Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-06-26
MEXICO.
sketch OF History and Progress.

Dir. and Mrs. Eaton, IN this city, lee
tured on Mexico in the Congrega-
tional church last Sunday even
ing. before large and attentive
congregation Mr.. Eaton's remarks
were listened to with close attention
throughout. Until recently" he said,
'.rediscovered by the enterprising man
of business and the wide-awake news
paper correspondent, Mexico has been.
to the people of this generation, an I'M
known land. There is a widespread
curiosity and desire to learn more of
her romantic history and rich resources.
This country stretching across the CONT
nent from ocean to ocean, and extend
ing far southwark within the tropics,
presents great variety of soil, climate
and productions. On her high central
table-lands, ranging from 5000 to 5000
feet above the sea, are found the wheat,
corn, cotton and fruits of the temperate
zone, and here are situated her most
populous cities; while east and west
along her coasts are the tierraS calienteS
or hot lands, which produce coffee, sug-
ar, tobacco and tropical fruits and val
liable woods in abundance. Her noun
tains are richly stored with silver. gold,
copper, iron, lead, tin and building
stone.
Although one-half of her original ter
ritory has come into the possession of
our own country, the area of Mexico is
still nearly equal 20 that of the United
States east of the Mississippi river. and
contains a population of ten millions.
Having been conquered and settled by
the Spaniards one hundred years before
the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth,
why has this land so signally failed to
keep step with other nations in the
march of progress?
THREE CAUSES OF BACKWARDNEsS.
/. Physical There are no water
ways for internal commerce. Very
few safe harbors on the coast to favor
foreign trade, and these difficult Of ac-
cess to the populous towns in the high
interior.
III. Political The country was
ruled for three centuries, as mere de-
tendency of Spain, by viceroys sent
across the sea who were generally men
of selfish cruel and rapacious spirit.
Iii. Ecclesiastical. Priests accom-
panied the invading army of Cortez and
instituted the ''unbloody sacrifice of
the Mass, in place of human victims,
and erected the crucltix and images of
the Virgin and Saints, instead of the
hideous idols of the Aztec worship.
Thus a branch of Christianity was has
tily grated upon the stock of primitive
heathenism. Little was done for edu-
a ho ~
STEAL the priests land hands on, until
the Church became possessed of about
one third-some say one half-of all the
property of the country.
REMOVAL OF THE OBSTACLES.
/. Railroads furnish the arteries for
commerce, closely connecting Mexico
with our system of transportation. The
Mexican Central r. r. is completed
1924 miles, from the Rio Grande to the
Capital, with branch lines begun to the
coasts of the Gulf and the Pacific; and
other roads, projected and constructing,
will complete the emancipation.
Ii. In 1920 Mexico revolted from the
tyranny of the misnamed ''mother
country and secured her independence
as republic with a constitution for
confederate states closely conformed to
our own polity The efforts of Napoleon
and the Roman Church to foist upon
them emperor were thwarted, and
the frequent revolutions which retarded
prosperity, have largely become thing
of the past.
Ill With the overthrow of Maximil-
ian the Church was bumbled all of
her landed property, schools, converts,
&c, confiscated The Jesuits and Sis
tiers of Charity banished; marriage
made solely civil contract; cemeteries
placed under the municipal control; re-
ligious professions and the wearing of
ecclesiastic vestments on the streets
prohibited Liberty of religious faith
and worship was decreed, with heavy
penalties denounced against all disturb
ers of lawful religious assemblies. A sys-
tenn of public schools was introduced
in which thousands OF the youth are re-
ceiving instruction.
NEED OF TIE GOSPEL.
|. One class of directors oppose
missions to nominally Christian land,
saying that the people have some of the
truth, their religion is good enough for
them, and they have many of the vir-
tues, being kind, affectionate, industri-
Gus and hospitable
2. A second set, principally resi-
dents among them, declare that they
are lazy, good-for- nothing people
hopelessly behind the age. They are
a nation of liars, thieves and adulterers,
| and you can never make anything out
of them
The Roman Catholic theology, as
embodied in the modernized DEGREES
of the Council of Trent, published to
the world after the triumphs of Luther's
Reformation, is one thing, generally
reasonable and profitable for our study.
Quite another affair is Roman Catholic
practice, as seen in Mexican worship
and morals.
| If the Church in Mexico could be
compared for a moment with the more
enlightened branch in the United States,
where many of the hierarchy favor ed
ucation and have taken noble stand
for temperance and morality, and the
greater portion of the clergy avoid scan
dial in their lives, the lecturer would
| not consider that he had any call to la
Dor as a missionary TO that people.
lie then proceeded to call the roll of
the ten commandments, to show their
gross violations of the plain laws against
idolatry, profaneness, Sabbath desecra-
ton, murder, adultery, theft and false
hood.
| Our space will not allow us to repeat
the surprising statements of fact and
telling anecdotes with which he sus-
tanned his positions. But when dwell
ing on the insecurity of life and proper
ty on the public highways, and even in
some of the cities, the speaker caused
something of sensation by producing
| from his hip pocket the Smith and Wes-
son revolver, which. during the past
three months he has felt it to be his
duty to carry in sight on his tours
| through the country, adopting the gen
eral custom when off the main lines of
travel. There are many eowardly
| thieves who would kill man for the
clothes be has on-a native of the coun
try no less than foreigner or Protest
| ant-unless there were some chance of
getting hurt.
Ignorance is yet gross and wide
spread. Woman, even in the higher
classes, leads deplorably idle and use
less life, behind the bars of windows
when not going to mass, reading French
novels. smoking cigarettes, and gossip
ping about her servants and her neigh
bors. The more intelligent men. scorn-
ing the superstitions of the Church are