THE OMAHA SUNDAY REE: (X7TOBER; 20. 1012.
Co&a Rica Land of Strange Contradictions
(Copy Wright E. by Frank G. Carpenter.)
IAN JOSE. Costa Ulea Let me
give you some pictures of th.
little land of strange contradic
tions. Tbey are merely Im
pressions, which I see in pass
ing. Kvery one tells me Costa
Rica Is the best of the Central American
republics and I find In it rauca t admire
The people are kindly. The upper lasses
are well educated, and vn the peasants
liave that , manly independence which
comes from their belli land owners
Ninety' per cent ot the whole are of the
white race and. aithoaji the descendants
of Spaniards, ot a part of that re-e et
filled with rerorutloaexy tooU
Honduras. Nlcaracxca arid Guatemala
cbanje their prsidats at every outburst
oi passion, ' and the bullet defeats the
choice of the ballot. Ooata Rioa elects
its piesident for a tern of only fowf yeaw
and for the last renretlons fu every
ruler has been the oholee of th people
Th. onnntrw la on of reformers, us
rulers have advocated sanitation, educe
tan and modern Improvements. The
people are now annually spending a dollar
a head on their schools, and they have
fres lands which are open to settlement to
those who will farm them.
Costa Rtoa has rich so'.!. It raises some
of the best coffee on earthi and U a laud
of mighty banana plantation. It sup
plies more bananas to our country than
anv other part of the worhJ. It has
fair fore'gn trade, and that iti people
are good spenders la shown by the f
that they buy more than they sell. Their
imports last year were over 18,000,000, and
of these about W-.00O.0QQ came from our
country.
Costa Htost'a I'lue Theater.
Thta A M dd f picture. Tne
other Is that the nation Is widely ex
travagant. The people are full of emo
tion and want to do things In the large.
There are three notabie Instances of
this in the three finest institutions of
the capital. One of thoso la the National
theater, another la the Insane asylum,
and a third a great prison whioh lies
Just outside the, oity, Costa Rica con
tains Altogether about as many people
aa our national capital, and San 'Jose
has perhaps 80,000 all tola. Nevertheless,
the theater here cost over i,Ow,00O. Its
decorations are finer than those of any
amusement place In New York, and It
ranks third among the theaters of our
half of the world.
The National theater 18 directly opposite
some low, one-story government build
ings, which are roofed with red tile, 'i he
great struoture dwarfs its surroundings
and makes them look mean. It Is entered
by a wide hall upheld by pUlari of
marble with capitals and bases of bronie.
The oelUng of this hall Is covered with
freaooes from Italy and the walls are
of Italian marble. Statues made by great
.rtiti funn vou as you enter; and at
your, right and left are restaurants
where loss and drinks are served between
acts. '
Paaslng through this, lobby, wide,
marble stains lead to the foyer or great
salon, where the spectators walk about
during the longer intervals of the play.
This is beyond description gorgeous. In
deed, I doubt whether you will find any
thing finer In Europe. The work was all
done in Italy and shipped here to be put
up by Italians. The most beautiful
marbles were employed in the decoration,
and the walls and ceilings are covered
with pictures which were painted by
Italian artists in Italy, and then taoked
into plaoe. The marble columns which up
hold the roof are carved with masks
of tragedy and comedy and with other
appropriate figures, and the frescoes are
either allegorical or expressive of the
beauties of Costa Rica. The furniture Is
equally magnificent It is gold plated,
upholstered with silk tapestry and Upon
the walla are mirrors each as big as the
floor of the ordinary parlor, surrounded
by gold frames made in Florence.
This parlor is almost as long M the
east room of the White House. It is 100
feet wide and has a celling about thirty
feet high. It is lighted by electric' eh&B'
deliers, designed for the occasion, and
the execution of all is such that It makes
one think of that famous room of the
sultan at Agra, of which It was saldl
sts artisans, worked like Titans, and
finished like Jewelers'
The orchestra of the theater is entered
from the ground floor, and from this
parlor there is a lobby .wnlch leads tb
the boxes. There are three galleries of
boxes all finished In red plush and there
is a speolal box for ths president. The
orchestra chairs are of dark brown leather
and they are wide and comfortable. They
are soN made that they oan be removed
and the floor can be raised and made
level with the stage, turning the whale
into & magnificent- hall for danees and
fiestas. The stage Is immense and its
scenery, made for this city of 39,099 peo
ple, Js of great variety and In excellent
taste.' It was in this theater foyer that
Secretary Knox was given a great din
ner and this was followed by danee in.
the orchestra.
