﻿COSTA 
  RICA, 
  LAND 
  OF 
  THE 
  BANANA 
  

  

  219 
  

  

  national 
  opera 
  house, 
  which 
  is 
  said 
  by 
  

   its 
  builders 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  fifth 
  finest 
  in 
  the 
  

   world, 
  and 
  is 
  certainly 
  far 
  superior 
  to 
  

   anything 
  New 
  York 
  could 
  boast 
  until 
  

   very 
  recently. 
  It 
  was 
  erected 
  by 
  imported 
  

   Italian 
  skilled 
  labor 
  at 
  a 
  fantastic 
  cost, 
  

   and 
  is 
  a 
  work 
  of 
  art 
  inside 
  and 
  out; 
  but 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  need 
  for 
  it, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  beautiful 
  

   specimen 
  of 
  white 
  elephant, 
  used 
  perhaps 
  

   once 
  or 
  twice 
  a 
  year, 
  when 
  a 
  traveling 
  

   troupe 
  visits 
  the 
  republic 
  (see 
  page 
  217). 
  

  

  Sometimes 
  the 
  handsome 
  building 
  is 
  

   closed 
  for 
  a 
  whole 
  year, 
  except 
  for 
  the 
  

   one 
  fixed 
  event, 
  the 
  President's 
  annual 
  

   ball, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  high-water 
  mark 
  of 
  

   social 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  republic. 
  It 
  is 
  held 
  on 
  

   New 
  Year's 
  eve, 
  and 
  establishes 
  caste 
  

   lines 
  for 
  the 
  following 
  year. 
  Debutantes' 
  

   programs 
  are 
  filled 
  for 
  months 
  in 
  advance, 
  

   and 
  woe 
  to 
  the 
  young 
  woman 
  who 
  is 
  a 
  

   wall 
  flower 
  at 
  the 
  President's 
  ball! 
  

  

  The 
  common 
  people 
  get 
  pleasure 
  even 
  

   from 
  a 
  funeral, 
  which 
  they 
  always 
  turn 
  

   into 
  quite 
  an 
  event, 
  with 
  music 
  and 
  a 
  gen- 
  

   eral 
  gathering 
  of 
  friends. 
  The 
  Costa 
  

   Rican 
  is 
  a 
  born 
  music-lover, 
  and 
  almost 
  

   any 
  one 
  who 
  can 
  get 
  possession 
  of 
  an 
  in- 
  

   strument 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  play 
  by 
  ear. 
  Small 
  

   country 
  funerals 
  are 
  usually 
  preceded 
  

   merely 
  by 
  an 
  accordion 
  player, 
  who 
  

   squeezes 
  out 
  any 
  tune 
  that 
  comes 
  into 
  his 
  

   head, 
  ignorant 
  of 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  all. 
  I 
  

   witnessed 
  one 
  such 
  cortege 
  in 
  a 
  little 
  

   mining 
  village, 
  marching 
  to 
  the 
  inspiring 
  

   strains 
  which 
  the 
  American 
  engineers 
  had 
  

   been 
  whistling, 
  "There'll 
  Be 
  a 
  Hot 
  Time 
  

   in 
  the 
  Old 
  Town 
  Tonight." 
  

  

  The 
  great 
  religious 
  festivals 
  are, 
  of 
  

   course, 
  marked 
  by 
  intense 
  enthusiasm, 
  

   Christmas 
  being 
  celebrated 
  for 
  the 
  better 
  

   part 
  of 
  a 
  week. 
  These 
  festivals 
  are 
  usu- 
  

   ally 
  notable 
  for 
  the 
  good 
  nature 
  and 
  good 
  

   order 
  of 
  the 
  crowds. 
  

  

  The 
  people 
  are 
  essentially 
  law-abiding 
  

   and 
  the 
  standard 
  of 
  morality 
  is 
  in 
  most 
  

   respects 
  high. 
  

  

  NATIVE 
  LIFK 
  IS 
  BEST 
  SEEN 
  FROM 
  

   HORSEBACK 
  

  

  One 
  sees 
  native 
  life 
  at 
  its 
  best 
  by 
  a 
  

   horseback 
  trip 
  through 
  the 
  country, 
  and 
  

   there 
  is 
  every 
  facility 
  for 
  making 
  this, 
  

   since 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  customary 
  way 
  of 
  travel 
  

   with 
  all 
  except 
  those 
  who 
  are 
  poor 
  

   enough 
  to 
  walk. 
  

