Sailing the Spanish Main - A Spanish Reader for Beginners (Hardcover)

SAILING THE SPANISH MAIN A Spanish Reader for Beginners by RAYMOND L. GRISMER, Ph. D. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA New York 1940 THE MACMILLAN COMPANY Morro Castle, Havana Ruins of Sans Souci, The Royal Palace of Henri Christophe, Haiti In memory of mV FflTHR who also loved to travel PRGFRC6 THE stories of this reader represent, in the main, actual experiences of the author on a freighter trip around the Caribbean. In a few instances, as the boat did not stop at some of the ports mentioned in the text, the author secured first hand information from friends who had re cently visited these places and used their actual experiences as the basis for the narrative. The details of the stories which are most likely to be challenged are authentic. The authors mother, at the request of the captain, wrote the funeral service which is translated into Spanish in lesson 19. Furthermore, she did this In approximately fifteen minutes or the length of time it took for the boat to lose headway at sea. Although, the events retold in the reader actually hap pened, title author has taken care to conceal the identity of those who played the parts hi real life, or so to change the name, physical appearance, personal characteristics, and nationality of one or another that any resemblance is superficial. The author wishes to express his deep appreciation of the help given him by numerous friends at various stages in the preparation of this reader. Dr. Doris King Arjona of John D. Stetson University, Mr. and Mrs. Gracia and their three daughters, Emilia, Josefina and Natividad, all of Havana, Dr. and Mrs. Flores, Costa Rican Consul, Manuel Saavedra, C6sar Arroyo and Leticia Navarro, all of the University ofMinnesota, have been kind enough to read the stories in manuscript form and to offer their vii vm PRFflC criticism and suggestions. Miss Mary B. MacDonald of Washburn High and Lloyd Goldich have checked the vocabularies and Dorothea Jabusch and Mary Lynn Austin have assisted in the typing of the manuscript. Grateful acknowledgment is made of the information received from William Brunner about several Caribbean ports-of-call and from Elwood Bergquist regarding the banana industry in Honduras. The photographic illustrations, as well as the material for the drawings that accompany the lessons were furnished by the William R. Grace Company, Pan American Airways, Mme. L6da Plauche of the Green Orchid Shop, New Orleans, the Roosevelt Hotel, New-Orleans, and the American Sugar Refining Company. The artist who made the drawings for the reader is Mr. Elmer L. Boone of El Paso, Texas. R. L. G. University of Minnesota TflBi OF conienis INTRODUCTION LECCION PRIMERA MAPAS 2 LECCION SEGTJNDA EN NUEVA ORLEANS 5 TERCERA COMPANEROS DE VIAJE . 9 GTJARTA BAJANDO EL Mmsipf 13 LEcci6N QUINTA LA HABANA u LEccidN SEXTA LA VEDA CUBANA 23 LECCK N SEPTIMA EL EMPERADOR NEGRO 27 OGTAVA Dios Y TRUJILLO 33 NOVENA EL PAJS DEL GRAN LEBERTADOR 38 DECIMA PUERTO COLOMBIA Y BARRANQUILLA ... .45 ONCE TRAGEDIA EN ALTA MAR 49 LEccidisr DOGE LA GIUDAD REAL Y LEAL 55 LEccidN TREGE GRUCE DE GAMINOS DEL MUNDO 59 LECGi6N GATORGE EN LA COSTA DEL PACIFIGO 64 QUINCE LA GIUDAD QUE DESTRUY6 MORGAN . . . .68 DIEGISEB CULTTVANDO EL CAFE 73 DIECISIETE EL PAIS DE LA BANANA 78 LEGGidN DlEGIOCHO LA AZUGARERA DEL MlJNDO 84 LEGCidN DEECINUEVE ANTE Dios Y ESTOS TESTIGOS 89 LEccidN VEINTE jA CASA 93 LIST OF BOOKS ON THE CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES foroutside reading 97 VOCABULARY 113 ix miRODucTion THE purpose of this reader is to supply beginning students of Spanish with material about some of the Spanish American countries. Personal experience has shown that students are never enthusiastic about reading assignments where they learn that the paper is white the house is white the book is red 3 the house is red 3 etc. They are all interested in travel, in faraway lands, in stories of discoverers, conquerors, and of pirates...