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BURIAL RITES
OF PORTO RICO
Attended by Weazened Old Duennas,
the Spanish Senoritas, With Ever
Ready Cigarette, Loll in the Pla
zas as Guarded as La
dies of a Harem,
A LIFE OF INDOLENCE AND LUXURY
Not a gunshot from the great Morro or San Juan, Porto Ri
co, in the centre of the city, you will find the central plazjj,.
During the day it is hot and vacant, at night cool and popul
ous. When the music begins, at 8 in the evening, out from
their prison dwellings troop the fair ladies of San Juan. Some
are blonde, most are brunette. All, as seen in the dim light of
the flickering lamps, seem beautiful. All are bareheaded; all
carry fans, which remind one of the flicker of butterflies’
wings as they flit and start, half opening and shutting, as if
about balancing themselves on a bank of flowers.
They are bareheaded save for the graceful mantilla, which
often hangs across their bare shoulders instead of adorning
their night black tresses. The ladies flock by themselves
mostly, or, if they have male escorts, are invariably accompa
nied by a duenna, *who was young so long ago that she has
forgotten all about it and keeps sharpest watch over her
charge. Two hours thus they revel in the music of the band
from Cadiz, and when the musicians have started for their
barracks with that light, swinging pace peculiar to the Span
ish infantry, then the fair senoritas and the less attractive
duennas return to the seclusion of their dwellings, while the
men disperse to the cafes to gossip and smoke. This the men
do every night, band concert or no band concert; but the la
dies do not emerge again until the next “retreta,” or per
chance to go shopping some forenoon, under rigid surveil
lance.
In the country districts the social regulations are not so
rigid, but even there it will not do to give Spanish girls the
freedom of American young ladies, because—well, because they
have never had it and might not know what to do with it
when they got it. The simple maidens of the country' region
dance all night to tha.hackh. of a great rubbed
with a stick/ to which penetrating noise, sounding somethirvdi
like the sharpening of a knife on a stone, they graceful!^
glide through the languid mazes of the Spanish “v&lsas.”
They told a pretty story recently about a girl of San Juan,
the daughter of the captain general, Pauline Macias, who
LEADS A FORLORN HOPE
r Justice Augustus Van Wyck, if not as good looking, is a more pleasant man
than his brother. Mayor Van Wyck, says a New York journalist. He is not tall
and is slender, with the drooping carriage of a man not used to outdoor exercise,
though laterly he has taken to riding the wheel.
He is 56 years old, and was born In New York city. It Is his pride that he is
a descendant of a brave soldier. Captain Abraham Aan Wyck, who fought in the
revolutionary war. His education as a boy was received at che Phillips academy,
Exeter, N. H.. where he was graduated. He studied also in the University of
North Carolina and received the degree of Master of Arts.
He began the practice of law in New York and was fairly successful, but he
kept his residence in Brooklyn. He aided in reorganizing the Democratic party
OLD WORLD
IN THE NEW
With Occidental Progress the Seat of
Activity Has Been Transferred
From the Mediterranean and
is Marching Toward
the Orient.
ALL EYES ON THE UNITED STATES
The old world has at last come into the new. The histOTy
of the east has become the concern of the west, and the west,
with its gigantic power and will, is beginning to exploit the
east. The entire world is becoming self-conscious, ar.d history
making shifts from the waves of the Mediterranean to the
white horses of the Atlantic, then to the yellow steeds of the
Pacific.
Such, in summary, is the theme of an able article by Profes
sor Benjamin Ide Wheeler entitled "The Old World in the
New" (Atlantic Monthly. August).
Professor Wheeler after tracing the history-making sources
of the world up to the present, showing that the greater part
of the history of the world had its mainsprings around the
Mediterranean sea, points out how rapidly the scene of histo
ry-making is shifting to the Yellow sea. Says he:
“A class of questions has arisen, overwhelming, in the mag
nitude of the issues they involve, all the great questions of
earlier days, and none of them admits solution in terms of the
Mediterranean; none of them concerns the Mediterranean, or
its people, or its history. That which the silent course ot
events has long h»«- n preparing, now in the fullness of timo
is come. Almost without a sign of warning we are transferred
from the history of the nearer world to the history of the
great world, and to that h-'t.ory the life and the interests of
the great dominant peoples of the earth will hereafter belong.
