ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, AND MORALS
I had very good ground for stating that a salient characteristic of the
Argentinos was a desire, not only to learn from Europe but to carry
to the farthest possible pitch of perfection every institution begun,
whether public or private, and to surpass their model. The obvious
danger in all rapidly-developed colonial settlements is the acceptance
of the "half-done," an almost obligatory condition in the early stages
of development, and one whose facility of attainment is apt to militate
against the persistency of effort after that precision of completion
which alone can give good results. This defect, in fact, constitutes
the principal reproach brought by the systematic Northerners against
the impulsive Latin races, whose temperamental traits lead them to
content themselves with a brilliant start, leaving thereafter to
imagination the task of filling in the blanks left in the reality by
this unsatisfactory method of operation.
I confess that in setting out for South America I was prepared to find
that I should need the greatest indulgence if I would escape the danger
of offending by discourteous but candid criticism. This was due to the
fact that I was insensibly influenced partly by a few sociologists who
discuss these matters carelessly, and partly by the folly that leads
us to overlook the claims of consanguinity and urges us ever along
those paths that England and Germany have opened. But not at all. If
the prodigious expansion of the great North American republic may
have inclined me to fear for the South American republics anything
approaching to comparison, it is my belief that any impartial observer
will rejoice to recognise the robust and generous development of some
of the most promising forces of the future, in young communities
that are clearly destined to attain to the highest grades of human
superiority.
In 1865 Buckle, who was a man of no ordinary mental calibre, did not
fear to write in his _History of Civilisation_ that the compelling
action of land and climate in Brazil was such that a highly civilised
community must shortly find a home there. The event has amply justified
the bold prophecy. In the South American republics, as in the United
States and elsewhere, there are different degrees of fulfilment, of
course. At the outset, while waiting for land to acquire value, all
peoples have had to be satisfied with an approximate achievement. But
in the Argentine, Uruguay, and Brazil, to speak only of countries I
have visited, it is plain that nothing will be left half done, and
the capacity to carry all work methodically forward to its end, in no
matter what field of labour, promises well for the future of a race.
You do not require to stay long at Buenos Ayres to find that this
quality exists in a very high degree in the Argentino.
I have mentioned the European aspect of Buenos Ayres--the least
colonial-looking, probably, of any place in South America. But I
noticed at the same time that the Argentino refuses to be simply a
Spaniard transplanted, although _society_, in Buenos Ayres, traces its
descent, with more or less authenticity, from the _conquistadores_,
and did originally issue from the Iberian Peninsula. If we go farther
and inquire what other influence, beside that of soil and climate, has
been exercised over the European stock in the basin of the Rio de la
Plata, we are bound to be struck with the thought that the admixture
of Indian blood must count for something. The negro element, never
numerically strong, appears to have been completely absorbed. There is
very little trace of African blood. On the other hand, without leaving
Buenos Ayres, you cannot fail to be struck by some handsome half-castes
to be seen in the police force and fire brigade, for example, and the
regularity of their delicate features is very noticeable to even the
observer who is least prepared for it. The Indian of South America,
though closely akin to the redskin of the North, is infinitely his
superior. He had, indeed, created a form of civilisation, to which
the _conquistadores_ put brutally an end. There still subsist in
the northern provinces of the Argentine some fairly large native
settlements which receive but scant consideration from the Government.
I heard too much on the subject to doubt the truth of this. Not but
what many savage deeds can be laid to the charge of the Indians, as,
for example, the abominable trap they laid for the peaceful Crevaux
Mission in Bolivia which led to the massacre of all its members. Still,
in equity we must remember that those who have recourse to the final
argument of brute force are helping to confirm the savages in the habit
of using it. In the interest of the higher sentimentality we must all
deplore this. But our implacable civilisation has passed sentence on
all races that are unable to adapt themselves to our form of social
evolution, and from that verdict there is no appeal.
Not that the native of the South is incapable, like his brother of the
North, of performing a daily task. I saw many natives amongst the hands
employed by M. Hilleret in his factories in Tucuman. Neither can it
be said that there is any lack of intelligence in the Indian. But the
fact remains that he finds a difficulty in bending the faculties which
have grown rigid in the circle of a primitive state of existence to the
better forms of our own daily work, and this renders it impossible
for him to carve out a place for himself in the sunlight under the new
social organism imported from Europe by the white men. With greater
power of resistance than the redskins of the other continent, he, like
them, is doomed to disappear. Yet in one respect he has been more
fortunate than his kinsmen of the North, and will never entirely die
out, for he has already inoculated with his blood the flesh of the
victors.