Taxing a Nation for the Fur,
It was Nero who set Home afire that
he might see a big conflagration, and, as
n c "888
"'q thc ofwM
t h mm I" & t
witpriiirffirwri gut KXJBmmmmmmMmmwmiMmmmmmmmmammmmmmmmmmmmmmi i imsbmbbmbsmb
A Family o filch Cbsa 2frcuzs
and is kept up by a government subsidy.
All the money has come from a tux,
which, until this spring, has been IV,
cents Costa Rican per kilogram upon all
goods Imported. It has amounted, in
round numbers, to about 25 cents of our
money on every 1(10 pounds of goods which
have been consumed by the people, and
the tax has included such things as sugar,
salt, grain, flour, and. In short, every
thing that came into Costa Rica. Being
an indirect tax, every one has hod to pay
it, and this is so of the barefooted peas
ant and the leather-shod rich, wherever
they live.
Why the Insane Asylum.
In, my talk with the .president of the
republic I referred to this beautiful thea
ter and also to the insane asylum.
He replied: "They are both grand, but
it seems to me that the remark of an
American tourist who came here this year
jvaa not far out of the way. The man
said: 'After seeing your theater I can
easily see why Costa Rica needs an In
sane asylum. It should be to contain the
men who persuaded the people to build
the theater.' "
As to the insane asylum, it looks lite
the palace of some tropical prince. It
is magnificent and is well equipped with
all the modern appliances for the treat
ment of the mentally weak. It is well
managed and is said to be one of the best
of its kind on the continent.
Another Institution of which the coun
try is proud Is the national museum. This
contains a good representation of the
natural history and archeology of Costa pother and at the girls with syringes filled
Rica and of its resources, and some of
its industrial features as well. It has a
collection of axes and hatchets made out
of the hardest of flint and of rude stone
knives which are polished like mirrors.
These show something of the stone age
down here in Central America.
And then the animals and birds. There
are monkeys ranging in size from rats
almost to gorillas. There are armadillos,
with coats of mail and iguanas, a sort of
lizard, as big as a cat. This anmal has
a skin like a snake and fins like a fish,
the latter running along its back from
the head to the tail. There are also
stuffed tapirs as big as good-sized ponies,
which have bodies and snouts much like
a hog, but with ears and hoofs like a
horse. There are sloths, deer, leopardte,
and cougars and hundreds of varieties of
brids. There is no end of the objects
which represent the civilization which
was here at the time Columbus discov
ered America, and the collection of pot
tery probably antedates that period by
some hundreds of years. This museum
shows the wide interest of the Costa RI-
cane in history and science, and it !s
another example of the contradictions
everywhere to be seen. It shows that
the antlon If it were really rich would
spend a large part of its means upon
culture. But, alas, it is poor.
A Big: Debt and High Taxes.
The national debt is a little over J13,
000,000. This is according to a recent re
funding agreement which makes the ob
ligations pay 4 or 5 per cent interest, but
which as the bonds were sold at much
below par makes the actual Interest rate
considerably greater. This debt would
not be large for a big country. Indeed,
little Sweden owes more than ten times
as much. But it is enormous for Costa
Rica, the bulk of whose population is
miserably poor, and the country has no
public improvements to speak of to show
for it.
As it is now the taxes are out of all
reason; and, as they are mostly Indirect,
the burden falls upon the poor. There are
the story goes, he fiddled during the no land taxes whatever, nor any taxes
burning. It was for the lew rich ana j on incomes, but everything else pays. The
well-to-do of this town of San Jose that . prices are high and anything that costs
Costa Rica was loaded with a theatrical , io cents in the states is sure to cost 20
or 30 cents here. Sugar is now selling at
about 10 cents a pound and salt at 5 or t
cents. ' I have, some figures from our
American consul of the cost of 100 pounds
of. salt landed o.- I. f., that Is, with cost,
insurance and freight paid at Port Llmon.
