EOO IS WORTH $15,000.
to transfer the treasure to his own
collection, where he is holding it for
a rise in price.
It is quite a fad nowadays to oolleot
rare and curious eggs'aud vast sums
are paid ty wealthy collectors for the
delicate little ovals. One of the largest
private collections in the world is that
of Mr. J. Parker Norris, a well-kuowu
lawyer of Philadelphia. He has spent
more than 920,000 for fine speoiuiens
of egg shells.
Switzerland, with a population of
3,000,000, averages 650 suicides annu
ally. Only Denmark and Saxony
make a more extensive use ot what u
supposed to b tha right to die.
NEW FASHION FAD.
IIUGR BELTS RIGHT INCHES
DEEP WOK BY WOMEN.
Will Make Stout Women Shorter
and Slim Ones More Grace
ful Latest Hints
In Millinery.
I HE belt of the autumn girl is
I , a fashionable monstrosity. It
1 is the most conspicuous arti
(t cle of her raiment, says the
New York World. English women are
prone to belts, and Americans are An
glomaniaos by nature, therefore they
are following the fashion with a vim set
by their sisters across the water. The
big stores' are exhibiting many new
and very striking designs in belts. The
Ingenuity and originality is surpris
ing, and one wonders what next may
seize the feminine fanoy and deplete
the feminine purse.
Some of the most elegant bolts in
quality are made of firmly woven silk
elastio, the surface being of satin fin
ish. These vary in width from five to
eight inches, aocordinely, as one's
physique demands ourtailing or en
largement to produce the desired ef
fect. They can be had in colors and
are fastened by elongated clasps and
novel buckles conforming to the depth
of the belt. These are worn with em
pire gowns to produce the short-waist
characteristic ot this style of dress.
liy reason of its elasticity it permits
of the free and graceful motion of the
FALL FA8HION NOVELTY-THE
body, whioh is an additional advan
tage to women who affect the woariug
of the belt.
Belts are pretty, and, despite any
controversy as to the advisability of
wearing them from a hygenio stand
point, are going to obtrude them
eclves upon us wherever opportunity
is offered. They are beooming to
most women, and for that reason alone
they will assume tho right ot way.
No young woraon is in the swim un
less she numbers three dozen bolt
buokles in her collection. Bolts are
more necessary now than ever before,
for basques are an obsolete fashion,
and all bodioea terminate at the waist
line, whioh fact makes the introduc
tion of girdles imperative. All women
agree on the one point, that bolts tend
to make a stout women less emphati
cally to, and slender women like them
because they realize the proportions
between the tize of tho waist end
hips.
HINTS in uillinbry.
The Napoleonic craze is about ended
and the Dutch bonnet it a thing of
the past. The majority will be glad
of this, for it was only the small mi
nority who could beoomingly wear
either. The principal tendenoy of
the new hats is toward higher orowns,
and they vary in outline, to be desig
nated as th "Pierrot," "jampot" and
"pottle" orowns. The first is point
ed, the teoond flares, and the third
widens from the. crown to the brim.
The low orown and flat brim of the
summer shape will not be entirely
abandoned either.
Manyofthenew shapes show crowns
of silk plush, with brims of braided
effeots or of felt, and in the new im
ported walking hats are seen "pottle"
crjwns and wide, rolling brims made
entirely of the silk plush, with a se
vere trimming of a flat crown-band,
with loops and quills at the left side.
1 Among bonuets, the shapes seem to
be somewhat larger than of late, and
many show open orowns of wired jets
and beeds, or Oriental embroideries.
There are also many beautiful toques,
whioh never go out of fashion. But
of all headgear the toque requires the .
most careful handling, and only an
artiste can give it that oertain touoh
whioh keeps it above the common
place. Flowers must find no resting
dace on the toque, and feathers raro
y. The trimming must be simple,
with knots of ribbon or velvet, ropes
ot grass and wisps of aigrettes, or ag
gressive looking quills.
I Fw flowers are. noticeable oa the
fall models, bnt I what there are take
the form of poppies and roses, whioh
appear in velvet silk, and the prettiest
ot all whioh . are made entirely of
PARtHIAN HAT WITH BOW OF C'ARMtMB
satin ninnoN and blaok AinnEmc.
feathers. Then again, roses are close
ly imitated with taffeta silk, cut on
the bias with rolled edges. Lace is a
secondary factor with new hats. In
NEW HEVEN-IXt'H BELT.
the way of ornaments the preference
is given to cut stool, while jet comes
in seoond. Fanoy feathers of all
shapes and colors predominate, yet
tho ostrich tin will ever hold its own.
A BMABT AUTUMN C03TUME.
Lincoln-green Amazon cloth, with a
darkish plaid silk, with bright touches
ot oolor, composes the smart autumn
oostume here shown. The dress is re
markably pretty and most stylish as
an indoor toilet, and the effuot may bo
heightened by an eight or tun inoh
fttoiug of the plaid inside tho skirt or
by a little balnyeuse of the plaid,
piuked out at the edges and put in
slightly full.
