Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-08-14

ary hero Don Vicente Guerrero, and has
figured more conspicuously than any other
in Mexico's long struggle foriDde2endence.
In its capital-a little village of less than
3 coo inhabitants. named Chilpanirago.
bat more frequently called, with pride,
La CUidad de los Braves, the City OF
Patriots the first National Congress OF
the Mexican Republic was called together
Our fathers fought no more courageousiy
i, the American revolution, nor prolonged
the struggle with less encouragement than
these fathers of Aexico's independence.
In this first Congress the flower Of the
nation assembled, comprising such dis
tinguished heroes as Bustamente, the his
tnriau; Iturbide, afterwards Emperor;
Ignacio Payon, Carrona, aud others whose
names are household words.
y hen Iturbide marched out OF the
capital with 5000 soldiers TO capture the
native patriot Guerrero-who, with hand
ful of followers, was hiding in the slerT2s
around AlcapulcO-he hsd no sooner en-
tered this State and marked The pulse OF
the people, than he saw that the cause of
the oppfeSs0r vas hopeless; and be wisely
resolved to cast il his fortunes with the
party of the future, rather than cling TO the
party whose DAYS were numbered. There
fore, instead OF fulfilling his mission OF
engaging Guerrero III mortal combat no
invited that patriot to an amicable meeting
Gn January, 1921. and together they pro
eeeded 10 the town Of lguala, where they
drew up the celebrated "Pian,H by which
tle Army of the three Guarantees y
liberty, union and Independence speedily
terminated the war and banished Spanish
domination forever
The State OF Guerrero covers an
erea Of little less than 6l000 square hilo-
meters, and is eminenily An agricultural
aud mining region, although ut present
from lack of funds and energY--the min
ing interest is at a standstil, notWithstand-
ing the
RICH PLACER DEPosGTs.
Every variety OF most luscious tropical
fruits abound in this section; also cotton,
tobacco. rice, sugar medicinal plants,
dye and precious woods besides gold, sill
yer, iron, lead, copper, coal, cinnabarl pc
troleum, platina, mercury, nitrate of potash
and asbestos. Government lands sell at the
rate Of % cents per American acre, and
some of the most fertile sections are still
unoccupied in the vicinity OF the Papa
guyO and Ometepec rivers, and between the
slopes OF the Sierra Madre del SGr and the
TepOslepec mountains.
In that section known as the TieETa Col
Orado q very curious but harmless cuta-
neous affection prevails, here known as
qltiric,irG, which causes people TO appear
spotted, as if painted all over the face and
body i'll huge polka dots, and hence the
natives are dubbed Piat0s, or painted peo
pie" That much more dreaded mental
disease. known to The world as Cretinism,
is as alarmingly prevalent in the mOuntain
Switzerland. In Europe the disease is rarely
encountered at higher altitude than 8 coo
feet, and chiefly haunts valleys that are
surrounded by high, steep walls of rock.
that exclude the light and limit free circu-
latiou of air, but in Guerrero it appears to
be confined to no fixed elevation or especial
CONFORMATION of soil Goitre is often found
in connection with it, here as in the lower
Alpine valleys, not only of Switzerland and
Italy, but of the Pyrenees, Syria, India and
China. The cause of cretinism is still inn
perfectly understood but the researches of
The eminent scientist, Virchow, tend TO the
conclusion that it is merely
PHYSICAL DEGENERATION,
Dependant upon the reception of an undue
amount Of calcareous matter into the sys-
tenn, and, like goitre. is confined exclusively
70 sections where CalCareouS waters alone
are accessible 10 the inhabitan Cretins.
of whatever nationality, are always most
pitiable objects but here they are regarded
with a degree of veneration, or rather of
religious superstition. as those who, from
their state of faulty can commit no sin.
They are invariably the most shameless,
dirty and obscene creatures that the I'M
agination can conceive, with abnormaily
yocacious appetites. tongue hanging from
the open mouth, eyes small, nose fiat and
broad, forehead retreating, complexion ca
daverous, body dwarfsh, legs rickety. and
abdomen protubeTant.
Not only in Mexico, but in other coun-
tries many philanthropic attempts have
been made 10 improve the condition of the
Cretin, bv removing him in childhood from
the locality of his birth, and by careful
training. Perhaps the most celebrated in
etitutiou in the world for this class of
semi-ioiots is that established by the good
DR.. Guggenbuhl in the Abendberg, near
lnterlaken. Switzerland but in spite of all
that science can devise, not one case has
ever been heard Of where the niseries of
Cretinism have been so much as mitigated.
Happily it is disease to which its viCtlms
are born-not one that is liable 10 come
upon persons late in life.
FANNIE B. WARD.