I am not going to pretend to settle in a word the problem of the
fusion of races. I will only observe that the inrush of Indian blood
in the masses--and also to a very considerable extent in the upper
classes[15]--cannot fail to leave a permanent trace in the Argentine
type, notwithstanding the steady current of immigration. And if I were
asked to say what were the elemental qualities contributed to the
coming race by the native strain, I should be inclined to think that
the Indian's simplicity, dignity, nobility, and decision of character
might modify in the happiest way the turbulent European blood of
future generations.
After all, the Argentino who declines to be Spanish has, perhaps, very
good reasons for his action. Here, he has succeeded, better than in the
Iberian Peninsula, in ridding himself of the Moorish strain, which,
though it gave him his lofty chivalry, has yet enchained him to the
Oriental conception of a rigid theocracy. Why should not native blood
have taken effect already upon the European mixture, and, with the
aid of those unknown forces which we may class under the collective
term of "climate," have prepared and formed a new people to be known
henceforth by the obviously suitable name of "Argentinos"? All I can
say is that there are Argentine characteristics now plainly visible
in this conglomeration of the Latin races. The objection may be made
that the "Yankee" shows equally strongly marked characteristics, which
distinguish him from the Anglo-Saxon stock, while we know that he is
unaffected by other than European strains. This is undeniable, and in
his case soil, climate, and the unceasing admixture of European types
suffice to explain modifications which are apparently converging
towards the creation of a new type or sub-type.
It is remarkable that the character of the Americanised Englishman,
having passed through a phase of Puritan rigidity in the North and
aristocratic haughtiness in the South, has, for some inexplicable
reason, burst out into a temperament of highly vitalised energy
that may be summed up in the characteristic formula of a universal
"go-aheadedness." The South American, on the contrary, having started
with every kind of extravagance in both public and private life
calculated to destroy the confidence of Europe, is obviously now
undergoing a settling-down process with a marked tendency to adopt
those principles of action of which the North is so proud, while at the
same time retaining his affection for Latin culture.
It is easier to generalise about the Argentine character than to
penetrate beneath its surface. It is naturally in "society," where
refinement is the highest, that traits which best lend themselves to
generalisation are to be seen in strongest relief. The American of
the North is, above all, highly hospitable. If you have a letter of
introduction, his house is open to you at once. He establishes you
under his roof and then leaves you to your own devices, while keeping
himself free to continue his daily occupation. The Argentino receives
you as kindly, though with more reserve. Although I know but little of
the business world, I saw enough of it to gather that money enjoys as
much favour there as in any other country; but the pursuit of wealth
is there tempered by an indulgent kindliness that greatly softens all
personal relations, and the asperities of the struggle for life are
smoothed by a universal gentleness charming to encounter.
In their family relations the differences between the social ideals
of the North and South American are plainly visible. The family tie
appears to be stronger in the Argentine than, perhaps, any other land.
The rich, unlike those of other countries, take pleasure in having
large families. One lady boasted in my presence of having thirty-four
descendants--children and grandchildren--gathered round her table.
Everywhere family anniversaries are carefully observed, and all take
pleasure in celebrating them. The greatest affection prevails and the
greatest devotion to the parent roof-tree. Not that the Argentine woman
would appear to be a particularly admirable mother according to our
standard; for, on the contrary, it is said that her children are turned
out into the world with very bad manners. How, then, are we to explain
the contradictory fact that such children become the most courteous
of men? Perhaps a certain wildness in youth should be regarded as the
noisy, but salutary, apprenticeship to liberty.
All that can be seen of the public morals is most favourable. The
women--generally extremely handsome in a super-Spanish way, and often
fascinating[16]--enjoy a reputation, that seems well justified, of
being extremely virtuous. I heard too much good about them to think
any evil. They were, from what I could see, too carefully removed from
the danger of conventional sins for me to be able to add the personal
testimony that I have no doubt they merit. As to their feelings,
or passions, if I may venture to use the word, I know nothing and
therefore can say nothing. Are they capable of the self-abandonment
of love, of experiencing all its joy and all its pain--inseparable as
these but too often are? They did not tell me, so I shall never know.
