Q2 THE STANDARD GUIDE. 
the business streets; it is indeed a matter of record that under such 
conditions fallen horses have been drowned in the street floods before 
they could be extricated. 
Obispo and O’Reilly have been noted as attractive for their shops; 
there are many others which are well worth exploring and will be 
sure to reward one who has an eye for the picturesque. 
Havana now holds place among the cleanest towns in America. The 
streets are swept, some of them several times a day, by a force of sweepers, 
in whose garb and utensils and methods of operation one sees a grateful 
tribute to the work of the late Col. Geo. E. Waring, Jr., who organized the 
street cleaners of New York into an efficient body of men, and taught both 
sweepers and public the dignity of well performed labor as inherent even 
in the lowliest service. When, after the surrender by Spain in 1898, the 
Americans were confronted with the tremendous task of cleaning up 
Havana, which had been left by the Spaniards in an appallingly filthy con 
dition, and of keeping it clean and giving it a place among the healthy 
and wholesome cities of the earth, they turned to Colonel Waring as the 
one best fitted to find a solution of the hard problem; and in October of 
that year he came to Havana under a commission to investigate the sani¬ 
tary conditions and formulate a plan for their betterment. He contracted 
yellow fever and died a martyr to the cause of a regenerated Cuba. The 
authorities adopted the Waring system of street cleaning; the Havana 
“White Wings” and their efficient service afford a striking demonstration 
of how far-reaching and beneficent may be the work of one man. 
The streets of the more modern parts of the town, those which were 
extramuros — outside the walls — beginning with the Prado, are laid 
out on a liberal scale. The Paseos of Carlos III. and Tacon are 
wide, macadamized drives, having on each side a broad promenade 
shaded by double rows of trees, and lined with many fine residences. 
The Paseo de Carlos III. has a marble statue of the King, by Canova, 
and a monument of the Five Goddesses. Tacon built the Paseo bear¬ 
ing his name in 1835-8, to connect the palace of the Captain-General, 
Quinta de los Molinos, with the city. The palace is now the Presi¬ 
dent’s summer home. Surrounding it are extensive gardens, and ad¬ 
joining is the Botanical Garden of the University of Havana; beyond 
is the old Zanja, or open ditch, with a stream flowing from the Al- 
mendares River, which at one time constituted the city’s water supply. 
The Botanical Garden contains numerous specimens of tropical 
trees, fruits, plants and flowers; there are avenues of royal palms, 
artificial grottos and miniature cascades. The massive iron fence 
formerly enclosed the Campo de Marte. Cuba’s native flora comprises 
over 3,350 native plants, besides those which have been introduced. 
.Theatres, —Havana is devoted to drama and opera, and many of the 
world’s most famous artists have been seen on its stage. The National 
