[Solar-coop] L showed the substantial sum of L119,3

Mie Abr 7 16:20:48 CEST 2010

 who is now at the head of the Academy of Fine Arts in Rio. This man has
had a marvellous influence in the beautifying of the city, and to him
are due the impressive lines
of the
finest buildings in Rio, such as the Academy of Fine Arts. Naturally, in
a young
country like Brazil--I
am speaking of new Brazil, now wide
awake, not of the Brazil which has been asleep for some
decades--perfection cannot be reached in everything in one day. It is
really marvellous how much
the Brazilians
have been able to accomplish during the last ten years or so in their
cities, on or near the coast. Brazilians have their own way of thinking,
which is not ours, and which is to us almost incomprehensible. They are
most indirect in their thoughts and deeds--a characteristic
which is purely racial, and which they themselves
cannot appreciate, but which often shocks Europeans.
For instance, one of the most
palatial buildings in the Avenida Central was built only a short
time ago. In it, as became such an up-to-date
building, was

established a lift. But do you think that the architect, like all other
architects anywhere else in the world, would make the lift start from
the ground floor? No, indeed. The lift only starts
from the second floor up--and, if I remember rightly, you have to walk
some thirty-eight steps up
a grand staircase before you reach it! Do you know why? Because the
architect wished to compel all visitors to the building to admire a
window of gaudy coloured glass half-way up the staircase. In this way
they reason about nearly everything. They have not yet mastered the
importance and due proportion of detail. Frequently
what is to us a trifling detail is placed by them in the forefront as
the most important point of whatever they undertake. Thanks
to the strong credentials I carried--among which were letters from H.E.
Regis
de Oliveira, Brazilian Minister in London--I was received in Rio de
Janeiro with the utmost consideration
and kindness. From the President of the Republic to the humblest
citizens, all with no exception treated me with charming civility. My
stay in Rio was a delightful one. The Brazilians of the principal cities
were most courteous and accomplished, and it was
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