The most I can say is that they did not give me the impression of being
made for the violent reactions of life as we know it in our daily
European existence. I hope no one will see in this statement a shadow
of criticism. It is, indeed, a compliment if you will admit that in
an Argentine family love's dream is realised in the natural, orderly
course of events. But if it were otherwise, it would still be to the
highest credit of the women that in their _rôle_ of faithful guardians
of the hearth they have been able to silence calumny and inspire
universal respect by the purity and dignity of their life.
Above all, do not imagine that these charming women are devoid of
conversational talent. Some ill-natured critics have given them
a bad reputation in this respect. Their principal occupation is
evidently paying visits, and they gossip as best they can under the
circumstances, considering that neither their friends nor their
foes give any ground for tittle-tattle. This deficit might cause
conversation to languish. Dress and news from the Rue de la Paix are
a never-failing topic.[17] May not this be true in other lands? It
has also been said that the beauties of Buenos Ayres are as prone
to speculate in land as their menkind. It is quite possible. None
will be surprised to learn that they gave me no information on this
head either. They are credited, too, with being very superstitious,
and are supposed to attach great importance to knowing exactly what
must not be done on any given day of the week, or to what saint they
should address their petitions. Here, again, I can give no authentic
information. Naturally, had I been present at any of their meetings,
the first condition of an exclusively feminine company would have been
unfulfilled. It seems to me more reasonable to believe that the many
works of public charity in which the ladies of Buenos Ayres take a
share would account for much time and also for much talk.
Further, I may in all sincerity remark that if female education
be not one of the points in which the Argentine Republic has left
us behind, it is none the less a fact that I was happy enough to
meet many charming women who were perfectly capable of sustaining a
thoroughly Parisian kind of conversation supported by a fund of general
information. And, moreover, they added a charm of geniality and real
simplicity that are not too common on the banks of the Seine.
I have not spoken of shopping, which is the main occupation of the
fair sex in North America, for the reason that at Buenos Ayres I saw
none. I mentioned that the footwalks of the business quarter--including
Florida, the handsomest and busiest of the streets--were blocked to
such an extent that it was impossible to walk there two abreast. You
do not expect to hear that there are any elegant toilettes in the
crowd. And, in fact, in the central streets no women go afoot for
pleasure. Some go about their business with hasty step, and that is
all; the others receive the tradesmen at home, or take their chance of
calling in the motor-car, which, after five o'clock, will probably not
be allowed in the street to which they want to go. What is left, then,
for the daily stroll? Only the wide avenues of the suburbs, where there
is no particular attraction, and Palermo--the unique and inevitable
Palermo, or rather, a part of Palermo, with the Recoleta, which makes a
fine beginning for a public promenade.
In these circumstances it is evident that the aspect of the pavements
of Buenos Ayres suffers by the absence of the fair sex. It might be
thought that at Palermo, where the walks lead amongst flowers, lawns,
and groves, our Argentinos would recover the use of their limbs and
guard against their dangerous tendency to an over-abundance of flesh.
Not at all. Social conventions do not allow of this. Our classics,
men of mature mind, were fond of saying, with the Apollo of Delphi,
that excess in all things is bad. Buenos Ayres has not yet reached
to this degree of wisdom, and its female society, not satisfied to
follow closely after virtue, seeks to add to their fame the spice
of a reputation that leaves absolutely nothing to be said. For this
reason they guard against even a chance encounter that might appear
compromising. And so the fair sex only consent to walk on the Palermo
under the protection of a rigorous rule of etiquette which enacts that
to stop and talk on a public road with a lady whom one may meet later
in the day in some _salon_ is a sign of unpardonable ill-breeding.
Decidedly we are far from Europe.
To complete the exotic air of the place, know that all husbands are
jealous, or, at least, so they say, and it must be supposed there is
some foundation for the statement. As far as I was able to judge,
they are as amiable as their wives, and appear by no means to harbour
tragic intentions towards any man likely to arouse their resentment.
