Brazil and the Brazilians : portrayed in historical and descriptive sketches . na to the young bride, and thengoes to his counting-house in happy security. At night he returnsand takes her to the opera, there to exhibit the prize that his contos* * A conlo of reis is one thousand milreis,—equal to five hundred dollars. TheBrazilian never reckons a mans wealth by saying, He is worth so many thousandmilreis; but, He has so many contos. The Wife and Mother. 165 have gained, and to receive the congratulations of his friends onthe lovely young wife that he has bought. lis an old tale;and Brazil has
Brazil and the Brazilians : portrayed in historical and descriptive sketches . na to the young bride, and thengoes to his counting-house in happy security. At night he returnsand takes her to the opera, there to exhibit the prize that his contos* * A conlo of reis is one thousand milreis,—equal to five hundred dollars. TheBrazilian never reckons a mans wealth by saying, He is worth so many thousandmilreis; but, He has so many contos. The Wife and Mother. 165 have gained, and to receive the congratulations of his friends onthe lovely young wife that he has bought. lis an old tale;and Brazil has not a monopoly of such marriages. Then the same round of errors recommences: her children feelthe effects of the very system that has rendered the mother afrivolous and outward being. She sallies forth on Sundays andfestas, arm-in-arm with her husband or brother, the children pre-ceding, according to their age, all dressed in black silk, with neckand arms generally bare, or at most a light scarf or cape thrownover them, their luxuriant hair beautifully arranged and orna-. GOING TO MASS. mented, and sometimes covered with a black lace veil: prayer-book in hand, they thus proceed to church. Mass being duly gonethrough and a contribution dropped into the poor-box, they returnhome in the same order as before. It is often matter of surprise to Northerners how the Brazilianladies can support the rays of that unclouded sun. Europeansglide along under the shade of bonnets and umbrellas; but thesechurch-going groups pass on without appearing to suffer, seldomusing even a small parasol. You remark, in these black-robed, small-waisted young ladies, acontrast to the ample dame who follows them. A Brazilian matron 166 Brazil and the Brazilians. generally waxes wondrously broad in a few years,—probably owingto the absence of out-door exercise, of which the national habitsdeprive her. It cannot be attributed to any want of temperance;for we must always remember that Brazilian ladies rare
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookidbrazilbrazilians00kidd