“To no people is Che transition of more profound and fun
damental importance than to the people of the United States.
It involves for them nothing less than a rethinking of the en
tire problem of national' purpose, destiny and duty.
"The old histpry, which we have .called the history of the
•nearer world, dy* 4 ’^ wtth the an;og 1 -—ams" was jin.
of its two component factors, occioentalisfn «*.d -onentafiafn;
the new history will record the process of assimilation; which
follows the uniting of t'he two halves of the whole world.'
There cah he no question as to which of the two will conquer
(Continued on Page Three.)
LORD SALISBURY, PREMIER OF ENGLAND.
The Marquis of Salisbury, prime minister of Great Britain, has-been severely
criticised b3' his own party and by others for his lack of firmness In the foreign
office, a portfolio he retains in addition to the premiership. His giving way to
Russian demands in China to the detriment of British Interests Is something
that the British public find hard to condone. During his recent absence on the
continent the affairs of the foreign office were administered by his nephew,
Arthur J. Balfour, and the interests of the country were better subserved. Upon
the premier’s return, however, the vacillating, yielding policy which has dis
tinguished his administration of foreign affairs became again the rule at the
foreign office. Recently caflffe the surprising intelligence that the queen was so
desirous of peace beipg maintained during the remaining years of her reign that
she expressed her wishes in this respect to Lord Salisbury, who interpreted them
as commands.
JUDGE AUGUSTUS VAN WYCK, OF BROOKLYN,
Tammany's Compromise Democratic Candidate for Governor of New York.
In Kings county. He was one of the leaders m the revolt from Willoughby street
in 1SS1. but afterward rejoined McLaughlin. He was twice elected president of
the Democratic geneial committee. He also was a member of the Democratic
state committee, and frequently has been a delegate to national, state and city
conventions.
In 1SS3 he was elected judge of the old city court of Brooklyn. He became a
justice of the supreme court when the city court became a part of i*
went out Into the streets of San Juan
and tried to rouse her countrymen and
women to the defense of their city. This
may or may not hdve been true, but if
true, it was in contravention of the Span
ish code of conventionalities. Rarely does
a Castilian Joan d'Arc venture out and
lead Spanish troops, either in defense or
to charge, for, no matter how much her
service might be valued, her act would
surely be misconstrued.
But no matter; whatever the freedom
that the future may bring to Porto Rico
and the women of San Juan, at present
they are hedged about by the strongest
chains of custom. They do not often ven
ture out of doors unattended, and like the
Moorish women, they visit oftener the
cemetery than the picnic ground. Under
the sea word side wall of the fortifica
tion with massive walls rising
above It on the south and the
ocean surges thundering to the north
ward. lies the great “Campo Santo’’ of
San Juan. A sentry turret guards the
cemetery gate, beyond which, disturbed
by the roar neither of waves nor artillery,
many thousands erstwhile residents of
San Juan sleep their last sleep. This
spot is not large, but. owing to the pecu
liar methods of interment, every inch ot
space is occupied, not once only but many
times over.
In the first place, the graves dug In
THE MAN AND THE HOUR
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt’s American ancestry dates back to the early his
tory of the colonies in America. Nicholas Roosevelt was an Alderman in the
city of New York in the year 1700, half a century before King’s college was es
tablished and long before the city extended beyond Wall street. The founder of
the family in America established a reputation which has been consistently main
tained through the eight generations that have succeeded him. In the mercantile
political and social life of the state and nation- the name of Roosevelt has taken
a somewhat important part. The predominant characteristic of rugged probity
of character has marked the line from Nicholas Roosevelt through all the
generations.