No. But if by chance, after dinner, you remain chatting quietly with
one or two ladies, and in the inevitable ebb and flow of a _salon_
you find yourself for a moment left alone with one, be sure that her
husband, more genial than ever, will promptly appear on the scene
to claim his share in the talk. At home this would appear strange,
since we do not impose the spectacle of our private intimacies upon
the public. Yet may not this very air of detachment upon which we
insist lead, both in public and in private, to some of the tragedies
of life? Is it wrong for a married couple to love each other? And when
two hearts are united in this way how can a feeling so powerful fail
at times to betray itself by some outward manifestation? Let us take
heed lest, in laughing at others, we denounce ourselves. A man in a
very high position, who is the father of a lad of twenty, volunteered
to me the information that in the whole course of his married life he
had nothing to reproach himself with, and that if by some misfortune he
had transgressed the marriage law, he should have considered himself
wholly unworthy of the woman who had given her whole life to him. No
doubt the woman in question, who happened to be standing near us as we
talked, fully merited his homage. Yet I wondered, as I listened to his
noble and simple speech, whether one could find many Frenchmen to make
in all candour such a confidence to a perfect stranger, or, supposing
one found such a one, could he say as much without an embarrassed
blush? Whatever may be the secret opinion of my reader, I hope he will
agree with me in thinking that the advantage in this delicate matter is
decidedly on the side of the Argentino, whose sane morality is the best
of auguries for the community he is trying to found.
I should like to say something about the Argentine girl. The difficulty
is that I never saw her. Every one knows that in North America the
young girl is the principal social institution. She has got herself so
much talked about that neither Europe nor Asia can help knowing her.
In Argentine society, as in France and in Latin countries generally,
the young girl is a cipher. She may be seen, no doubt, in the home,
at concerts, where she figures in large numbers for the satisfaction
of our eyes, at Palermo, at the Tigre,[18] and the Ice Palace--very
respectable--where she skates under her mother's eyes, and, finally,
at balls, whose joys and special rites are the same the world over.
But all this does not make of the South American girl an element of
conversation and social doings as in the United States. She remains on
the edge of society until the day of her marriage. At the same time,
the Argentine girl must not be supposed to resemble very closely her
sister in Latin Europe. Less educated, perhaps, but more vivacious
and less timidly reserved, she shows greater independence, they tell
me, at Mar del Plata, which is the sole common meeting-ground for
wealthier families, since the Pampas offer no resource outside the
_estancia_.[19] At the Colon Theatre and at the Opera she is seated
well in view in front of the box, making the whole ground floor an
immense basket of beribboned flowers, and there, under the eye of her
parents, the young men who are friends of her family are permitted to
pay their respects to her. Must it be confessed? It is said that she
makes use of borrowed charms, applied with puff and pencil, following
in this the example of her who should rather prevent than abet? This
must, however, be libel, for whenever I ventured a query on the point,
I was met with a shrug of the shoulders and a burst of laughter. In
such a case, the man who can laugh sees always more than smoke.
The father is not a negligible quantity, whatever may be said of him. I
saw very plainly that it is entirely untrue that he takes no interest
in his children's upbringing. I may have come across a few specimens
of idle youth engaged in flinging their _piastres_ into the gutter,
but as regards heads of families, there is no comparison between the
number who here are seeking distractions, illicit or otherwise, for a
useless existence and those of the same type to be seen in any capital
of Europe.
But while I have here said nothing that is not strictly true, I am
not trying to represent the Argentine husband as the phoenix of the
universe. Money is so plentiful that it may well be responsible for
some sins, and, on occasions, I suspect that the city can supply
opportunities of committing them. Even so, it is wise to maintain the
strictest reserve on the subject, for Buenos Ayres smacks strong of
the small country town, and there is abundance of pointed arrows for
culprits who allow themselves to be caught. Still, as long as society
has not decreed the total suppression of the bachelor....
None can deny that gambling occupies too large a place in the life
of a certain number of the newly rich. But are we indeed justified
in pretending to be more scandalised at what takes place amongst our
neighbours than at home? What might I not write about the development
of our _casinos_? To satisfy this vice in the masses the Argentinos
have established lotteries, which now add to the temptations, powerful
enough already, provided by race meetings. The evil is universal; I can
but note it.