The skirt ie out from a fluted pat
tern, which is not exoessive in width,
and yet gives a very full appearance,
AN ACTUMN C0STCUC.
and has no darts round the top, al
though it fits perfeotty to the figure.
The bodioe is made on a fitted lining.
out in four parts only, viz., the two
fronts, eaoh with two darts, and the
two books, necessitating a seam down
the oentre. This centre baok seam is
seamed and boned, and the top faced
to just below the bust line with the
plaid, and the front darts are also
sewn bud whalebone inserted, and
they are tnz ''seed with plaid, ready
for the plain material.-
Balfour, the British Parliamentary
leader, who is an enthusiastic golfer,
says : "Care may sit behind the horse
man; she never presumes to walk
with tho caddie."
(JBEATEHT I1ABE L1TISU.
Unique Dally Life of the Infant Heir
to Great Britain's Throne.
The greatest baby in the world ia
bow about one year old. The name
of this baby is Edward. He is Hi
Koysl Highness the Prince Edward of
York, heir to the throne ot an empire
on whioh the sun never sets, and he is
now cutting his teeth.
His Royal Hmhuess lives either at
York House, St. James, London, or at
White Lodge, seat of the Teoks. A
description of his personal appearance "
is now on file in the royal archives of
the Tower of London, and he has been
photographed 109 times. Thete de
tails are not trifles. They are a part
of the history of tho British Empire.
The Prince has blue eyes. His hair
it not soanty by any means, and be is
rather fat, as will bo seen from the ac
companying picture of him, whioh is
the one hundred and ninth of His
Royal Highness, and the very latest.
He has a nursery of the most severely
filaiu character, and, although his
ittle life is ono long uninterrupted
ceremony, etiquette requires that tho
plainest of baby accessories shall sur
round him. He is under the tutelage
of one Mme. Bnika, whom all England
knows ai the confidential companion
of the Princess May before her mar
riage. This Mile. Buikahas naturally
an euormons responsibility.
His Royal Highness is already a
General, a Colonel, ft High Sheriff and
a patron. He is a Keeper of the Heals
and an Imperial Usher. Ho is already
entitled to put O. C. M. J., C. O. L S.
I. and ever so many other letters after
bis name, and he is a member of the
House of Lords.
When the baby awakes in the morn
ing he holds a levee. The royal oode
ays so. His Highness will be attend- '
ed by the lady iu waiting, who takes
his commands. This means that she
will wash and dress him. He must
never have anything on him that is
red anything, that is, in the shape of
clothing. His attire must be invaria
bly white. This is because he is a
Prince of York, and there is a royal
rule conneoted with the Wars ot the
Itoses that forbids his assumption of
the red until he is five years old. Ha
may not wear black shoes nntil he is
three, and in publio a sash must in
variably be around his waist. Under
no circumstances isho to be addressed,
even playfully, by anyone exoept his
parents. Queen Viotoria herself is not
at liberty to say "you" to him. It
must always bo "His Highness seems
well," or "His Highness sleeps." In
fuct, it is His Highness this and His
Highness that all the time.
Only a blood relative may hold him
In her arms, with the oxooption of
Mile. Buika, who has received a royal
patent for the purpose. Even the
physician who attends him must re
ceive a royal patent before beginning
to physio this babe. Every artiole of
attire he wears must bear the royal
arms worked by hand iu silk, and he
may not wear the same artiole twioe
in succession. It mast be waahod be
fore it goes on again.
His Uigbness travels by speoial train.
He has six equorries ami a gentleman
usher of the blaok rod. He receives
invitations to all royal and state f ano-
riUNCE EDWARD OF TOIIK, AOED ONE TEAR,
tions, and is always represented at
them by one of these equerries.
On ftate oooosions the Prince is ar
rayed in oloth of gold. His head is
covered by a crown of starched and
gilded linen. He is then carried by a
royal lady in waiting. That means
that whoever carries this babe mast
have royal blood in her veins. An
other curious thing about the Prinoe
is that no more than four per ions may '
be in his nursery at any one time.
When he is attired in royal robes the
peers must kneel to kiss his hand on
entering his presence. Of course no
hats may be worn ia his presenoe. In
York House Mrs. Gladstone had to
take her bonnet off before entoring
his nursery.
When H. R. II. is asleep a flag floats
from his residence. When he is awake
the flag is taken down. When he
leaves his home the flag is hung oat
of the window of his nursery.
Another unexpected thing in the
life of the Prinoe is the extreme pub
licity of it. He is perpetually being
photographed, and tne photographs
are thrown broadoast all over Eng
land. Whenever he goes the faot of
bis coming is proclaimed. Lots of
people oongregate about his two homes
to get a glimpse of him and Made
moiselle Buika oarries him out in her
arms to the eoaoh in the most publio
manner. This liberality and pub
licity are in aooordanoe with the time
honored ouatom ot the British royal
family to be as free with the people as.
possible.