THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: SEPTEMBER 22, 1912.
7-B
City
of San Jose, the Mountain Capital of Co&a Rica
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J the aX'Cdrh arc the
dray of &e city
(Copyright. 1912, by Frank G. Carpenter.)
AN JOSE, Costa RtcaI want
SI to lww you one ofhe most
I Interesting Uttle towns of the
I .l,t T vmaom Ban' lnu Ma
capital of Cota Rica, situ
ated down her in the mow
tains at th tall-end of our continent. It
Is higih up In the Central American
Andes, within 1.0C0 feet, perhaps of th
altitude of Denver, surrounded by mighty
mountains which are green to their tops,
but whose heads are lost in the clouds.
The sky is bright blue and the air Is so
clear that you can see many miles. The
semi-tropical sun paints the clouds on
the Mils. It brings out the red roofs of
the city lying in the hollow below, and
shows the gay buildings which are of
bright yellow, sky blue, grass green and
dark red. The little capital is just about
a mile and a half in diameter. It runs
up hill and down. , covering the area of
an amphitheater, the walls of which are
the mountains. .
San Jose has about 3000 people. It is a
city of one ami two-story 'buildings, with
many Catholic churches, a good-slsed
cathedral, a great theater and some
other public structures rising above them.
There are a half dosen .'parks scattered
throughout the, city. The narrow streets
' crosa mm another t at right angles, tfie
main "one bein the Avenida Central,
which .begins at, the national park near
the Northern railway station and ends In
the grassy polo grounds known as the
savannas', at the- opposite end of the
town.' ..' ; ' v .. '., : - ;
San Jo Houses.
The buildings of San Jose are made of
adobe with this stucco finish painted as
I have described. The roofs extend far
out over the walls, and along each Is a
gutter with drain pipes leading down and
connecting with the open concrete gutters
which line the sides of the . roadway,
Along the sides of the street are narrow
stone flag sidewalks, and the pavement
between is of a combination of earth and
rough stones which when the heavy ox
carts move over it gives forth a sound
like that of a traction engine on a cor.
duroy ..road. .
The houses ares all Spanish style. They
have wide doors and windows facing the
street artd many of the 'windows are
barred, I suppose to keep in the girls.
Behind the more pretentious structures
are patios or little courts filled with
palms and other tropical plants, and In
some cases with a foundation or so. The
rooms' run about these patios and face
upon thwi, and the ordinary fine house
is just one room deep all the. way around.
The poorer dwellings sometimes have a
garden at the back, but more often they
consist of merely one or two rooms fac
ing the Btreet, and with no back outlet
whatever.
; Baalness at the Capital.
The., stores -are scattered all over the
town, with , the best not far from the
posfoffice In the heart of the cltyw There
are many large establishments among
them. '; San Jose Is the business center
at all Costa Rica and the most of the
wholesale and retail business is done
right at the capital. Not a few of the
firms turn over $500,000 a year and I know
of one little drug store which does a
business of over $200,000 per annum.
There are some stores with plate glass
windows which would be of credit to any
city in the United States of four times
the slae, and ' the goods within them,
while the prices are double our prices
at home,' are' the best of their kind and
have come from all over the world.
Many of the merchants are Germans,
some French and some Spaniards, and
not a few Cost Rlcans. The larger places
have fixed prices, and they seem to work
on the principle that everything should
pay a profit of at least 100 per eent. The
necessities of life cost far more here than
TNt
Dr.BcnfBa-lcv,
v Sanatorium
This institution li the only one
la tbe central west with separate
buildings situated in their own
jample : grounds, yet : entirely
distinct and rendering it possible
to classify cases. Toe one building
being fitted for and deroted to the
treatment of noncontagious -end
nonmental diseases, no others be
Ing admitted. The of her Kelt
Cottage, being designed for and
devoted (to the exclusive treatment
ot select mental cases, requiring
fcr a time watchfal care and spe
cial Burning.
