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uxie war.The wholesome effect of the generous j spirit that has been Khown and expressed i by both the American men -i.rid women j toward lho Cuban people can be seen j everywhere It has brought about sl bar- j mony of foiling that could not have beta otherwise accomplished.AJany of the old customs ami hindering rradices to which the people had been bound for a century past by Spanish j reign have Ixen abolished, and in their | stead modern ways and manr. trisms have | betn adapted. ^ .Previous to the \yar with Spain all j cemeteries anl places of burial for the ; dead were controlled by the Catholic , church, and none of the ground was allowed tiy be sold. The relatives of iho • dt*ad, whether members of the church or not. could always rent a plot, and as long as the rent ur monthly assess me nt was promptly paW the grave was left un- , molested. If at any time, hnwevcr, the i rent was neglected or the parties were unable to pay, ihe body was promptly . exhumed, and, after being passed through a process of cremation that destroyed a.l . but the bones, the latter wera thrown j bitty an 'pen space about one-half acre in . siLie, which ha.d been set apart for th's \ purpose. The practice must have been ( going oil for ages, us when the American | authorities came to Cuba first, officially, j the pile of bones In the cemetery at i Havana, was mote than fifty feet high. San Christobol at Havana became famous for Its bone yard, and when the influx of Americans first began It was one of the first points ox interest sought out by the sightsee^. ' ,This among ofboi* customs has been abolished and ihe smt-bleached skulls and other parts of human anatomy that lay so long exposed are covered with earth and cement, and forever shut out from public gaze.The church once wicked a wonderful power in Cuba, it bein “a department of the state, and entirely dependent upon tho government lor support; but with the coming oi the new administration of affairs pertaining to the government it finds itself suddenly compelled to seek other mean a of revenue. The various orders of the old church have not become Inactive, however, as they have been ofgreat assistance to tho officers in charge of the poor. They helped to seek out the deserving, and have won the admiration of all who have bad an opportunity to witness the untiring energy they have displayedJNuL only in the larger cities have reforms been going on, but in every corner of Ihe Island. Under their respective commanders, each department has seen the same radical changes.
Newspaper Details
Atlanta Constitution
Atlanta, Georgia, US
Sun, Aug 27, 1899
Page 18
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
MD, USA 19 Apr 2020
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