The form of gambling which is special to Buenos Ayres is unbridled
speculation in land. In Europe it is constantly stated that all the
work of Buenos Ayres, as of the Pampas, is done by foreigners, whilst
the Argentino himself sits waiting for the value of his land to treble,
quadruple, decuple his fortune without effort on his part. This might
easily be true, since the value of property has risen with giddy
rapidity of late years. Sooner or later, of course, there must be a
reaction; this is obvious. But until that day dawns it must be admitted
that, in a country where every self-respecting mortal owns a bit of
land, large fortunes have been realised before the fortunate proprietor
has raised as much as a finger. Our fellow-countryman M. Basset told me
that on his own estate the rise in value of his waste ground allowed
him to recoup himself for all he lost on his arable land. Under these
circumstances, it is really not surprising if prices form a general
subject of conversation. It was, in fact, on a larger scale, but with
less excitement, a repetition of the Fair of Mississippi stock, in
the Rue Quicampoix, with this difference, that there is here some
foundation for it, though it is by no means inexhaustible.
But while there is no denying that land speculation occupies a special
place in Argentine life to-day, it is also incontestable that all ranks
of society are here, as elsewhere, devoting their energy to some great
agricultural, commercial, or cattle-rearing enterprise. The _estancia_
needs a head. Herds of ten thousand cows must be well looked after if
they are to be productive in their three departments--dairy, meat, or
breeding. The magnificent exhibits that we see at shows are not raised
by the sole grace of God, and the "big Argentinos" with whom I had
the privilege of chatting not only spoke of their _estancias_ with a
wealth of detail that showed a close interest, ever on the watch for
improvements, but also frequently I was given to understand that they
had other business which claimed part of their time. And many of them
surprised me by their readiness to discuss topics of general interest
that happened to be engrossing the attention of Europe at the time.
The growing interest taken in all kinds of labour on the soil and
the need of perfecting strains of cattle both for breeding and for
meat have led the larger owners to group themselves into a club,
which they call the Jockey Club. The name suffices to denote the
aristocratic pretensions of an institution that has, nevertheless,
rendered important services to the cause, as well for horned cattle as
for horses. The sumptuous fittings lack that rich simplicity in which
the English delight. The decorations are borrowed from Europe, but the
working of the club is wholly American. The greatest comfort reigns in
all departments of the palace, whose luxury is not allowed to dissemble
itself. The cuisine is thoroughly Parisian. Fine drawing-rooms, in
which the light is pleasantly diffused. A large rotunda in Empire style
is the show-place of the club, but, like Napoleon himself, it lacks
moderation. A severe-looking library, reading-rooms, banqueting-rooms,
etc.
To explain the amount of money either amassed or flung away
here, it must be remembered that all the receipts taken at the
race-courses--less a small tax to the Government--come back to the
Jockey Club, which is at liberty to dispose of them at will. Hence
the large fortune of the establishment, which has just purchased a
piece of land in the best part of Buenos Ayres, for which it gave
seven millions; and here it is proposed to erect a palace still more
grandiose. I saw in the papers that the Jockey Club intends to offer
to the Government the building they now occupy in the Rue Florida, and
it is believed that the Foreign Office will be moved there. You see,
the Argentine cattle breeders have found very comfortable quarters and
enjoy themselves there.
M. Benito Villanueva, the Chairman of the Jockey Club, is a senator,
extremely prominent in the business world, who joins the most
superlative form of North American "go-aheadism" with the graceful
urbanity of European _bongarçonnisme_. He is in close touch with all
classes in the capital, and if he cannot be said to have a hand in
everybody's business, it is certain he could if he would. People who
have never set eyes on him speak of him by his Christian name, and
as there are not two "Benitos" of that calibre this is accepted as a
matter of course. Very unceremonious, very quick of perception, and
with a dash of the modern aristocrat in his bearing, he is a manager of
men who would make any sacrifice to gain his end. His small black eyes
are as bright as steel, and gave me an impression that it would not be
agreeable to have him for an enemy. Like any man who combines politics
with large business interests, he has his adversaries, but he appears
entirely oblivious of them. His _estancia_, the "Eldorado," with its
racing stables and prize cattle, the Senate, which he attends with
great regularity, and the innumerable commercial enterprises in which
he is engaged (to say nothing of the admirable Jockey Club), make him
one of the busiest men in Buenos Ayres. Nevertheless, he always found
time to waste in my company, and showed me much both in and out of
Buenos Ayres. I found every one in the capital obliging to a degree,
and it would be rank injustice to place M. Benito Villanueva in a
category by himself under this heading. I will only say, therefore,
that if many equalled him, none surpassed him.
