Little Journey to Puerto Rico Part 5

This unfavorable state of things is soon to disappear. The United States is now rapidly introducing schools and capable teachers into every part of the island. The people seem very glad to take advantage of the better order of things.

RELIGION.

The established church of the country is the Roman Catholic; but other religions are tolerated, and a few Protestant churches are to be found scattered over the island.

The people seem to be little interested in religion or in their churches, and Sunday with them is only a fete day or a holiday.

HOW THE PEOPLE AMUSE THEMSELVES.

The people of Puerto Rico have two hundred holidays or feast days in their calendar. They are always ready to welcome new ones, however, and have within the past year added Washington's birthday and the Fourth of July to the list.

Last year they celebrated the Fourth for the first time. In all the cities there were speeches in the daytime and fireworks at night. In the country there were races and processions in honor of the new "feast day," or holiday.

The people show their patriotism and loyalty to the flag of the United States in many ways. They are eager and quick to adopt American manners and customs.

Just before sunset, the band comes into the Plaza at Ponce and plays the "Star Spangled Banner" in front of headquarters as the American flag is drawn down for the night.

The Puerto Ricans noticed that the American men took off their hats and stood with uncovered heads while the flag made its descent; and now they, too, show their loyalty by doffing their hats when the flag comes down.

The people of Puerto Rico are extremely fond of music. Strolling bands of guitar and mandolin players are numerous; and at evening time the air is filled with music.

Each peasant makes his own guitar. It is a very curious instrument. This guitar music is usually accompanied by music from another instrument called a guida. This is made from the great curve-necked gourd. The music or sound is made by pa.s.sing a piece of umbrella wire up and down a series of notches cut from end to end on the outside curve of the gourd.

The sound produced is much like that made by rubbing together two pieces of sandpaper. We would not call it music at all, but the natives seem to like it. No orchestra is complete without it, and one can hear the scratching of this instrument almost any time, at any home in Puerto Rico.

Sunday is a day not of rest, but of merry making. During the early morning hours the Puerto Ricans go to church. After church, they hurry away to the c.o.c.kpit or to the bull ring in the suburbs of the town.

Very early in the morning we see numbers of roosters staked out by short strings to pegs driven in the sidewalks. These are the game-c.o.c.ks which furnish to the Puerto Rican his favorite amus.e.m.e.nt and opportunity for gambling.

They seem to realize their importance and keep up a great crowing, sending challenges of defiance back and forth to each other. Their owners take good care of them and endeavor to keep them in good condition for fighting.

In the market places we see these fowls in wicker coops. Many venders of food and other articles have game-c.o.c.ks tied by strings to their stools and stations.

When their owners have nothing else to do, they devote themselves to training these birds; or they try to find some one willing to match them in a contest.

The buildings where these fights take place are to be found in every town and village. They are considered next in importance to the cathedral and the town hall, and more important than the schools.

The c.o.c.k fights are usually held on Sundays and holidays, and last the greater part of the day. On the day set for these fights, the birds are taken to the arena, descriptions given and amounts wagered. One fight follows another, and large sums of money are lost and won.

BURDEN BEARING.

If a country is without good roads, it must employ human burden-carriers; and many of these we see in Puerto Rico. Men and women walk long distances through the country bearing heavy burdens upon their heads, shoulders or backs.

The banana and plantain men carry their fruit fastened to poles. They move along quite easily with two hundred pounds or more of fruit. On the street and in the market place we hear the singsong notes of the vegetable man telling us of the excellence of his wares. These he carries on his head on an immense board, sometimes five feet long.

The dulce seller, too, carries his tray of cocoanut dulces, guava jelly and other sweets on his woolly pate; as do also the sellers of fruits, bread, cakes, bottled cocoanut milk and trinkets.

The hat weaver and the broom maker carry their wares on a shoulder pole, with a load fastened to each end so as to balance it.

The milkman carries an open-mouthed ten-gallon milk can on his head.

From this dangle the ladles and measures he uses.

But he does not always deliver milk in this way. Sometimes he rides up in front of the door astride his horse, and shouts "milk" at the top of his voice.

On each side of his horse are fastened milk cans, and from these cans he ladles without dismounting.

Sometimes he drives his cows before him and milks them at his customer's door. This is the favorite method, because the milk is then sure to be sweet.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A PUERTO RICAN HAT WEAVER.]

This is not always the case if the milk is carried some distance in the hot sun, in uncovered tin cans.

The milkman always comes very early in the morning, and so does the baker. If the baker is not on time, we must wait for our breakfast; for bread is not baked in the house. It is always bought.

We can hear him long before he reaches our door, for he keeps up a plaintive cry in order to attract our attention.

Sometimes our human bread wagon carries a great board or basket on his head, and in this are as many as fifty loaves. (See ill.u.s.tration, page 26).

The butcher, on horseback, brings meat hanging from hooks in frames.

Much of the poultry is brought to town in great odd wicker coops strung across the backs of ponies. Here is a poultry vender at the street corner, with his inverted and excited merchandise suspended by strings from his shoulder. (See page 22).

HOW THE PEOPLE TRAVEL.

Puerto Rico is a very delightful place to visit, but we do not care to go there to live until there are better roads.

There is but one good road on the island, the one leading from San Juan to Ponce. There is only one line of street cars (in the city of Mayaguez); and there are only one hundred and forty-seven miles of railroad in the whole island.

The best roads run along the coast from town to town. There is one exception. This is the wonderful military road which connects Ponce, on the south sh.o.r.e, with San Juan on the north sh.o.r.e. (See map, page 4).

Parts of the country away from the coasts are reached by bridle paths; but the roads outside the cities and towns are impa.s.sable during the rainy season. Sometimes there is only a bridle path or trail overgrown with tangled vegetation, and crossed by streams without bridges.

The means of transportation employed by the people are the pony carriage or surrey, the saddle horse, the ox-cart and the foot. The beast of burden is either the donkey or the pony. These animals are employed to carry goods in packs over the trails, in place of using the wagon.

The ponies are usually small, half-starved, badly treated animals. They carry great burdens, that look heavy enough to crush them to the ground.

Their food consists of green corn and gra.s.s. One of the commonest sights on the road, street, or marketplace is the pony with his load of green fodder.

This is usually so large that it covers the animal entirely, but the master is always in plain view, sitting astride the moving corn-stack.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A PUERTO RICAN PONY LOADED.]

The planters and farmers have an odd-looking saddle, which they use on these ponies. It is a leather pad to which are attached wicker baskets.

The well-to-do farmers who own ponies carry fruit and vegetables in these baskets. Sometimes two hogs are brought to market in the baskets, with all four feet tied together.

When the farmer takes his family to market, he and his wife ride the pony, and the children ride in the baskets.

The ponies also carry bales of gra.s.s, trunks, and all kinds of household goods, and furniture.