  

  Heavy 
  baggage 
  is 
  sent 
  ahead 
  in 
  an 
  ox- 
  

   cart, 
  and 
  the 
  traveler 
  rarely 
  fails 
  to 
  find 
  

  

  a 
  hotel 
  at 
  night. 
  He 
  does 
  not 
  encounter 
  

   much 
  luxury 
  in 
  these 
  village 
  inns, 
  but 
  

   cleanliness 
  is 
  present 
  to 
  a 
  reasonable 
  de- 
  

   gree, 
  and 
  the 
  food, 
  if 
  not 
  up 
  to 
  Parisian 
  

   ideas, 
  is 
  nourishing. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  traveler 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  

   of 
  a 
  mining 
  camp 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  North 
  

   Americans, 
  he 
  is 
  sure 
  of 
  a 
  welcome 
  and 
  

   comfort 
  ; 
  he 
  is 
  equally 
  sure 
  of 
  the 
  former, 
  

   but 
  not 
  the 
  latter, 
  in 
  any 
  peon's 
  hut. 
  

  

  The 
  railway 
  is 
  invaluable 
  for 
  exporting 
  

   freight, 
  but 
  the 
  Pacific 
  division 
  has 
  never 
  

   been 
  up 
  to 
  standard 
  for 
  passenger 
  accom- 
  

   modation. 
  When 
  I 
  lived 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  

   coast 
  the 
  service 
  was 
  so 
  infrequent 
  that 
  

   it 
  was 
  the 
  custom 
  to 
  hire 
  a 
  special 
  train 
  

   whenever 
  one 
  wanted 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  trip. 
  

   This 
  was 
  not 
  expensive 
  and 
  had 
  the 
  ad- 
  

   vantage 
  that 
  one 
  could 
  ride 
  in 
  the 
  engi- 
  

   neer's 
  cab 
  if 
  he 
  chose. 
  

  

  NO 
  EONGER 
  HOSTIEE 
  TO 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  

  

  For 
  many 
  years 
  subsequent 
  to 
  General 
  

   Walker's 
  filibustering 
  invasion 
  of 
  Nica- 
  

   ragua, 
  in 
  1856, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  strong 
  feeling 
  

   of 
  hostility 
  toward 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  on 
  

   the 
  part 
  of 
  Costa 
  Ricans. 
  With 
  two 
  new 
  

   generations, 
  this 
  has 
  practically 
  disap- 
  

   peared, 
  and 
  while 
  there 
  still 
  exists 
  in 
  some 
  

   quarters 
  a 
  little 
  unfounded 
  apprehension 
  

   as 
  to 
  the 
  political 
  ambitions 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  

   republic, 
  it 
  is 
  gradually 
  being 
  eliminated, 
  

   so 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  without 
  reserve 
  that 
  the 
  

   Costa 
  Ricans 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  distinctly 
  

   friendly 
  to 
  our 
  country. 
  

  

  This 
  will 
  not 
  only 
  encourage 
  American 
  

   capital 
  to 
  take 
  advantage 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   many 
  opportunities 
  which 
  are 
  offered 
  

   there 
  under 
  a 
  stable 
  government, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  

   each 
  year 
  leading 
  a 
  larger 
  number 
  of 
  

   tourists, 
  anxious 
  to 
  become 
  better 
  ac- 
  

   quainted 
  with 
  their 
  neighbors, 
  to 
  make 
  

   the 
  trip 
  and 
  enjoy 
  it. 
  Many 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  

   naturalists 
  or 
  nature-lovers, 
  for 
  whom 
  the 
  

   territory 
  is 
  a 
  notably 
  rich 
  field, 
  being 
  the 
  

   meeting 
  ground 
  of 
  the 
  flora 
  and 
  fauna 
  of 
  

   North 
  and 
  South 
  America. 
  

  

  For 
  a 
  leisurely 
  voyage, 
  the 
  Pacific 
  

   route 
  has 
  some 
  advantages, 
  since 
  the 
  

   steamers 
  stop 
  at 
  nearly 
  all 
  Central 
  Amer- 
  

   ican 
  ports 
  and 
  often 
  occupy 
  three 
  weeks 
  

   in 
  the 
  trip 
  from 
  San 
  Francisco 
  to 
  Punta- 
  

   renas. 
  The 
  more 
  frequented 
  route, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  is 
  either 
  from 
  New 
  York 
  to 
  Port 
  

   Limon, 
  12 
  to 
  14 
  days, 
  or 
  from 
  New 
  Or- 
  

   leans 
  to 
  Port 
  Limon, 
  five 
  to 
  seven 
  days. 
  

  

  