Indiana State sentinel., 1848-05-25
The Mexican Race.


There has been nothing, during the progress of the
present war that has ceused much SURPRISE
stoned such frequent remark the revolutions and
counter-reyolutions at the city of Mexico Three OF
four different governments have succeeded each other
in the short space of eighteen months. To day Fari-
as is in power yesterday Paredes was and before
him Herrera. In one hour a successful consprator
rises to be the first in the republic, in another
he falls TO obscury, perhaps TO prison or TO DEATH
The spectacle reminds of the shifting at
theatre, of the incidents of eastern tale where by the
same turn OF the wheel, the came-drver rises to q
monarch, and the sultan sinks TO slave.
We cannot understand this seemingly puzzling con-
ditlon OF things without looking little more closely
at the Mexican character than has been usual hereto
fore. 1t seems almost incredible 10 an Anglo Saxon
mlnd that any people could be engaged in private
broils while an enemy laundering at her gates.
But here is the solution of the mystery The Ameri-
cans and the Mexcans of two different races
The one, from the hour when it first made its appear
nnce on the stage of history and assumed the position
which the Romans had lost by intermarrage and the
consequent decay Of their stock up the present hour
has been distinguished for indomiiable courage for
great perseverance,, for unquenchabe love Of coun
try the other has inherited, with its Arab blood tho
wild and turbulent spirit, conoined with the yndicye
hatred Of the lshmaelites.
For the Mexican race-we speak now of the Span
ish portion of 1t, and not of the Indians strongly
tinged with the blood of the desert. Little doubt now
exists that the original inhabitants of Spain or Lus-
tania, as 1t was called by the Romans was, at the
time OF It's conquest by the latter, settled by people
of Moorish descent We know that il has been exten-
sively colonized by the Carhngenians, and, before
that event, it is probable, from its conguiiy to Af-
ca, that 1t had been occupied by the Arabs; at any
rate, all that know of the habit and character OF
Its population favors the idea that the Lusitanians
were in reality, Moors, or, at least belonged to the
same great family The invasion Of the Goths the
decline of the Roman Empire, did not change the
character Of this population; indeed invasons never
do, unless determination follows; the NAV bo
different but the body of the people continue the
same; witness Ireland under the Anglo-Saxon, Eng
land under the Norman, and Mexico under the Span
ish conquests. Hence, with various admxtures Of
Roman, Gothic and other blood, the greater part Of
the population Of Spain, especially in the Southern
provinces, of Arab blood. The subsequent in
vasan of the Moors added infusions and tended
TO restore the common stock. We state plain physi-
illogical fact easily capable of being disproyed if un-
true, when say that the Spanish conquerers, and
especially the immigrant who followed after them
had Arab than any other kind of blood in their
composition, and inherited large portion of the quail
tiles peculiar to that great branch Of the human
family.
For there is more in race than is ordinarily suppos.
teristcs pertain different nations that these chaac-
teristics exist independent of circumstances, and
indeed in defiance of them, and that moreover they
ransmissibe from generation to generation,
Of lesser grade than The Tartar of to-day is
the same individual described by the Oriental writers
thousands of years ago, and displays similar attributes
whether roaming in the desert seated conquer
ed throne. The Greek of the nineteenth century diff
fers less from the Greek Of the time of Socrates than
does the Romanic he speaks from the pure Attic
tongue of Percles. The German, as described by
Tacitus in the second century of the Christian era
the exact counterpart of the German now, allowing
for the difference of education and government. A
Frenchman of pure blood under Louis Philippe might
sit for the portrait of Gaul drawn by the nImita
bic pen of Cesar in his Commentaries. The High
lander who followed Charles Edwards 10 Preston Pans
CHARGED il the very their ancestors did eigh-
teen hundred years before. Mountains may change,
continents alter, but of men always the
As far back ban go In history find the Cet,
the Saxon and the Arab inst as he remains to this
day. and as far forward conjecture
justified in supposing that they will still continue the
same.
The Mexican race, we shall find, is true to its pa
rentage. In it are displayed not only many of the
peculiarities of the Arab physiognomy and sme but
most of the characteristics for which these OF the
desert have been celebrated since they first forth
under Ishmae Do we want a name for per6dy lin
Europe they call it Arab treachery, in America, Mex
ican deceit Do we wish to speak of nation dIvid-
ed against itself-Abroad they cite theturbulency Of
the Bedoureens here the revolutions and counterrey
olutions in Mexico. Do desire TO conjure up the
figure of desperate marauder ?-On the continent they
refer to the punderer of the DESERT on the other to
the rancbero The Arab will lie in wait for his prey
and shoot him from behind rock; the Mexican horse
man fingers in the Chapparel and nets his unsuspect-
inc enemy with lasso. How different, in all respects
the Anglo-Saxoni He is for fair, open. honorable
6ght: even in street brawl he will not allow man
who is down to be struck. Indeed, The Anglo-Saxon
and the Mexican az the opposite poles OF the hu-
ma n. race The one is frank and unsuspectng; the
other deceitfu and suspicious. The succeeds best
by downright force of characters the other by cunning,
intrigue and all the arts of chlcanery. The Anglo-
Saxons always gain their advantages by hon.
est purchase the Mexicans the character in En-
rome of being among the most subtle dpomatss in the
world The different characters of the races NAV
be seen in the dispatches of the opposing leaders
this war Santa Anna is a boaster, Gen. Taylor
modest yet the former is the fugitive, the latter the
victor.
From time irnmemorial the Arab race, in all its
various branches has been celebrated for its intestine
dissentions. Rome, when Hannibal was at her gates,
had but one common and heroic sentiment and that
was that each citizen must die for his country. But
the Arabs under Caliphs, well the Moors in
Grenada, uuarreed with and murdered each other
when their very town under siege. There is no
instance where an Anglo-Saxon people did this.
The instant foreign foe lands their soil, their
civil brois are forgotten they unite for the common
Defence and either repel the enemy, die gloriousy
in the attempt. When Napoleon about 70 in
vade England Wing and Tory forgot their differences.
and presented common front of Anglo-Saxon
hearts against the threatened Gallo inroad. But in
Mexico, even while our armies are close to the cap-
al the various factions wrangle and dispute careless
of the peril And we prophecy they will do so TO The
end Ii is in their blood They do but fulfil the des-
tiny of their race. Give them many constitutions
os Won plqaae call their chief executive President