1
1
V
4
1 n
Z! cycJms xvttfi twenty, founds 2hvt policeiziciz
St home, and the luxuries . are propor
tionately higher. Salt costs ' 8 cents a
pound, sugar 10 cents -and bread, weight
for weight, about three times as much
as I pay in Washington city, I bought
a half-pint can of strawberry jam this
morning to eat with my bread and coffee,
which Is all one gets for breakfast 'at
the leading hotel. It post me 43 cents, or
three times what I pay at home. '
San Jose's Great Market. '
But we can see the native business ot
this country jbest In the market. Every
town has Its large market building filled
with stalls and shops of all kinds, and it
is there that the common people go to
buy and to 'sell. The markets are much
like the bazaars of the orient.' or those
which were so common all over Europe
at the time of the middle ages. The In
dividual store Is an evidence of clvlllia
tion and progress. The business of all
savage and semi-civlllaed people is done
in stalls at one common center,.' and in
the evolution of trade It seems that we
are coming back to the same conditions.
The modern market is known as the department-store,
and individual merchants
and clerks work for the owner.
The market at San Jose covers a full
city block. It is surrounded by rows of
wide stores forming the outer wall, with
other rows of stores or shops running
along narrow aisles through the court
within from one side to the other. The
outer wall of stores Is about thirty feet
deep, and those within are much smaller.
They sell everything under the sun. One
secton Is devoted to shoe shops, another
wares, Including the saddle bags which
every Oosta Rlcan peasant carries when
to tailor shops and a third to leather
he rides to and from home.
Standing at one end of the market and
looking down these covered streets you
see that the walls are hung with goods
of, all kinds. , The merchant tailors have
their coats and trousers right out on the
aisles and the men come and are fitted
in the sight of tfie passersby. In soma
places the tailors have their' sewing ma
chines on the street, and all sorts of work
are to be seen going on. : '
Here is a locksmith. Next door is a girl
selling pottery and further on Is a sec
tion where the men are dealing in nothlns
but Bugar. The sugar Is put up In loaves
about the size of an Edam cheese and
wrapped around with palm leaves and tied
with a palm 'string in the center. It is
made from cane lij course, brows loavc
and It looks not unlike dirty maple sugar
Further on are the grain merchants, and
In another street are -women selling
dresses, lace and notions' of one kind or
other.
Among- the Costa Rlcans.
But let us stop a moment and look at
the throng which is buying and selllnc.
We have here all classes of Costa Rioana.
There are the residents of the capital and
also the small fanners who have come in
from the country. The most of the crowd
is composed of common people, the rloij
doing most of their buying in the stores,
or sending only their servants to market.
As we shall see later this little republic
has its well marked social classes, soraj
of which are quite as aristocratic as our
four hundred at home.
How well dressed the people are! Every
one seems to wear taJrly good clothes.
The merchants are natty in comparison
with the Panamanians and even, the peas-t
ants are clean.
Hero como two policemen. They have
uniforms of light b!ueK with blue caps.
Each carries an ebony club, and I can
see their revolvers showing out at the
hips. They are nice little fellows and
far. more polite thm the mongrel offW
cials of the Panama republic. I stand
two up at a comer and photograph them.
They smile and are seemingly delighted
to have their faces go to America, Here
come some boys selling lottery tickets.
This Is one of the chief businesses of
Central America, and it gives ocoupa
tVn to scores of men, women and chil
dren. " . . :' f
' Bareheaded Women.
But look at the bareheaded women.
Not one of all those about us has a hat
on. The girls part their hair In the
middle and wear It In long braids down
their backs. It is as black as the wings
of the vultures outside the market and
in most caseB it hangs to the waist or
below.
Nearly every girl has on a silk shawl
over her dress. This is part of the. nai
tlonal costume and these shawls, like
the obi or wide silk , belt worn by the
Japanese women, are often the most ex
pensive part of the costume. The
shawls are of silk with a fringe of lace
a foot long, and are covered with as
much embroidery as the purse of the
owner can stand. The older women wear
black, but the girls and young women
have shawls of the most delicate rose
pink or sky blue, of sea green and pale
yellows and rich reds. A girl may be in
bare feet and bare head and her shirt
waist and skirt such as you could buy
for $2.98 in the states, but, nevertheless,
this shawl which covers her shoulders
would have cost ten times as much.