It is just 66 cents. By the time that sale
has passed through the custom house and
paid the wharf dues and freight on the
railroad to San Jose, the cost of the
whole is $2.56, and when the wholesaler
-then adds his profit ' the cost to the re
tailer is $3.23. So you see what the con
sumer must pay. Tbe railroad freight
alone over 100 miles of track is equal to
the original cost of the salt; and the man
who uses it to flavor his food pays about
ten times tbe original cost in the harbor
of Port Llmon.
This gives you some idea of what things
cost In this part of the world and why
there are all sorts of taxes on trade.
Everything is licensed and all that comes
In is charged for. I had to pay 2 cents
a pound on my baggage to bring It into
the ' country, and I am told that I shall
have to pay $2.50 to get a permit to leave. '
The interest charged on the foreign
debt is something like $700,000 per an- ,
num. That is equal to atax of some- !
thing like $10 per family. Enough flour
to make one of our 4-cent loaves of bread ;
pays 4 cents in duty, and other things j
are proportionately high. . ' !
A Land of 'rrtaraae.
1 am told that the Costa Ricans are In j
mortgage their crops at 1 per cent
month and upward In order that their
wives and daughters may make a show
during the social season. .1 do not know
that they are any worse than our citi
zens who are now borrowing money on
their homes in order that their families
may have joy rides In automobiles. But
still it is bad enough! Take, for in
stance, the fiesta, which occurred at the
close of last year. One of the American
women of San Joe tells me that she
knows a milliner who sold 200 hats for
that occasion at a cost of $70 apiece
Many of them were bought on Install
ments and will be worn out before they
are paid for. Tou will be the more sur
prisef when I describe some features ot
the festivities for which these hats were
worn. One of the foreigners has told
me about them, said:
"The fiesta was held in the Central
park, which is ' used for band concerts
This had been fenced off so that the com
mon people stood on the outside, with a
lot of young men and girls, some of
whom were no better than they should
be, sitting between them and the more
fashionable crowd within. These young
men and girls sat on the' rails of the
benches with their feet on the seats. They
were all dressed in their best, as were
also the high class Costa Ricans walking
Inside.
Then, when the band played, the men
and boys of the city walked around
throwing confetti and squirting at each
debt, and they amused themaelvei, hen
while the people tolled to pay the bills.
Not more than one-tenth of the popula
tion live in the capital, and of thB few
not more than one-tenth can afford to
go to the theater. There are no railroad
facilities which make it possible to run
in and out to attend showa, and the oot
of bringing troupes here from Europe ts
uch- that comparatively few can be had.
Nevertheless, the.- theater was paid fot
. Sanatorium
Tbls Institution It the only one
in the central west with separate
buildings situated In their - own
ample grounds, jet entirely
distinct and' rendering it possible
to classify cases. The one building
being fitted for and devoted to the
treatment of noncontagious 'and
uonmental diseases, no others be
ing admitted. The ' other Rest
Cottage being designed for and
devoted to the exclusive treatment
of select mental cases, requiring
for a time watchful care and spe
cial nursing.
with water. The greatest of license pre
vailed, and they were no inspectors of
persons. In the past, the perfumery bot
tle with the ordinary bulb has been used,
but last January the boys bought all the
syringes and water bags that the drug
stores had on hand and, putting these
under their coats, they squirted alike on
lady and peasant Some of the young
men, not satisfied with water, filled their
receptacles with a sticky red mixture
called kola Juice and squirted this on
friend and Btranger alike. At the same
time confetti was brougty in by the bag
ful and thrown everywhere. The mix
ture made a nasty mess, and it destroyed
many beautiful hats and gowns. Never
theless, the people seemed to think it
was fun.
Dinners at Plfty Dollars a Plate.
The Costa Ricans are proud and their
pride runs in .advance of their pockets.
