The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-05-11

one of them than in lions cooperative at Salt
Lake City; the only difference, there are not such
large quantities Of any one thing. Few stores
carry much Of n stock, and in the majority OF
them, the mcrest prctcnsion to stores is to be
found. The cause of this, perhaps, to certain
degree, is owing to the fact that by the amount
Of stock they are taxcd-which sometimes is high
and other times small-all owing to the eXigcn-
cics of the occasion.
| A ramblc through the poorer part of the town
revealed to us the most ahjcct cases OF squalor'
The most miserable huts | ever saw are here,
most of them not more than ten or twelve feet
square and whole families live in them, some
two and three families without bed, chair or
table; while small pyramid OF stonc-iat at the
ltop-coasttutcd their ire place and insttstion
for cooking.
These huts are made of cane and cocoanut
leaves, matched with straw or tile, ana without
a window, the door answering for all purposes
Fortunately for the natives the climate is such
that clothing during the most part OF the year Is
supertuous, matter OF convenience ana ecoho-
my, as it answers many purposes.
As is customary in nearly every Mexican city,
III doorways were open, from which peeped out
to see us, cherubs large and small, and Of course
a great curiosity to our party; the men and boys
were chiefly stripped to the waist, and the women
wore Il skirt and chemises, the former very short
and the latter open at the bosom. There was no
end to the number of little chcrubs, and all as
naked as our ever to be remembered Eve before
she found the iig-lcaf. They think nothing OF
this in Mexico; to them it is as natural as for us
to expose our nccks or arms. OF course all this
appears odd to Americans, and the picture OF a
wholly naked and very yellow infant in the arms
of a very handsome girl, yet in her teens, but al
ready mothcr-was embarrassing to the scnsi.
tive eye of your bachelor correspondent.
THE MARKET
/ furnished Us some amusing sights in the way OF
seeing how trade is carried on in the little square
they call the market place or .UcrcadO.
| Like many others Of its kind in YankecdOm, this
place is divided into small spaces. Here you can
find everything in the line Of wants, and at prices
that there is no need of bantering. Evidently,
quick sales and small profits is the motto Of the
Mcxicans. 1t is curious TO see the way they deal
out things and what efforts they will make to sell
you. Mostly women do the selling and you will
find them so modest and polite in their manner
that one feels induced to buy whether he wants
to or not.
! We accepted an invitation TO visit the State
House, and were a little surprised to find it SO
plain and unprecntious an institution. In this
we could not but comment upon the wide con-
trast between the state offices in the Republic OF
Mexico and those of our own country. Here it isa
large adobe building, covering nearly half u
block, with no prctenson 10 beauty style or gran
deur, its interior appointments assuming more
of the shabby genteclism than State Capitol.
No grand or costly furniture, rich carpets or cX-
pcnsive carvings, expensive chandeliers, or Sor-
gcous looking glasses, but all and everything an
tiquc in style and looking as though it had been
used by generations long since forgotten.
| Like nearly all cities and towns in Mexico, or
where ever the Spanish held sway, you will find
one or more of those old churches whose pecul-
lar style and design attract the attention of ysi-
tors. Here we find one in all its singular dilapi-
dation and decay How old it is was unable TO
learn hut iudSinr from ts antiI""~i"" et,io anu
looks l should say it was perhaps entering on its
second centennial. 1t is certainly very prema-
ture and Judging from its barren sun dried walls
IL mas stoou many siege III all lhosc Olu Aie-
sions seats were and are unknown, the people pre-
ferring the old time custom OF wearing out their
kn,e-capS on the bare ground floor. Now, in these
latter days, the rich take Il piece OF carpet with
them to church on which 10 knccl or sit during
certain parts of the services. Indeed, it is Il com
mon thing to sec women walking home from
mass with prayer book under one arm and a roll
of carpet under the other. Such is life in the
form of worship,-what seems absurd to some is
just the thing with others.
There is grand Cathedral building here. 1t
has now been twenty years in course of construc-
ton and has not yet reached the roof. At this
rate it is hard to say when it will be finished.
SCHOOLS.
1t was with some reluctance that ! accepted al
invitation To visit the schools of this place. but
} was never more happily disappointed in any visit
that ever made OF this kind. expected to ina