Who better fitted to do the honours of the Palermo racecourse than
M. Villanueva? Modern arrangements, elegant fittings; no convenience
missing. The Jockey Club Stand has a first-class restaurant on its
upper story, where its members who are just sufficiently interested in
the racing to make their bets can enjoy at the same time the pleasures
of the table and a view of the winning-post. Betting is fabulously
high. But the racecourse is open to the same objection as Palermo.
What is to be said of the hideous embankment of yellow clay that bars
the landscape? Surely the setting of a racecourse is not without its
importance. As far as the convenience of the situation goes, this one
leaves nothing to be desired. But really, seeing the small part played
in an afternoon's racing by the events themselves, how is it that the
artists who laid out this hippodrome neglected to provide a lovely view
for the joy and repose of the visitors' eyes? They talk of masking the
slope by plantations, but the trains that traverse the course from one
end to the other will still remain visible. I have nothing against this
form of amusement, though I think it almost a pity not to reserve it
for the delectation of the _ranchos_ out on the Pampas, since there is
no part of the plain where it might not be enjoyed. Then the displaced
railway would allow of a cutting which would let in a great flood of
light as far down as Rio.
The racing public, from horses to humans, being everywhere the same,
there would be nothing to say of either professionals or spectators,
had I not noticed that the fair sex of Buenos Ayres, as seen in the
stands, were wearing with confident grace the latest creations of
Parisian fashions, and more than made up in quality for their possible
inferiority in quantity as compared with a Longchamp gathering. I
will not say that there were not a few errors in technical details
here and there. But it was pleasant to see that some of our audacious
Parisian freaks, contrary to what one might imagine, find only the
faintest of echoes in these brilliant meetings. The reason is that the
cunning display of eccentricities by beauties who have nothing to lose
cannot here, as at home, react on the toilettes of society women by
consequence of a universal search after novelties whose sole object is
to attract attention. The reason is simple. In Buenos Ayres there is
no _demi-monde_, for the few belles who cross the ocean to come here
are birds of passage merely, and cannot be said to form a class. When
present they avoid the grandstands of the racecourse and take refuge
in the paddock, where their loneliness makes them rather an object of
public pity.
Still in Señor Villanueva's company, I had the pleasure of visiting
the Tigre, the finest recreation ground open to the inhabitants of
Buenos Ayres. But do not be misled by the name to fancy that it is
a menagerie. There were, it appears, in distant ages, some few great
cats that ventured as far as the mouth of the Parana in order to steal
a breakfast at the expense of the citizens of the capital. Times have
greatly changed. It is now the honest Argentino who comes here to get
a meal after having taken proper steps to ensure the absence of the
tiger. The delta of the Parana is formed by an inextricable network of
channels, dotted with innumerable islets, whose luxuriant vegetation
has won for them the pretty name of a "Venice of Gardens." In all this
floating land imagine trees of every kind leaning over the water as
though attracted by the moving reflection of their foliage; call up a
picture of orchards in the glory of their spring or autumn dress; fling
amongst the groves an orgy of wild and cultivated flowers; people the
shade of the branches with large and small boats filled with merry
young people, whose song and laughter blend with the music of the oars,
and you will have an idea of the pastimes that the Tigre can offer.
_Quintas_, _chalets_, built on piles, hotels, restaurants, wine-shops,
resorts of all kinds, suited to all classes of society, provide a
peaceful asylum for fête days and holidays, far from the turmoil and
bustle of Buenos Ayres. Following the stream upwards, past miles of
wood and water, there are still more picturesque sites to be visited,
where man has not yet set his hand, and the boat glides in and out of
these beflowered waterways as far as Parana, whence come the big boats
from Paraguay laden with oranges, their decks shining in the sunlight
like some quaint palace of ruddy gold.
The Tigre is reached by railway in twenty minutes, and a skiff bespoken
in advance awaits you at the station. But Señor Villanueva, whom
nothing can daunt, wanted to try a new road, said to be just finished,
in his motor-car. Now, carriage roads are not a strong point in this
country, where no stones are to be found. However, after a journey that
recalled at times the passage over the rollers at Auteuil Lock, we duly
and miraculously reached the Tigre without quite wrecking the car, but
not without some damage to our more sensitive and intimate organs.