Take, for instance, their entertainment of
a delegation from Salvador which was
here not long 'ago. The delegates had
Just come to say good-day, aa it were,
and had they gone to Washington on a
similar errand they would probably have
been received by President Taft and that
would have sufficed. Here they were
made the guests of the nation and $35,000
was spent in tnelr entertainment. One
dinner was given them In the foyer of
the National theater which cost $50 a
plate, and at this, after the guests were
filled with champagne, a burgundy which
cost $5 a bottle was brought In and
served In goblets which held almost a
pint. At the .same time the cigars ran
short and the man who managed the din
ner explained that he did not expect
mor than three-fourths of the diners
would smoke, and as only 100 gat down
at the tables he had thought seven-five
cigars quite enough. Among the other
extravagant ' entertainments recently
given were those In honor of Secretary
Knox. He had a ball and a dinner In
this same theater.
pect to find poor people; and Costa Rica
has them and to spare. I do not know the
aerage wealth of the peopl. but It must
be small, although the best classes seem
to liave plenty. I know that San Jvse
has numerous beggars. ' They roost on
the steps of the cathedral, they hang
about the market, and you find one or
more of them on every block in the busi
ness parts of the city.,
Going to the bank this morning to get
some money on my letter of credit I was
surprised to see a half bushel of match
boxes, of the' little safety variety, lying,
next the cashier, uu the counter inside
the window. As I waited, an old man
hobbled in and held out his hand. The
cashier gave him three match boxes
whereupon he bowed low and went away.
A moment later a beggar woman with a
child in her arms trotted In and reached
out for some matches. She was handed
three boxes. Then came another lame
man and then a woman beggar with a
cigar In her mouth. Bach took out three
boxes of matches, and the procession con'
tlnued until fully a dozen poorly clad oi
these lame, halt and blind had been sup
plied, I asked the cashier what this all
meant He repr.led:
'Tuesday Is beggars' day. It is the one
day during the week when the beggars
have the right to march from bank to
bank and business house to business house
and ask alms. Every establishment pre
pares for them, and the custom is to give
from 1 to 5 cents. Just now there Is a
scarcity of nickels, however, and we give
out boxes of matches Instead. They can
peddle' these for about 2 cents apiece and
thus get the money to satisfy, their
wants."
This custom seemed Interesting to me,
and, upon leaving the bank, I went around
to other business establishments to see
what was doing. In one store the mer
chant was giving each beggar three cigar
ettes. In another they were supplied with
candle or so, and a third and more
thrifty man, a green grocer, was furnish
ing apples, all of which were decayed. I
saw one beggar who had received three ot
these rotten apples break them to pieces
as soon as he came out on the street and
throw them away, cursing the giver.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.
Asked for n Band.
President Taft was waked up about 6
o'clock in the mornlnsr by the ringing of
the telephone bell at his home at farra-
matte, Mass. Mr. Taft seldom answers
the telw.ione. The ringing continued, j
howevir, and there were no servants to
answer the call. I
Thn nresldent went downstairs in nis
pajamas and answered tne puone.
Hollo, Is tnis rarramaue; a voice
said over the wire.
It Is: what do you want? ' in presi
dent replied.
We II. 1 want to taw to me presiuom,
the voice again said.
"What do you want io iam w mm
about?" the president asked, without re
vealing his Identity.
"Weil, we held a meeting last night
and decided to form a little Red Riding
Hood Marching club to promote your can
didacy; it s all arrangea except mat we
are having trouble about getting a band
for our parades," the voice at the ether
end of the wire continued, "and we
thought you might help us."
The president has not finished laugh
ing about it yet. He will not disclose the
identity of his caller. New York Sun.
What dissociates a "HIGH-ART" Suit or Overcoat
from the clothes of commerce and commonness?
Refinements of style and Mements of finish which im
pregnate these garments with intense individuality.
There's no suit like a "HIGH-ART", except another
"HIGH-ART". They are the first word in quality and
the last word in fashion. For sale by clothiers who
are usually the biggest and always the best in: their
towns'. . '
;. : ' ' ' , '-'-"
To learn where they're told, and why they are Bold there, tee "High Art In
The World's Famom Monuments," graphically illustrated in colors. Free
for a postcard. Simply address ' I
Strouse & Brothers
rs of "High-Art" Clothes
Baltimore, Md; ;
Hick Art Suits , .