These shawls are gracefully draped about
the person. They are so folded that a long
letter V hangs down to the knees at
the back and -so that they cover the
shoulders and come down at 'the front
at the sides of the breasts, leaving the
arms bare to the elbow. The girls wear
elbow sleeves and the shawls set off
their finely formed arms and hands.
" How the Glrle Look.
ut stop a moment. Here come a half
dozen yeung women who are evidently of
the better class families. They are typi
cal of these Costa Rlcan women, who
have such a reputation for beauty. They
are from 16 to 20 years old and are at
their best. , They are straight and well
formed and walk like queens. Each is
bareheaded and her black hair, just a
trifle curly and wavy, hangs down in
long braids. It Is bound at the back of
the ears with butterfly bows of the same
color as the silk shawl she is wearing.
What beautiful eyes,! They are large,
dark brown and liquid with long lashes
and well marked dark eyebrows. The
features are regular, the foreheads rather
low and the cheek bones perhaps a
trifle too high. The lips are red, ripe and
luscious, and the teeth which show as
the young ladies giggle, are white a
slaked lime. The complexion is of light
olive with Juist a tinge of red at the
cheeks. These girls wear no paint or
powder, although some others in the mar
ket show- signs of the puff box. Now look
at the shawls. One is of salmon, another
Is pink, and a third is bright red, and
In each case the skirt and shirt waist
match. . . '
How refreshing it Is to see girls without
hats. When I left home, the street head
gear of our women was' more fantastic
than any I have ever seen on the stage.
I am told It Is even so here with the
young ladles who belong to the rich Up.
per crust, But I can tell you a good
looking maiden looks far better With no
hat at all, and besides It costs less.
Now examine the dress of the men.
Those of the better classes wear the
same costumes that we do at home. The
climate here Is perpetual spring, and the
white ducks and linens of Panama are
too cool for comfort. It is only the
peasants and farmers who dress largely
in cottons. They have on short Jackets
like roundabouts which reach a little be
low the waist, and their trousers fit al
most tight around their thin shanks.
Nearly every man hus a pair of saddle
bags on his shoulders or back. These
are made of leather beautifully embroid
ered,. each bag holding about half a peck
But few of the men are fat, and many
look not overfed. One striking feature
to me is the lack of , the razor. The
masses do not shave, and the most of
the faces are covered with a thin, curly,
straggling beard which looks as though
Its owner had never known the scrape of
the rator. Outside this the men are rather
good looking. They are white, with but
little admixture of negro or Indian blood.
Down on the coast the bulk of the popu
lation Is composed of blacks from Ja
maica, but here on the highlands the peo
ple are the descendants of some of the
best of the Spaniards. They come from
the Galllolan and the Basque provinces.
from the northern part of the Spanish
peninsula and the frontiers of , France.
They are superior to the natives of other
Central American republics and are noted
as lovers of freedom and peace.
The Oxcard of San Jose.
But lot us go out of the market and
take a look at the traffic. It ts composed
of foot passengers, milkmen upon horse
back and scores of ox carts. The ox
cars are the drays of the cities and the
farm wagons ; throughout the country.
They are about the only means of trans
portation, and with the exception of that
of tho railroad all the fi eight Is carried
by them. The ' carts are of the rudest
description. They have beds which, heaped
up, might hold ten or twelve bushels, and
these rest on a clumsy axle which has
two wheels about as large ae the wheel of
a bicycle. The wheels are made of one
solid block of wood, and are bound on
Iron tires as thick as the lead pencil with
which I am writing. The tongue of the
cart is almost as large around as a tele
graph pole, it is bound to the axle at one
end, and at the other is the ox yoke,
which must weight twenty pounds. This
yoke Is a bar of wood which rests on the
necks of the oxen just back of the horns.
It is fastened by wide straps to the horns,
and the beasts push and pull by the
horns. The yoke Is so bound that that
the oxen cannot move their heads from
side to side, and they are held like a
vise. ' . .
These carts are said to be the only
vehicles that can make their way over
the country. During the rainy season the
mud comes up' to sxle. and spoke wheels
will not 'cut through as wll aa t!use
solid disks.
