Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-08-06
Gun NEXT DOOR ErCHBOR.
Letter From the City of Mexico.

ne FINANCIAL SITUATION - INTENSIVE RAILWAY
WAsRours-THB ITALIAN LABoKEAs-MKxiokS So
c1AL LIEs-RARD FATE OF THE NUNS, ETC
Special Correspondence OF The EVENING STAR
MEXICO CRY, July 81, 1884
The recent excitement In commercial circles here
has at length suosaded After several interviews
with the executive and minister OF finance. who
held out firmly against all protests, the merchants
and manufacturers nave accepted the cold tons OF
the "new stamp tax" An engaged IN manufacture
Ing paid their "contribuciones" directly into the
and the importers and retail merchants,
after several meetings, have decided upon the
'fquala plan"-that Is, each man 10 pay In proper
ton 70 the stock on hand money employed in his
agreement 70 hold good until the end
OF the present nScal year. All the merchants OF the
distant northern and western states were repre-
sented BY men who were finally Instructed cy tele-
graph 10 follow the lead or the principal merchants
OF Vera Cruz and Mexico City. Yesterday a depu-
tatton OF the Wholesale merchants had long inter-
view with President Gonzalez ana Gen Miguel de
"a Pena, and to-day each man Is paying his quota
70 the government
The Aexican central railroad bridge across the
RIO Granoe IS bow fully repaired, and ordinary
resumed Rumor says we may
now expect some three or four tons OF American
newspapers and magazines, which are lying In the
o,ciny OF me broken bridge or al E! Paso day
Strother, the American consul general, who has
just returned from the United states The broken
days more than he anticipated. The heavy rain
falls OF this semtropica region occasion the rail-
foaa companies great deal OF expense. The IN
gunee 10 the bridges and roadbeds have cost about
s. 600 600 throughout the northern part OF Mexico
since This rainy season" commenced. No doubt
these e6periences-new TO the American cum
panleSNWu lead TO unwonted precautions and
much greater soltdlty In the construction OF roads
from the report OF Mexican government COM
which are almost ready to be aTcnivedl Your CORE
spondent translates the following sta ementS his
object being TO refute the charges made In Aiuerr-
can and European journals 10 the effect that tie
Italian colonists brought out here 10y the present
administration have been deceived. ma.trrated,
ana starved" The trgJA ~ that Idle vdgabUnds
honest laborers they proposed To hrne here. Tn sc
people were too lazy 70 work. and. AFTER the gov
eminent had paid their passales, erected houses
for them, furnished seed, agricultural implements,
and everything necessary for their comfort. and
even fed them from one TO three years a al this,
100, on fruitful lands, which yield two crops ger
annum-in region OF perpetual spring-thsy actu-
ally refused TO work, Abandoned their farms, and
began TO beg In all the large towns or cities IA
their vicinity. Not all the Immigrants, however.
In justice 10 the peasSnts from JDe northern parts
OF Italy, let me assure you they are honest, Indus
tfious, and perfectly content-even deeply grateful
Tor the homes Mexico has provided Tor them.
As we have OF late had IN this federal capital a
goodly number OF journalists or reporters Who have
written marvellous accounts OF Mexico, politically,
ana even socially. without really beng
acquainted with the real ladies OF the
land allow me 10 1t least say WORD about Mexican
women OF the higher class The scrloes referred 10
seem u have conveyed TO the people throGs bout
the United States an idea that Mexican iauIts, OF
even the highest class, are Ignorant, or at least
mot well educated" This is u stake For many
years . lsr.e majority OF refined and wealthy Mex
leans have employed foreign governeSes am tutors
1or their Children, and many educate Iheir daugn-
ters In Europe. II Is hot VI omnon 10 meet In
society Mexican ladies VINO SPEAK English, French
ana Italian nuently, play admirably, and have a
fair knowledge OF general literature. Your cor
respondent certainly KNOWS none who have "ned-
a
yet these ladies would grace any drawlng-Ioom IN
England OF the United States
Although sixty yeais Of Intestine disturbances
and several foreign wars have desoated this coan-
try. ana proved so disastrous to nnunerable arts
tocratic families, women OF the h gher class
rarely, ever educated WITH view t. sefrcliance.