Theodore Roosevelt, who has been honored by the Republican party of New
York made his first appearance as a factor in the political arena as a member
of the New York assembly; next as chairman of the New York delegation at the
Chicago national convention which nom inated James G. Blaine. He was the par
ty leader at Albany; he was the leader of the delegation at Chicago. Between
the level are rented only for a term of
years. At the expiration of the lease, out
go what remains of the occupant of any
grave, unless his or her friends put up
the “needful” for a renewal.
What» becomes of the evicted dead?
Come over to the angles of the walls, and
there you will find, piled in every corner, |
heaps of moldering bones, mingled with
tattered grave clothes, long black tresses
and grinning, ghastly skulls. Many of
the graves may still be seen yawning
widely for other occupants. These sights
are not calculated to inspire cheertul
thoughts nor to impress one with the
idea that Spaniards and Spanish descend
ed colonists are over careful of their de
parted friends’ # remains.
Still there are numerous fine stones and
marbles here, mortuary urns and portrait
busts, but these adorn the graves of the
more fortunate rich, and are leased in
perpetuity. Many of these are worthy
of inspection for their beauty of carving
and their wealth of imagery in epitaph,
since bere, as in other places, the virtues
of the dead and gone are recited and
their vices ignored.
Against the frowning fortress walls are
the columbariae—to speak literally, the
pigeon holes—^ito which the wealthier
people are thrwst feet foremost after they
(Continued on Page Eight.)
CONTENTS OF THIS NUMBER.
Page 1—Burial Rites in Porto Rico—Old
World in the New.
Page 21—A Cottage by t'he Volga, new se
rial.
Page 3—Great South: Virginia Barn—Car
riage Horses—Southern Progress.
Page 4—Woman’s Kingdom: Sweet Min
istries—Chat—Daughters of Confederacy
—A True Southern Hero—Our Letter
Box.
Page 5—Kingdom Continued: A Spurious
Claim—A Buzzs&w of Diamonds—
Thoughts of Heaven.
Page 6—Editorial: Announcement of new’
story—Cotton Yield and Consumption-
Reason for Likes or Dislikes—Glad
stone’s Will—The Demoralization of
France—Bill Arp’s Substitute—Husband
and Wife?—Good Suggestion—From Ho
mer to Banana Stand—Individuality-
Mad Race for Gold—Timely Anniversa
ries.
Page 7—Our Poets’ Corner—Extracts from
Late Sermons—Governor Jones’ View—
A Sweet New Queen—Miscellany.
Page 8—Books and Writers: Books of the
Day—Rare Manuscripts—No Perfect
Book in the World—Doings of Writers—
Miscellany.
Page 9—Our Boys and Girls: A Victor’s
Spoils—Sunday School Lesson—The Puz
zler-Miscellany.
Page 10.—Regimental Colors—Cuba’s
Lottery—Duels in the Navy.
Page 11—Hounded Like Deer, Dr.
mage’s Sermon—Music’s Charm.
Page 12—.The Daj* of Temptation, new’
serial. See announcement on page six.
Big
Tal-
He is a grand master of the Zeta Psi fraternity and member of the New
York Holland society.
He lives in a handsome house at 172 Hancock street, Brooklyn. His son. Wil
liam Van Wyck. is an assistant district atyrney in Brooklyn, and his son-in-law,
Janies W. Osborne, is an assistant district attorney in Manhattan,
col. theolOre Roosevelt, of new york (?),
Republican War-Hero Nominee of Platt Machine for Governor of New York.
1SS4 and 1SS6 he was a ranchman in Dakota, and as enthusiastic and energetic
a ranchman as he had been a vigorous politician. Young men still remember
his vigorous campaign in 1S86, when he was a mayoralty candidate against
Abram S. Hewitt and Henry George.
As police commissioner of New York, he made a good record, and his record
as a Rough Rider is recent history. He lives in one of the most beautiful homes
in New York, and has a large family
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