THE Porto Rican is fond of the spectacular, in amusements and in daily life. He and his family adore dancing and the theater, carnivals and games of chance. In every good-sized town there are frequent band concerts on the public square, attended by a chattering, bright-hued throng. Even the grandmothers dress in gay colors. Dancing and music are the most popular diversions, – now that cock-fighting has been suppressed by the Americanos. In the farm districts, merrymakers dance the traditional steps of the Spanish country folk, introduced on the island by the conquerors of two hundred years ago.

At native dancing parties men wear coats of black silk or alpaca, with white trousers and sashes of colored silk. The dresses of the women, who are often very lovely in their youth, are of black or white material, set off by a vivid lining, and worn with a short sleeveless jacket. On festal occasions, their delicate beauty is enhanced by the lace mantilla, worn over the head and caught up by a rose or comb.

The feminine symbol preeminent is the fan. Inlaid, carved, gilded or jeweled, and made of silk or feathers, it becomes a wand of coquetry, when waved by a Porto Rican belle. In the farm districts the gaudy bandanna is used to fashion the headdresses of the women. Horses and mules carry the peasants to and fro, and often the saddles of the women riders are elaborately decorated and have silken, slipper – like stirrups.

A phase of island life, typical of all Spanish communities, is the prevalence of beggars. The climate, so conducive to Jaziness, is at once the joy of the lazy man and his best excuse. Clothes and a roof are less a matter of necessity in the balmy land of Porto Rico than under more rigorous skies; and food is within arm-reach on any banana tree.

A revel of color is the Sunday morning market on the square. The country people, arriving on foot or donkey back from their mountain farms, unload dewy cargoes of wildflowers and orchids, of oranges and limes, okra, yams and ginger, pumpkins, melons and bananas -yellow and red, of pineapples and calico-skinned mangoes, guava, garbanza beans and the lily-like yautia. And the tints of flowers and vegetables are rivaled by the costumes of the women that vend them.

The races mingle freely whatever their color – black, red or white. The person of unmixed blood is rather a novelty than otherwise. In all houses that make pretension to comfort the family is served by several domestics. People of gentle birth consider it demeaning to carry a package on the street. Porto Ricans as a class have contempt for manual labor. A mechanic directs his helper, but does not assist with his hands. If a porter is engaged to carry baggage, he arrives with a colored boy to do the actual work, while he takes the money and walks haughtily beside his hireling.

The rural population may be divided into landowners and field workers. The conscientious planter, and there are none too many of him, provides shelter, maintains a community store, and exercises supervision over the welfare of his employees. The jibaro, or mountain-bred tiller of the soil, is suspicious, wily, proud, and very ignorant. He is not allowed to own land, and usually works only just enough days in the week to earn bare necessities.