RIO DE JANEIRO, IN THE LAND OF LURE 



205 



Avenida Rio Branco, Rio's finest thor- 

 oughfare, is named after a celebrated 

 Brazilian statesman, Barao de Rio Branco, 

 who, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, 

 successfully settled the country's bound- 

 ary disputes without resorting to arms. 

 In 1904 it was decided to carve this great 

 modern avenue out of the city, over six 

 hundred homes being sacrificed. 



The avenue, more than a mile in length 

 and so wide that it consists of two dis- 

 tinct boulevards separated by a row of 

 shade trees, is thronged day and night 

 with automobiles. Motorists here keep 

 to the right instead of to the left, as in 

 Buenos Aires. Pedestrians also are re- 

 quested to keep to the right, and should 

 you forget, a policeman politely reminds 

 you. 



The sidewalks, the widest I have ever 

 seen, are of black-and-white stones laid 

 in mosaic designs, like those in vogue in 

 Lisbon. Both stones and workmen were 

 brought from Portugal, but similar pave- 

 ments, constructed later in other parts of 

 the city, are "home made." 



They tell a story of an American sailor 

 who one night lost his way in Rio. Ac- 

 costing a pedestrian, he asked to be taken 

 back to "that street with pretty pictures 

 on the sidewalks." 



Before it was called "Rio Branco," this 

 thoroughfare was known as Avenida 

 Central. They have a disconcerting way 

 here of changing the name of a street. 

 Sometimes the new name "takes" ; but 

 again, as in the case of Rua Ouvidor, the 

 old one "sticks." Rua Ouvidor's new 

 name is "Moreira Cesar" ; but the mer- 

 chants on this most fashionable shopping 

 street refuse to sever connection with the 

 old name, so long identified with the best 

 in the city. The street dates back to 

 colonial days, when this was a residential 

 section and the Portuguese auditor, or 

 "ouvidor," made this his home. 



rio enjoys real luxury at the 

 "movies" 



Rua Ouvidor and Rua Goncalves Diaz, 

 named after a favorite poet, are unique. 

 They are exceedingly narrow, with di- 

 minutive sidewalks ; but, as no traffic is 

 allowed, pedestrians walk in the street. 

 On many other equally narrow streets 

 one-way traffic only is permitted ; but 



Photograph by Harriet Chalmers Adams 



MOTHER HAS SENT HIM ON AN ERRAND 



It looks suspicious, but be is going for milk 

 or for fresh water. The Brazilians are tem- 

 perate folk. They have learned to drink beer, 

 and there are breweries, especially in southern 

 Brazil, where there are so many Germans ; but 

 they prefer wine, as the Portuguese do. 



even here pedestrians have rather a bad 

 time of it dodging motors, trams, and 

 trucks. 



It is at the cinema theaters that the 

 Cariocas know real comfort ; for, unlike 

 our moving-picture houses, those in Rio 

 have spacious waiting rooms, where you 

 sit, listening to excellent music, until the 

 hour for the first reel comes round. The 

 pioneer house of the kind inaugurated 

 this custom, and now the people refuse 

 to stand outside waiting for the even 

 hour to arrive, or to enter after the film 

 has started. With so much profitable 

 space taken from the auditorium, the 

 "movies" in Rio are not as great money- 

 makers as with us. The American favor- 



