The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-07-29


claiming all the way from 5000 to
10000. Fully four-fifths of these
are Indians and Spaniards or Mex.
leans, the remainder being Ameri-
cans, Germans, Irish, and a large
sprinklin6 of Hebrews. It NAV
here be remarked that apparently
the larger portion of the trading
and mercantile business is in the
hands Of the Jews. Very few of the
natives are engaged in commercial
pursuits. Either for the want of
means or lack of capacity to cope
with the aggressive and moro en-
terprising races, they retire to the
lower, mental walks of life paving
tribute in money and labor to the
progressive intruders, for so the
whites must be regarded, They
tell nae that within the past
half dozen years the Mexicans
have made greater progress in
adopting the ways and customs of
Americans, and in the acceptance
of our civilization than they did
during the previous three decades.
If this be true, the former advance
was slow indeed, for even now the
descendants of the ancient discoy-I
ererS and invaders are a strange
race-strange az to their appear
ance, manners, customs, mode of
living and dress. They do not as.
simulate faster than the Chinese,
and, if one may be allowed to Judge
from appearances, are less progress
sive, less enterpriSing, less Clearly,
and far less Industrious than the
hated heather of Asia. OF course,
l Will be understood as speaking of
the masses, the common herd.
There are exceptions, few in mum
Der, perhaps, bat still numerous
enough to demonstrate that the
failure to keep pace with the times
IS not owing to lack of m9ntal or
physical capacity, but I'd her to
mere Incidence and want OF ambi-
ton. Hon. Tranquilino Luna. the
delegate TO Congress from New
Mexico, is a native, and only pure
CaStIljan blood flows through his
veins. His family is one of the
oldest in The territory, being traced
back many generations, and the
blood has never been adulter-
ated by Indian mixtures or
other irregular alliances. Mr..
Luna is an educated. talented
gentleman, thoroughly acquainted
with politics and policies, our in
suitutions and society, and keenly
appreciative Of and thoroughly i'm
bued with American ideas. There
are many others here who, like
him, have become Americanized in
the fullest sense of the term; but
the thousands are yet ignorant,
semi savage beings who, 1t
is feared, will never ap-
preciate the fate that opened
to them the way to citizenship and
voice in the government of the
most enlightened ard progressive
nation under the sun. The men are
exceedingly dark, are low-browed,
and Wh9ther or not their express
sions OF eountenance libel them, are
Sicked and vicious looking. I may
be wrong in my estimate Of char
acter, but the ordinary Mexican
looks to me as if he could cut a
human throat with as little COM
Function of conscience as another
man would feel in Strengthening a
sheep. These men, ill-clad and
dirty, one encounters everywhere
lounging in lazy groups on the
plaza, sitting OF the curbstones, fol
lowing shaggy, ambling burros
laden with wood, sitting at the
faro table, betting their little money
at other games of chance, working
in their gardens; in fact, they are
Omnipresent, and like the Chinese
each resembles the others in dress
and general features. It will be a
long Time before they are "civilized"
and reclaimed, as we understand the
terms. We may look for little i'm
provement in this generation, but
can hope for the next. The women
are apparently superior in intel
lectual development to their brothers
and husbands, and certainly are far
more attractive in appearance,
though they are not the beautiful
creatures that we IN the north have
been led to believe they were. l
don't think | have seen half a
dozen really handsome Mexican
women IN the city. though this is a
gala time, and the rich and better
classes from all sections of the ter
ritury are here TO see the exhibition
and take part in the tertiO-millen-
NAL celebration. The complexion
of the girls OF sixteen or eighteen
years is beautiful, being clear, fresh
and rosy, and the eyes are black,
sparkling and laughing; but the
teeth, one of the most attractive
features of q pretty woman, are
badly set, uneven and shockingly
ugly, and there is an entire absence
of that plumpness of face and form
that men 80 much admire in women.
Beyond the ages indicated the
women look faded, haggard and in
most instances downright ugly. The
features become scrawny, the Zones
project and protrude Extensively,
the skin dRrkens and turns
blotchy, the eyes grow snakey in
their blaekness, and the figure
is more than formerly wasted,
enaclated and angular. There are
handsome Mexican women, but they
are she exception aud not the rule.
L,.n rho aDnarel is only diSLautIy