Hick Art Overeeats
Hifh Art Raincaata ,
, High Art Dru Salts
. aad Tuxedo -
' liM-nliiaairiiiTfgay; - - fj) 1V
p
alace Clothing Company'
Corner 14th 8c Douglass Sts.
mnaveiiQJireLWJiioii iMtwmm
'Beauty is Always Within Reach," Says Ualeska Suratt, tht i Famous Self -Mad Beauty
Actress. , ''But Many Women in Seeking It, Brloe It Away" vvWV i
VALESKA
SURATT?
Tuesday In IlrgKara' Day. '
In a country like this you would ex-
What He Voted For.
A colored damsel was watching the
progress of an election from a convenient
fence corner.
"What they votin' fur. Miss Mattle?"
"For president." replied the mistress;
"at least, for the men who will elect
him."
But what they votln' for?"
"Oli. you mean who? Mr. Wilson Is
running against Mr. Taft. Now, if you're
a republican"
"That ain't it. neither. 'Pears like white
1 folks gits things awful mixed. I mean
jest whut they votln' fur? Last' 'lection
pappy he voted fur a barrel of flour."
Judge.
Are the Fly and Moquito Dangerous?,
Tbe ly, with sponcy feet, collects the invisible erma of diseanei. nA.'
hem over our food and poisons ut with typhoid and cholera. The mosquito with
its bite injeoU into our veins malaria and yellow fever. Tbe bacteria of oontump.
tien, or trip, are everywhere present for us to breathe into our lungs. The blood
which lows through our veins and arteries Is our protection. It should contain
healthy red and white blood corpuscles capable of warding off these disease
i erms. Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery it a blood medicine and alterative
made entirely without alcohol, a pure glyceric extract of bloodroot, golden seal,
Oregon grape root, queen's root, mandrake end stone root, which has enjoyed a
good reputation lor over forty years. I be refreshing in
fluence of this extract is like Nature's influence the blood
is bathed in the tonic which gives life te the Wood the
vital firei of the body burn brighter and their increased
activity consumes the tissue rubbish which has accumulated
during the winter. ,
" About forty years a whOa in Newark. New Jener, I had dune
and favar," wrltaa Ma. Michabl MAOuma. of National Military Home.
Kana. I went to Kansas City and In theiprint-of 1S77 ma ebula and
fever returned. Doctors and starthin I triad failed to da ne fowl.
Fiailly I aaw Dr. Piano's Golden Medical Diaeoverr advertlMd. fteok
bottle of It and the chilli vaniahed. In about a year afterward
I felt them eomine- back so I rot another bottle and have navft had
ur iroipi jM ox raver or aa-ue tm,
i
muddy spots. Buttermilk, lemon Juice and , ula which has the peculiar 'properties
all the rent are to be forgotten. ' On your of producing a splendid development, and
dressing table, one of the most lmuortant "which la. of course.'- absolutely safe.
agencies to beauty, should he a container T , . , - . . j,".. ', f
of the following cream, which acts as a n '"J." LnhSe' .di5
stts! purl as the'.Uy" ana' pinkT w'lX '
as the delicate tint of . a rosf. This is la, "IfSff 0LTia!T' a?r?our
the ruetone for a dollar. . You should
-
Am
not a dream; It will be a living reality
if you make up your mind to use It.. To
a half-pint of water add two tablespoon
f uls of glycerine. Keep stirring,' while
adding , one ounce of ttr.tone, until It Is
all dissolved. Then let it cool. ' If the
cream is too thick to pour easily from i
bottle, thin It down a little with more
hot water. The cream will be white and
satiny. For cleansing,' in place, of soap
(which should be rarely used), apply it
on the face, neck, chest, arms and hands,
massaging a, trifle while you apply It-
Then rub orr with a soft, dry cloth.
plainly notice results In a short time. Use
it raitnruuy ana you will be successful.
RUTH. No, peroxide is of no value In
clearing the skin. Consequently,. peroxide
creams ore of very little value, if any.
