The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-07-01
FOR THE FAIR SEX.
Mexican women.

A correspondent in New Mexico
writes that the Mexican women are, as
a rule, tidy housekeepers. Their do
main is not an extensive one, but as far
as it goes they act { efficiently. Their
earthen floors are well swept, air white.
wash coats the walls. the man of the
house has a clean shirt with decent
frequency, and the crawling baby,
probably as naked as at its birth, has its
skin scrubbed to the shining point. 1t
must, nevertheless be admitted that the
skin-scrubbing practice is not applied
by the adult Mexicans to themselves
and that their personal habits are in
many respects very uncleanly. When
away from home the men are very dirty.
The women seem to monopolize what
ever sense of neatness the race is en-
dowed with. The punishment of the
Mexican house is not a compile. ted af-
fair. For culinary use there are
skillet and lid," frying pan, and
C flee pot Tables are not frequent in
the ordinary run of houses. Neither
are chairs. When the meal is prepared
those who are to eat squat down on the
floor around a small collection of cups
and plates, and help themselves from
the central vessel without ceremony.
Forks are very seldom to be seen.
piece of tortilla answers the purpose
when there is food that cannot con-
veniently be placed in the mouth by the
fingers only. Bedsteads are not in gem
eral use. The Mexican women make
very good pallets of wool, and these are
laid at night on the floor, or in warm
weather out of doors, in the courtyard,
garden, or in the street itself. Nearly
every house is well supplied with coarse
but comfortable homemade blankets,
and usually there is some provision of
linen. Of a morning the bedding is
rolled up and slowed away in the cor
ners of the room or rooms: There is
one piece of furniture which rarely is
missing, and that is che chest or trunk
containing the women's finery. The
female Mexican has q passion for ac-
cumulating dresses. generally calicoes,
which are stored away in the chest and
may remain there, hidden from the
sight of man, forever. l suspect that
when only women are present, these
brilliant and costly treasures are ex
hibited and discussed with critical ad-
miration. Americans who have Mexi-
can wives tell me that the number of
calico dresses that can be packed by
them in an ordinary chest is somewhat
amazing, and renders contemplate the
teats OF the magician who produces a
whole millinary shop from his hat.
Juanita's actual wear is apt to be con-
fined to very simple matter. The hot
summer climate induces free-and-easy
attire OF chemise and shirt, and in win
ter the women are generally seen with
snawls covering them from the waist
up. When Juauita's man earns enough
co pay Ior new dress now and then,
she asks for no more; but when the
household can boast the ownership of
little flock of goats, her happiness, as
well as that OF the rest of the family, is
utter and complete. The goat is the
familiar pet, the dear little darling of
the Mexican home. 1t furnishes the
milk and the abominabll india rubber
cheese which is dear to The Mexican
palate. Your Mexican will call his
goat by all the abusive names of which
his que is master, hut in his heart of
hearts he cherishes the animal as the
ne plus ultra of brute creation, and an
injury inflicted on the goat is mortal
atfront to the man.