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Show fiiirpooroF i PORTO RICO j: !; Their LIvei. Though lintel, Are Not ! ' Without n Picturciqtts bide. It has lifts it been snld that "one-halt ot the world dins not know how tho other half lives ' The IMiunl of Porto Itlco Is n small part of whnt has bicu to us the "other half" of the world I sh ill try to tell ion something of lire us It Is lived nnd seen bv the missionaries In the little mountain town of liris rnvs Mrs. I'hnrles II Scott. In Tin Mm Hem Mis-slomirj. Mis-slomirj. . Tin. town It. If Is sltuatol In u vnlliy In the midst nt beautiful hills iter grein with the foliage of the oranni the banana nnd the coltei Nalurall) shut In from the outside world hi the mountains, crossed only on poni bin K ovu the nar-low nar-low mountain paths, the people here continue con-tinue In their mcuidomril wnvs unsffict-ed unsffict-ed by the litntuncrs which have made so mnni eliaiiK. s In the towns and cities ot the const l.lf In such n pIaci Is neoes-sarllv neoes-sarllv simple und the mlssiorniles And it ensj to do without munv of the so-called necessities nf the hnmilind nnd are lom-fortuble lom-fortuble nnd content sleeping on the ennuis enn-uis cov i red cols with dressing tables made from drv goods boxts and dinped with muslin, nnd n curtain across tine comer of the room Instead or n closi t Arter the work or the dav Is over the fninllv lint! ret and mmfoit in the ileus, ant, nlrv living rooms, but for the nil Important ri freshing of the bodv thev are dependent upon the e till es of the rook, so inn, us well ns thev mav lisle some Interest In-terest In our good nut mod I link C.m.Udn who. when she Is not In the kitchen Is holding the Aimr'can bib.v much to the sstlsriction or both The Porto Itlenn stove Is especially In terestlng In share It Is something like n tunic liter's bench, about two rut wide "ve reel long nnd ns blah as an nrdinnrv tnble. The ntilslile rrnme Is or wood nnd when tho kitchen Is being freshlv pulntcd the stove must not be neglected The np nnd Inside nre mnd of bricks nnd cement, so" arranged ns fu leave nn opening open-ing running from end to end below the fireplaces for n drsft Along the tap and nt regulnr Interval, nre four troll flre-Blac's, flre-Blac's, five Inches square nnd four Inches deep, so sel Into the stoic, tltnt the tops nre im a leVcl with the top of the slove A maid who often n gleets one fire would feel overnnidened with the enre or these rour separate fires nt the same time, ns Is necessnry with these stoics The American housewife who prefers to hnve her food baked enn use n gnlnsene oven over one of these fires, and the result l quite sntlsfsclorv Hut even this stole, however crude and Inconienlent, Is seen only In the better homes or Porto rtlro After good-nntured Cnndlda has finished her days work und has found her way down the hill along the steep, narrow path that leads to "Bhack-town." "Bhack-town." where she lives, If she wishes to prepare an evening meal for hungry children chil-dren she will bring out from the corner of the room an empty oil ctn, which has been given her bv the missionary, nnil which has bten fitted up by tho tinsmith with n grate near the top and an opening open-ing below for a draft. The making of the stove has rest her 2n cents, nnd she possesses it better outfit for housekieplng thnn many or her neighbors. The writer had ono or those stoves mnde tar her own use, nnd na It enn be easily carried about. It (a very convenient. Many times has she sat nn n low bench nnd popped corn over the conls In the oil-can si o vis, while one or more wondering natives stood around seeing the operation for the flrBt time, nnd afterward some of them would try to pop their own corn Charcoal In tho fuel used In these stoves, but many of tho poor people nre too poor to buv charronl ond mnko their fire with bits of wood nnd stltks which enn be picked up. Smnll, green bnnnnns are the most common com-mon food of the poor people; conked with a Utile codfish they nre considered n great trent If I wnnt to give especial plcnsure to mv cook, I furnish the bannnas and codtlsh, and she will prepare her favorite dish. To the housekeeper who is providing for tho needs of n large family the dally supply of milk Is Important, and In the homo of the missionaries wo can alvvnvs dipend upon the coming of Mnry. the mllkvvoman. Sho walks barefooted two or three miles, often coming through the mud nnd pouring rnln. If ou go to her homo you will And a house, standing In tho midst of oraugo nnd banann trees nnd tho fragrant coffee. Itself the only thing to mar the beauty or the tropical landscnpe, Inside ou will find her tlirie children, not nn clean ns herself, und In n room still less so. All tho tlmo that tho mother Is gone, vvhlcli Is usually half the dnv, these children are alone, earing for ono nnother, nnd the oldest is only six cars of nge. Father? They have none. I.Ike thnusnnds or children In this beautiful Island, they hnvo no fnther to own them. Although these futlurs sometimes some-times live with their families. It Is with the sanction neithir of priest or magistrate. magis-trate. This condition of morals Is accounted ac-counted for when we nro told that In the past the marriage ceremony was not pel-rormsd pel-rormsd except upon tho raiment of n sum too lnrge for mnny of tho poorest people to save from their small earnings. Hut now, thanks be to tho preaching of tho gospel nnd the work of the mlB-slonnries, mlB-slonnries, tho snered rite Is performed without money and without price. Wo have been culled pioneers In Porto ltlco, and many times what wo do nnd se reminds us of some ot tho stories wo have henrd our grundfntlieis tell of the pioneer dais out West, when many of the needs of the family woro supplied by lit-bor lit-bor within tho household. Muny limes I have dlfllculty In buying cnrnmeul, which Is n favorite nrtlcle of food In tho family. Ono day, after nn unsuccessful senreh for thn meal, Candida helped mo out of my dllllculty by ofTerlng to hnvo tho corn ground for me in her own mill, nnd I Kladlv aeceptid the ofTer, Ciindldn's mill, like those seen throughout tho Interior of the Island, differs little from tho mills used In Hlble times. It consists of two stones, resembling grindstones, ench a foot or more In diameter and from three to five Inches In thickness, the "upper nnd nether millstones" of the Scriptures. Thu lower stone, which rests on the floor, hns fts upper surraco slightly hollowed, nnd Into this concavity fits tho convexity or tho uppir stono. Through tho center or the upper stono Is a holo. through which the corn pusses down to tho grinding grind-ing surraco between tho stones. Near the outer rim U another holo ror the end of tho handle n pole, seven or eight feet long, with its upper end slipped Into n loop fastened to n henm nbovo, Occn-slonally Occn-slonally this polo is replaced by n short handlo only six or eight Irehea long, ns In the mill used two or threo thousand yenrs ngo The women or children who do tho grinding sit on tho floor nnd slowly pour the corn or rice Into tho central opening ns they rotnte tho upper stone, thu fineness fine-ness of tho meal being determined bv the amount of pressure, tho rnte of rotation or the number of times It Is passed through the mill. Tho meal escapes to tho sides from between tho stones. Trnv-illng Trnv-illng niong tho mountnln ronds nf the In terior the "sound of grinding enn often be heard. It Is slow work nnd tiresome, nnd the workers hnvo to "change orf " but tho result Is satisfactory nnd the meal la nlvvhys fresh. They grind the rice in the same wny, and from both kinds of flour Candida enn mnko fritters that are very plensant to the taste. New York Tribune. |