Use the formula first given In this article.
1 m'A
For skin beautifying;, use this same aaaur.div .tnnn h .i,: ., wT "T.
cream aftercleans ng the face by hold- to grow most luxuriantly. Dandruff will
Ing a wet, hot t-jwel to , it several also disappear If you will mix half a pint
times for severe m mites. , Rub this of water, with half a pint of alooho and
cream on the skin liberally. ; Ut the add one ounce of beta-quinol. ahe thor-
cream dry on the face. Repeat this oughly. And It will then be readTto use
frlV ,nlht- V Bt?d If sou prefer you can use imported ay
let y6u have xlntone for about-fifty rum instead of the water and alcohol
cents. Thus you cleanse and beautify . ,nstefta 01 tne watw and eJoonoI...
at the same time. There is no: doubt The beta-qulnol you can get at almost
about the result. : -l Bny drug store for not more than fifty
. , j i.i . si: s2. ' ,v cents. Thin fnrmitla mal,., rr nu,
J j, ..... .... ........ ....... v. .j ... . .j am,. jk
Many women steam the face In order tn best hair grower I know of. '
to get rid of blackheads and eruptions. This formula should ba applied very
Instead of the "face steaming," If thfey freely after brushing the scalp gener-
wlll use the following formula for ouBly for a few minutes all over. Rub
blaokheads they will not only get rfcl of the tonic thoroughly into the scalpwlth
them a, but prevent their recurrence, the finger tips. Advertisement
rilOL wu mo LMUC Willi- ' $ . .
I
. ILaUounui Esq.
debt up to their eyes. There are many
individual mortgages. The people' are
sanguine, and the better classes will
By Valeska Suratt
N this impatient age, we have grown
into the habit of wanting things
"quick." And as a rule, urxed on bv
, .' . tion. however, which should not b an
Dr. Pltret' Peaeevf Pelltto are tor tlrer 111: I exception at all, and that is beauty.
' In seeking It, thousands oi women drive
it away. They hear of various methods
of aohlevlng beauty, and adopt and fol
low this religiously, however antagonistic
they may be to common-sense. Steam
ing the face, for Instance, la one ot the
many customs which have been erron
eously practiced. Constant "steaming"
can have but one result large pores and
coarseness of the skin. There are cases
' when "steaming" la beneficial, but these
have little. If any, reference to beauty
making. ,
t $
Tou have other means, remarkably
simple and direct, of cleansing the pores.
bringing the "ruby" to the cheek and rld
jdlfig the skin completely of sallow and
DKS. IIACH & MACH
THE DENTISTS
Successors to Bailey ft Hack
The largest and best equipped dental
office in Omaha. Experts In charge of
all work, moderate prices. Porcelain
fillings 'ust like the tooth. All instru
ments sterilised after using.
Id JToor rutoa Blott, Omaha, tb.
hot water and soap. ; Then .
sprinkle some neroxln gen
erously upon a sponge made '
wet with hot water.' Then
rub well for a few minutes
on tbe parts of the skin '
which are affected with
blackheads. This done,
bathe the face with warm
water, and dry. Then ap
ply some of the xlntone lo
tion, the formula for which
I have already given. You
should be ' able to secure
neroxin at any druggist
for glgty cents. v
A formula for getting rid of
skin eruptions which I have
found almost infallible, Is the
following.
Dissolve twelve ounces of
granulated sugar In one-halt
pint of water, and add one
ounce of sarsene and mix the
whole together thorougly, ad
ding more water to make a
pint. Sarsene Is a liquid which
you can get at the drug store
by ths ounce. Oet it In the or
iginal package. It makes a
blood remedy which has an
exceedingly wonderful purify-
7T
r
It !'---& )
til -y
it
i.
,
V4'f
.
Ing effect in a very short time,
Take one or two tea spoonfuls
of this mixture three or four
times a day, with a little water "itt tjw.
If desired. It Is absolutely safe. Zn. u
S 8 : d- .1.. sl!
CLARA S You cannot de- a M Babra
velop the bust by massage U a Short Time."
alone I will give you a form- : . " """
