The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-31
DOWN IN MEXICO.
HOW SOME OF OUR PEOPLE MISSE-
HAVE AMONG THE MExIcANS.
why the Average American Is Not Liked
One Trait Which Is Specially
Provokinas--The Rudeness of
an Excursion Party.
Mexico Cor. New York Post

/ have said the average American is not
liked. As mi yht be expecte |, there are
many in Mexico who are just as much re-
spected ami liked as anybody No one
recognizes gentleman more quickly than
the Mexican, and no one .ap rebates one
more. Some of these Americans have lived
there many years, have well-established
business, and own property; others have
but lately como in with the railroads. or
are connected with them, and have entered
the country TO stay. TIE testimony of all
these is unanimous that an American who
attends to his own affairs obeys the laws
and acts as he would in any other foreign
country, is as well Gated as any where on
earth.
My observation has gone even beyond
this, viz. that an American who does not
behave himself is not treated half as badly
as he deserves. Americans would not dare
to behave in any other foreign country as
most of them do in Mexico, yet their i'm
pudence and intolerable swagger are pa
tiently endured. If they do not in some
way break the law, they are not molested;
and, if they do, they often e,cape with
half the punishment they deserve. Some
of the Americans are coarse, vulgar loafers,
whose looks condemn them half a mile
away, whom it is safe TO arrest at any time
on mere suspicion; others are roughs and
refugees who are much wanted" by prose-
cutting attorneys in tho United States;
others are genteel dead-beats who, per-
haps, bring good letters of introduction,
borrow money AMI get credit upon them,
and suddenly disappear; others may be
honest and industrious enough, but simply
i'll bred.
OF all the Americans traits, his peculiar
style of getting intoxicated most pr0vokes
the Mexican The Mexican has no objection
to a mans taking too much. He himself oc-
casionally MISTAKES his gauge. But he does
it at home. or if not he gets home or to the
calaboose with all pos ,ible dispatch with the
aid of friend or a policeman He makes
no noise, disturbs no one, and generally goes
to sleep. The Americans style is just the
reverse. He makes all the noise he can, dis
turbs everybody, and stays awake all night
This is his sole conception of "high time.
The Mexican generally gets intoxicated &C.
cidentlly, the American Intentionally and
with intent to paint the town." which he
here does in royal style.
A much better class of Americans is now
entering Mexico, and the Mexicans will
perhaps soon presume an American to be q
gentleman until they learn otherwise, in
SCedu Ol Tue contrary. Otlu tOo iiiauy oNoh
of those who should know better behave in
Mexico too much as they would in an Indian
village in their own country. Last winter
an excursion party of some forty or fifty
young men and women from San Francisco
went down to Mexico. They were all over
81 years of age, and as they Travelled in two
| special Pullman cars and were fashionably
dressed. it is fair to presume they had been
brought up by somebody and educated some
where At Paso del Norte some of them
Clipped off pieces of the church to see what
it was male of, and shook hands with
the figure of the Virgin Mary. At
other places they walked into houses and
looked about if they were ancient ruins,
without asking permission or saying word
to the inmates. In others they felt of the
peoples clothes to see the quality of the fab
RIGS.
Everywhere they stared at native ladies
and gentlemen infinitely their superiors in
education, refinement and wealth, much as
one would gaze at wild animals. In true
American style it was assumed, of course,
that none of the natives understood q word
of English, and comments of all sorts were
exchanged in full hearing of the object Of
the comments. All such actions are pa
tiently endured by the people, who generally
attribute them to ignorance AMI bad breed
ing, though there are plenty who are acute
enough to know that they are thus treated
simply because they are Mexicans, and that
Americans would not think Of thus acting
the hoodlum in England, France or Ger
many.