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This article on Havana at the beginning of the
20th century was originally published in Bohemia on
May 6, 1983 (P.20-24) in the issue commemorating the
magazine’s 75th anniversary. Twenty years later,
Granma International is reproducing it, adding to
the
tributes for the 95th anniversary of the
oldestpublication,
which is still in circulation. And also to pay
tribute
to its author, Manuel González Bello,
whose inopportune death deprived him of the chance
to continue his story.
That Havana
BY MANUEL GONZÁLEZ
BELLO
I’D
like to tell you what Havana was like at the
beginning of the century, in 1908 when Bohemia
was founded. The city had exactly 303,000
inhabitants. If the citizens of that time had had
access to the number of buses that we have now, then
it would have been a pleasure to travel by that mode
of transport. There were few traffic accidents in
those days compared to now, despite the face that
stoplights didn’t exist. This does not mean that our
recent forebears were more respectful of the law.
The basic means of transport was the streetcar that
terminated in El Vedado in Baños Street, now called
E, where there was swimming area resembling a beach;
don’t think that swimming off the Malecón (Sea Front
Drive) is a danger invented by today’s children.
Elections took place during Bohemia’s initial
days. In a fierce campaign, Conservatives and
Liberals insulted each other at the hustings; the
conservatives wanted to conserve their positions and
the liberals didn’t liberate anything.
The
winner was José Miguel Gómez; Alfredo Zayas donned
the sash of vice president. As an executive of the
Steward Sugar Company Gómez had been in the pay of
the United States; he continued serving that country
afterwards...as head of the entire country. It
cannot be denied that he was a progressive
politician.
And
in the midst of it all, ruler and master, was Mr.
Charles Magoon, sent by the Yankees to head the
second occupation. By the way: some historians speak
of the first and second U.S. interventions. This is
an error; there was only one and it ended on January
1, 1959. Magoon was exceedingly big and fat with a
greedy-looking face. You all know what those with
greedy faces look like. At that time, some people
opposed the Yankees, but others wanted them to bring
ice, snow and chewing gum. Old Charles wasn’t able
to attend the launch of Bohemia on May 10. He
was in Pinar del Río that day. He went by train to
see how work was progressing on a highway that was
under construction. The presence of Magoon and his
court somewhat disconcerted the politicians because
not all of them knew English. But finally, somebody
had a magnificent idea: he could give them a
practical course in the language in which they would
all would learn to say the word “yes.” Thus they
came to a perfect understanding.
At
that time plans and preparations were being made to
build a bridge over the Almendares River, which
smelt better back then. The Yankees were also
involved. They were involved in everything.
The
Malecón only reached up to the inlet of San Lázaro
Street and in 1908 there was talk of extending it to
12th Street. History has not recorded this but it
was due to a request by lovers, who wanted a sea
wall to walk along, and by offshore fishermen.
As
everybody knows, by May 1908 the bay had already
been built. The Machina pier was there, later known
as the Port of Havana. The Olivette, the
Havana, the Saratago, the Morro Castle
and the Saltmarsh were the names of some of
the steamers that came and went.
Obispo, Galiano and San Rafael Streets were the main
centers where women went to shop and their husbands
grew desperate. Galiano and San Rafael were called
sin corner. It’s an injustice to have heaped all the
sins on one single corner. The boulevard had not yet
been built nor did the sellers of cold drinks or
pizzas, newsstands or the parallel markets exist.
Those working in the cinemas of that era made sure
that there was order, which is not the case today.
The most popular movies starred Max Linder. As Bruce
Lee had not yet been born, his films were not shown,
but if they had been then judo contests would have
been held in the Payret.
Baseball was our national waste of time back then.
Habana and Almendares were the top teams. There were
no radio sports commentators, which made the fans
very happy, nor television, which spared lots of
trouble in homes. Car racing took place at the Buena
Vista hippodrome, sponsored by the Havana Racing
Association. As you can see, even car engines dreamt
in English.
The
best-selling beer was Tivoli, made in the Havana
Brewery. The companies used to incorporate the words
Cuban and Havana in their names. It was like fancy
dress for carnivals. In those days carnivals weren’t
so brilliant. In 1908 they hadn’t yet created pilots
to spend their money on Tivoli.
Watercress liqueur was sold in cafes; they say it
was good for catarrh and bronchial and lung
diseases. I can’t imagine how watercress syrup
tasted but it must have been something similar to
the coffee sold in many of today’s cafes.
The
Alhambra, Payret, Moulin Rouge, Actualidades were
the theaters that attracted the largest number of
people. Many personalities trod their boards, like
Chilito and also Reneé Debauga, announced as the
creator of the aesthetic nude. It was never any
graphic evidence as to whether she was really so
naked or, in truth, aesthetic.
A
visit to the theater was a respectable event. People
dressed very elegantly, in their very best. The men
used dinner jackets, tailcoats and double-breasted
frock coats. They had large moustaches and their
hats were different to the ones that some men now
wear, which give them the suspicious air of Pedro
Navajas. And women’s hairstyles were more
complicated, with plaits, curls, chignons and
ringlets. What is never explained is why so much
coiffure, if they then topped it off with enormous
hats covered in roses mixed in with green leaves,
daisies, violets, lilacs and pansies? They wore
“Empire” corsets imported from Paris by Mr. Rico, a
businessman dedicated to his trade. The Empire had
the rare virtue of “making even the most defective
bodies look good,” and women believed it.
And
now that we’re on the subject of women, I must
mention the “high society” weddings. All the young
women that married were ladies, elegant, lovely,
charming, refined, highly intelligent and with
enviable poise. It hasn’t yet been proved if women
had to possess all these virtues to marry in that
era or if the social commentators did not write
about the weddings of women who were lacking in some
of those details. Of course poor people didn’t
announce their weddings; but the well to do did. You
could read similar reports to this every day:
“The
elegant Cuca García and the distinguished
businessman Pedro O. Albella were married on
Wednesday evening. The most select members of Havana
society attended the sumptuous wedding.”
Tricks, fraud, lies, robbery were seen as ills that
lasted throughout the
pseudo republic. But the villainy of important
people was met with silence. The press echoed this
and kicked up a hullabaloo over simple things—for
example what happened the day before the first
edition of Bohemia was launched. A stevedore
stole 144 women’s clothing buttons from a German
ship. Never had buttons been so noisy. The following
day, a woman in Cerro was robbed of 22 hens; and
another in Prado had her parrot stolen (surprisingly
enough, the parrot didn’t say a word as it was being
carried off).
It’s
a strange fact but I must mention it: In May 1908 it
rained in Havana (as usually happens in May), and on
the 10th, the temperature was approximately 22.8
degrees centigrade. It was a Sunday but as there was
not yet a Sunday film showing, people went to Prado
Boulevard, the Malecón or Fraternidad Park, where
there was a foretaste of the zoo with 900 animals.
The
majority of the streets were unpaved. This was an
advantage because there were no roller skaters or
problems with the asphalt.
The
most luxurious hotels were the Pasaje, the Trocha
and the Inglaterra. Social centers were the Asturias
Center, the Alemán Casino, the Independiente Society
and the Athenaeum.
That
is more or less what Havana was like when Bohemia
first appeared. I’m not going to say anymore because
if it occurs to us to do the same when the magazine
reaches its 80th birthday, we’ll have to repeat
ourselves completely, as that Havana has no chance
of changing. That was one world and this is another.
Just as we have another, different and better
Bohemia.
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