Just now the season Is dry and the
carts make a hideous n:lw as they go
through the tria. They awake me at
& o'clock every morning, and at midday
I have to shut both windows and doors
to hoar myself think. Such a .-art will
carry a ton whon the material Is heavy.
The driver walks In front with a goad
ending In a point of steel a foot long.
With this he directs the oxen, glxlng the
great blasts a Jab when they do not obey.
The I .a ml of the Hookworm.
There Is One thing that strikes mo as
I travel among these Costa Rlcans, and
that Is the weak, anemic and unnour
Ished condition of the people. They arc
sawed-off race. In this I speak of the
peasant cl esses, and mere especially of
those of the plattau. The men I venture
will not average five feet four inches in
height. I nm about five feet eight, and
nearly every man 1 meet Is a head
shorter than I. The boys of 11 and" 12
years are not bigger than 8-year-old
boys In the sutee, and they look as
though a good sgueeae wpuld crush them
to bits. The peasants are said to be
lasy, but I doubt whether their lack 'of
energy does not come from disease. I
am told that the people are largely af
flicted with worms, and tha they have
many Intestinal diseases.
Indeed, the hookworm Is common, and
the government Is doing air it can to
eradicate It. It hue taken advantage of
the discoveries which we made In Porto
Rico and In our southern states, and
any one can have medicine for the' ask
ing. Uncle Bam has cured hundreds of
thousands of our citizens of Porto Rico
of this plague and it hns made good
workmen of them. There Is no doubt
the same can be done here. One trouble
Is the bad sanitary conditions. There Is
no such thing as a sewer anywhere,' out
side a few cities, nd as most of the peo
ple go barefooted the parasites get In
through the feet, and In time practically
the whole nation, except the few rich
and well to do, have been thus Infected.
The ravages ot the hookworm are not
confined to the plateau. It exists In the
lowlands, as well, and is prevalent also
among the Jamaica negroes who work
the banana plantations. It Is so common
among the white natives that it will be
rome time bifors It can be eradicated,
but If so. the native may return to the
strength of his ancestors, and be like the
husky, hardy Basques of north Ppaln.
Such a people" could make Costa Rlcu
bloom like the rote,
FRANK O. CARPENTER.
Pure Sugar Stick Candy
f " Made by
Can sr for Consternation.
The Inexperienced - district sohool
teacher had exhausted all other es
pedlents for the maintenance of dis
cipline. Going out Into the sohool yard
she broke off a good-slsed switch that
was growing there and administered
primitive punishment to Jimmy Kelly.
There were strange expressions of hor
rified amazement on the faces of the
children, and when school was dismissed
at noon they gathered In excited groups
and talked In whispers. Finally the
teacher's curiosity could stand It no
longer. Calling Henry Thomas to her
she demanded the cause of the discus
sions, "Why why why, teacher," he stam
mered, "that that switch you lloked
Jimmy w th that was the tree we set
out last Arbor day." Harper's Magazine.
TriTLE children re
quire the energy
that sugar gives
they need a little candy
just the same as they do
milk. Impure or rich candy
is harmful, but a little pure
stick candy occasionally gives
strength and robustness to grow
ing children. For the child's sake,
try $ package of Woodward '$. lt'
So Pure You Can
Feed it to Babies
Woodteord't Par Sugar Stick is not like
other candies. It contains no glueo$ no
adulteration, no poitonoui coloring; made
Of fintst grodo Confectionir't "A" sugar
with harmless colorings and delicious flavors.
Made under most sanitary conditions, each
stick cartfuily wrapptd in parafflne paper,
then packed in imM carton a red and
white striped package in Imitation of a giant
peppermint stick. It's never exposed to dust,
flies, germs or human hands. It's pure and
wholesome as childhood. Each package con
tains an o$ortmoni of 7aixr peppermint,
cinnamon, etc
Children hlce it eo do grown-upel
There's a pock at J0e-a aacfetr ie at
J5tan a miy otkm$ of l.tlbiTW
sticks) at f 0e.
Ask your grocer or confectioner the name
Wamdwmrd'i on evety stick sad package.
w -
1 Madeby sticks) at 0o. I
'' .
f
The Classified
Eajcs of The Bee
are scanned dally by thou
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mssxssssssssssasms
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