The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-06-26
SOCIAL LIFE IN MEXICO.

translated from Princess Salm-SRlm't
Recollections of Mexico.
Although the Mexicans are lazy
people, they rise early-the gentlemen
to take their morning ride; the ladies to
go to early mass, which is the only oc-
casion on which they appear in the
streets on foot. They take a luncheon
between twelve and one o'clock. The
Mexicans are a very temperate people
they drink little brandy, wine or beer,
but on every table you find 2oulQue, a
light, vinous beverage resembling cider.
obtained from the American agave. As
general thing they lead very regular,
exemplary lives, but gambling is their
passion.
The men are usually small. delicately
but symmetrically made, and have very
small hands and feet. They are very
polite and graceful. reserved and eau
tious, as though they we're always on
their guard against deception-and for
very coed reason, since trustworthi-
ness is far from being leading virtue
among them. They are ready to promise
with words are always at your SER
vice, but they are not to be trusted.
| Fifty years of civil strife would be suf-
ficent to demoralize better people than
the descendants of Cortez and his fol-
lowers. They love money, but have
little idea how it is to be honestly OBJ
tanned hence it is looked Upon rather
as being meritofions than sinful to steal
from the government, be that govern
ment what it may. Whoever gets into
Office uses his position for this purpose
In general they are very hospitable,
and at dinner there are always two or
three covers laiG for guests who may
chance to come in. Frugal as they
usually are, when they entertain they
provide very beautifully.
The women of the better classes are
very handsome, and are especially re-
markable for their abundant heads Of
black hair, their large, dark, rnelan-
choly eyes and their small, delisately-
formed extremities. They marry young,
and usually have large families it is
not unusual to see q woman with q
dozen children, and sometimes with
even more. The children are very frail,
very quiet and we'll behaved. I have
never seen them romp and quarrel, as I
have always seen hearty, strong chill
dren do in other countries. The mothers
usually nurse their children themselves,
are very fond and devoted, and bring
them up very irrationally. They t. cat
them like dolls, and their chief study is
to dress them prettily. The children
are very precooious up to their tenth
or twelfth year they progress with won
derful rapidity, but then their intellect
ual development becomes very slow or
entirely ceases.
| ant the husband and wife are always
seen together, and they live mostly at
home, Surrounded byrtheir relations.
Parents separate themselves from their
daughters very unwillinsly, and not I'M
frequently they marry them to men Who
are content to make the house of their
father-in-law their home and to live at
his expense. ..s-
The ladies are exceedingly ignorant.
They read nothing but their prayer
books and are hardly able to write the
most commonplace letter. They know
no language but Spanish, and of history
and geography they are entirely igno-
rant. They knew before they were in
vaded by the French that Paris is the
capital of France, and of London they
had also heard, since from both Of these
cities they have always received their
finery and many objects of luxury. All
they know of Rome is that the pope has
cumstance they would not know there is
boOA OACys AhOyt AOWOrCAy haNO q
good deal Of taste for music and many
Of them sing and play very creditably.
In many Mexican houses they have, as
a rule, no regular dinner. II they ere
hungry they eat some simple dish or
drink q cup of chocolate, whieh is ex-
cellent ; the coffee, however, although
they raise good quality, is not good
they do not know how to prepare it.
At six o'clock they drive ont and from
the promenade they 60 to the opera or
theater, taking their daughters, dressed
in their finest, with them. If perchance
there II no place of amusement to which
they can go, then they remain at home
and amuse themselves with cards and
music. The young people assemble
very frequently for hop or . tertuliG,
as such gatherings are called in Mexico.
Although there are in Mexico among
the 6, ZOO, 600 inhabitants about half
million negroes-very few in the cities-
the house servants are Indians, mostly
young girls, who are generally treated
in . very friendly and familiar manner
by their employers. They are well
skilled in household affairs, and many
of them embroider beautifully.
More than half the population of the.
country are Indians those who live on
the plateau of Mexico and in the vici-
nifty are descendants OF the ztecs,
who, 800 years ago, astonished the
Spaniards with their civilization, which
some say surpassed that of the ancient
Egyptians. The conquerors who ex-
pected to meet with savages only, found
in the Aztec capital a fcurishing city
containing many fine buildings adorned
with numerous works of art. What has
become of this intelligent, industrious
peoplef The manner in which the
English treated the American Indians,
bad as it was, had some excuse in the
obstinacy with which they resisted
every attempt to civiliz them /; but
the A1tees were very far from being
sMa.teated IS the poor natives were,
they were deprived Of every means of
ignorance and, IN course OF time, they
even lost their mechanical skill. No
wonder they are shy and sdistrustful.
When they are well treated they evince
great goodness of heart, are faithful
| and evince a strong desire to learn.
When the conquerors spread over the
| country the aborigines could not keep
| entirely away fir, m them, especially in
the vicinity of the cities. OF this con-
tact there came among them q new sort
Of civilization. They soon learned the
value of money, and that it could be
obtained by selling their service to
their lazy ma ters. The consequences
is that we see, them everywhere the
petty tradesmen and Iaborers of the
country. They were almost exclusively
the providers for the capital
came from every direction with their
poultry, fruits, vegetables, wood, char
coal, ETC., etc.
The women work more than the men,
and, together with q heavy load, carry
ing their babies on their backs, they
can be seen on every road leading to
blue cotton stuff is wound round the
waist and falls to the ankles, while the