The weekly union record., 1864-11-12
Valley Of Mexico.

We began our march reXt morning arl
kept winding round hills covered with thi.s
woods OF piueS. and carpe,ed with a variety Ci
wild flowers. until about eleven o'clock. When
we resched the mescu 90 the summit o. Ire
mountain, ard obtained a view q lhe farfausci
valley Of Mexico. Description Is tame whcn
one tFies TO convey the impression which this
scene usually makes 90 all who see i, Tor fhs
FIRST time. II Is certainly the most macritcert
view IN Mexico, perhaps of the peculiar 5e
scriplicn. the first in the world. Al an eleFa
tion of 5000 feet. the spectator scrs a. u
spread al his feet like a map, the Nholc Of The
valley Of Mexico; it's circumference at The trass
Of the mountains which form the sides of hc
mighty basin. 20 miles, and at The crest Of tsr
mountains. eco miles The whole Of the plain
IRON the hight on which the spectator siard,.
is distinctly taken IN al view. and The most
minute details are distinctly desuei soA lciin.
Gated. owing to the remarkable isanspareass
ard purity Of the atmosphere. The tosefs
snh spires Ct the city Of Mexico, twenty sve
miles distant; are distinctly seen pceriur crt
from The foliage and trees. almost The only
part OF the valley where trees are to be seen.
= that around the city. The remsiBder O! ihe
valley pTesenis the uniform appearance Of
large green plain dotted with white courShes.
spires sHu HSCtcNla>- aHl CO1k1lulDg seNf-hi
large she Is o! water. the remains Of The lakes
which are said to have once nearly covered
the whole valley. Several small insulated
mountains NAV also be distinctly discrnei. The
only large objects that rise on the surface Of
the vast unbroken green plain. The rsoan
tains Of Popocatepcie. and lziscehuaii. Is
brother giant rise abont twenty miles 10 ihc
left Of the spot where the spectator i s.ardag
though owing 10 the bright atmosphere aai
the sun shining on the snow. they SEEN OILS Il
or miles distant The whole OF this beauii
iul valley is hemmed in by complete circle I'll
stupendeusly rugged and dark looking moua-
,ains, the rough but sublime setting Of ua;Use|
to one of her most inimiiable pictures. most
perfect combination OF the sublime and beau.
tilul. Yes. seen from that elevation. the va.
ley OF Mexico Is n mos; glorious and msgB.f
cent sight. "but It's distance lends enchanimcnt|
to the view. and as we descend into il, ,sI
beauties vanish. The lakes become marshes /
the fields are not cultivated. the villages areI
mud. and the Inhabitants wre,chcl looking
poems, in rags and sqralid misery.
diary CHlLDREN. There ia an unleGuedI
impression lett on the minds Of many IN passirgI
group of chubby looking children playing in|
The street or by the roadside. bare footed. bare|
headed and ragged. begrimcd with dust orI
mud, that "dirt must be healthy And whcuI
there is noticed around the cabins Of the coon
try poor or the shaniies ia the city outskirts i
crowd Of ragamuthn uTchius Of al sizes ike Il
the regular gradations Of n ladder. ano,hCrI
notion is almost formed, IN distinct words ihat|
poverty is healthy" as well as dirt, as The
having house full Of children Is taken as pro 4
Of vigorous constitutions on the part Of The |
toiling parents. Taking New York city IS u
guide, the official reports for 1868 show that
Of every ten deaths. seven are foreign. slihtughI
Just half the population Is foreign born sut |
class. foreigners are he poores; and dliliCsI
Of all American large sraboard cities Of cOurseI
there are notable exceptions 1t is known thail
those who live on their daily wages averaged
eleven years less OF life than those who are vel
to do. So that poverty is as iar from h.ingI
beautiful as it is from being disacreeablc "a
1000 children dying under one year Old. nelrlyt
three-ioIrihs were born OF foreign parents |
two-thirds Of all the children dying on the layI
Of their birth were of foreign pareu'agc. "a
those dying from one to FIVE years old three !
fOurths were born Of poor people o, ninaj
children. Queen Victoria lost none. The con
stiiuions OF Royal pairs may not be as yi..ofou
as those OF two young laborers but exemption
from exhausting toll, and their ability to CON
mand roomy residences. well ventilated cham
bers, and the siric'est personal cleanliness from
earliest infancy, more than c5nnierha lnce
other unfavoring circumstances. 80 Tar then |
from poverty and flh being elements o. health
and long life, they arc the very reverse they
directly induce premature death as 10 gr3Nn ul
persons, and SOW the seeds Of fatal diseases ri
innocent childhood. During the first week Il
August. sol, in New York ci'y, 44l children
died. Of which, 404 were Of foreign parsuiage
and only forty were born Of native pireafs
that is, IN ninety per cent Of The children i1ng
in New York, nine out Of ten are frcm the |
abodes of poverty and unidines- H1H
Journal u Health.