Wherefore we were assailed by a longing for the _chaises-longues_
and easy-chairs of our hotel, which drew us forthwith to the
booking-office of the railway-station, whence modestly and quickly we
made our way back.
Since the subject of hotel furnishings thus comes under my pen, why
not say at once that in the Argentine, as in Brazil, the internal
arrangements of the houses show that the greater part of the time is
spent out of doors? Italy, with its open-air life, was naturally the
land to which the Argentino turned for architects to supply florid
furniture, meant rather to look at than to use; and when to this
is added cheap German goods with their clumsy designs, one may be
pardoned for finding a lack of grace as of comfort, to a French way of
thinking.[20] In aristocratic _salons_ the best Parisian upholsterers
have at least left their mark--with a little overcrowding in effect, if
the truth must be told. In a few, where "antiques" were discernible,
there were evidences of an appreciation of just proportions and
simplicity. But my criticisms must be taken in the most general way
possible.
It is in the hotels that one feels the farthest from Europe, and this
in spite of a manifest attempt to do things well. A continual change
of servants and a bad division of labour ensure infinite discomfort
for the traveller. There is, it is true, central heating, but it works
badly. Is the _pampero_ blowing? The pipes of the radiators shake the
window-panes with their tempestuous snorting and bubbling, waking you
out of your sleep with the suddenness of their noise; but they diffuse
only cold air.[21] An electric heating apparatus, hastily put in, must
be used to supplement the other. Do you want to lock up some papers?
You may, perhaps, after a long search, find a key in your room, but
it will assuredly fit none of the locks. As I was tiresome enough to
insist, the manager, anxious to oblige me, ordered his own safe to be
placed in my apartment, with all his accounts therein. When I found
the drawer that was placed at my disposal, I found money in it! Oh,
marvellous hospitality!
To the new houses in the town chimneys are being added. The European
who comes to the Argentine for the winter months--June, July,
August--can be delighted with the change. But, meantime, he suffers
keenly from the cold, for if the sun shines perseveringly in a
cloudless sky, an icy south wind will prove very trying to Europeans
who are not accustomed to such sharp contrasts.[22] As for the summer
season, which I have not tried, every one talked of its charms, the
greatest being, apparently, to go and wipe one's brow at the Tigre, at
Mar del Plata, or on the _estancia_, in default of the mountain resorts
within reach of the Brazilians.
It is difficult to speak of Argentine cookery--which is rather
international than local--always excepting those households that
boast a French _chef_. The influence of Italy, with her macaroni
and her cheese, predominates. The vegetables are mediocre; the
fruit too tropical, or, if European, spoilt by the effect of the
tropics. Lobsters and European fish, imported frozen, are not to be
recommended; table water is excellent. The national dishes, _puchero_,
or boiled beef, good when the animal has not been slaughtered the
same morning; _asado_, lamb, roasted whole--savoury souvenir of my
excursions in Greece, where it is to be met under the name of _lamb à
la palikare_. I might add a long list whose sole interest would be the
strange-sounding names given to familiar dishes. Still, as the main
conditions of man and communities are necessarily unvarying, is it not
in appearances and forms of expression that we find variety?
FOOTNOTES:
[15] I might instance a statesman who has all the externals and
probably also the prudent wisdom of a pure _cacique_ of olden times.
[16] I shall not take the liberty of attempting a description of
Argentine beauty. Let me only mention their large black eyes, heavily
shaded, the delicately golden skin, beneath which there pulses a
generous blood, and the sweet and ever youthful smile.
[17] "Six dresses are sufficient for me for one season in Paris; in
Buenos Ayres I want quite a dozen," says an Argentine belle who was
until recently a member of the Parisian diplomatic world. The more
limited circles of Argentine society and the proportionately keener
rivalry of personal luxury may explain the difference.
[18] This is the name applied to the group of islands forming the Delta
of the Parana.
[19] An estate devoted to agriculture and cattle rearing.
[20] The dearness of living in Buenos Ayres and especially of rents is
a common theme among travellers.
[21] I understand there is a scheme for adding a system of central
cooling for summer use in hotels and private houses in hot climates.
Nothing would be easier or more useful. Even in our own land there are
many days in the season when we should be glad of cool radiators.
[22] It is often said that Buenos Ayres has a "Nice winter." This is
strictly true. The sun is rarely wanting, and the _rôle_ of the Mistral
is played by the pampero with great success.