THIS lack OF precautiOn is undoubtedly duc 10 TIE
prevalence OF grand old Spanish custom, which
viitualiy oblges men to take care OF their femai,
relatives, especially II Impoverished. When the
lather OF family dies, the widow. no matter IL she
De stald matron OF forty, must, In conformity with
TINS oid-tlIne custom, relinQulsh the care OF her
properly ana the education or her sons she is
ally considered capable or attending her dlugn-
tersb TO the supervision OF her father brother or
some male ne atve: II she has 10 near klndr d. then
some OF her husbands relatives assume the man
asement OF her affairs She does not dream OF ..in-
dependence" II The widow De left destitute. then
the Kindred OF both sides or the house provide Tor
her and her children. When girls are berert or
both parents, they are received by relatives as a
matter OF course. and are not Inundated by any
bitter sense or de,endence. This a. a general rule:
the Cases are not exceptional, "a in our cod land
The chivalrous and honorable nature or true Mexi-
Can gentlemen is proved by the TACT that thn eS-
tates or WIDOWS and orphans are almost invariably
carefully and honestly administered.
Ii, WHEN ladies' are actually destitute. their male
ssd n, so1d iai 70 Te,pond 70 their apeas for
vide al leaSt The necessities OF life for Them Next
Can gentlemen, Tar from complaining OF such bur-
dens. fos'er this habit OF dependence, and regard
tne case OF impoverished relatives as knighly, or
sacred duty.
Foreigners do not admire this clanship in fact,
r II pt,, 0aIa
EnenshTnan once liughingly remarked 10 your cor
respondent: "MatTimony Is a serious affair ia
Mexico. for In order TO obtain the hand OF his lady
love man Is obliged to virtually contract TO sup
port hall parish In war; pestilence or famine
leave On his wife'S side OF the house widowed SIS
tiers. orphaned neces, and score or 50 OF helpless
aunts and cousins"
Few women In this beautiful land have suffered
greater v1clsSltudes than the dispossessed nuns
When the liberals gaineS he asceDdancy, and the
church property was CO. Gated. hundreds OF hese
Refuses, who were inexperienced as children
and as umid as doves, were cast out into the word
The converts had long been asylums for the Or
many ladies OF noble or arstocratic families nad
entered these retreats with bowers varying from
NIFTY TO TWO hundred thousand dollars, and lived
There In comparative ease. attending only TO reii-
gous duties or ceremonials. All The mental latOrs
were performed by lay sisters, or Indian nuns, who
though nomlnaily the equals OF these daughters OF
Spanish hidalgos, were Ia reality the willing ser
wants or heir weil-born "SlsterSn
When the naturalization OF the church domain
was decreed the liberals desiring TO provide for
these re luses, promulgated law which secured 10
each evlcted nun, whether an aristocrat, who on
entering clOSter had richly dow u IL, or sim
pie indian girl, who had given The institution merely
the aid or her strong arms, $1,000. As il was not
possible TO pay this amount IA cash each woman
received lien on the church property in the form
OF mortgage, the interest on which was, or was
to be. paid semi-annually. Many devotees OF good
families, rather than indorSe this tact OF spolia-
ton" refused to accept these NOR; cages On those
cases their portions reverted to the stateD and
either returned TO the homes OF their relatives or
induced wealthy friends TO send them TO converts
In Cuba, Europe or South America, where almost
nuns who were poor remained In Mexico, and con-
tnued TO reside near the federal capital and o. her
large cities. where, In seasons OF epideucS DUR
Ing revolutionary times they have nobly Devoted
themselves TO the care OF the sick and wounded.
O1ten 70 the responding. the desolate and dying in
hospitals and on the battlefield, they have proved
really ministering angels These eucted nuns have
schools Ia isolated parts of the country for the In
dams, out the government regarded these WORKS OF
Charity as SO many attempts TO evade the re.orm
laws under which the suppression OF the conven-
tual and monastic orders had been effected and
some years ago eXlled these Sisters OF Mercy.
limited number OF the expelled reigieuses went to
Upper California, where they were Hospitality re-
ceived The few aged sisters who remain In the
vicinity OF their ruined and deSecrated cloisters
spend the greater part OF each day praying for the
restoration OF clerical power.
Tue star or the conservative pirty, although not
yet lar above the horizon, seems 10 be Ia the
dant c. It.
The Romance OF a Death Bed.
CLAIMING A HUSBAND AFTER his DEATH.
Miss Nellie Davis, the daughter OF prominent