Huntsville gazette., 1886-07-17
IN ARGENTINA.
Interesting Account of the Various Races
One Meets in Buenos Ayres.

Interesting Account of the Various Races
One Meets in Buenos Ayres.
Argentina is the cream of South Tenn
perate America. 1t stretches through
thirty degrees Of latitude distance OF
$500 miles, with an average width Of
more than 500 miles, covering a plat
Of 200, 900 square miles. Spread this
field out over the United States and it
will cover all the territory east Of the
Mississippi river, and have enough left
to carpet England, Wales, Ireland and
Scotland, and the German empire. 1t
could nesrly house second protestant
Ism.
Walking through the capital-Buenos
Ayres-one can easily imagine himself
in almost any city of southern Europe.
Most of the languages of southern
Europe are falling upon his ear. One
can hardly enter store without having
goods offered in four or five languages,
till one is found that will best fit the
customer. German was usually tried
on me first. In the hotels every tongue
is spoken about one except English,
and that also in a few of the best
hotels, but little English is needed.
One often hears in a group of six or
eight persons conversation in Spanish,
italian, French, Portuguese, German,
of the business is in the hands Of Eng
disappearing people, they have taken
up the languages of the country to
reach the people, who learn the kindred
languages of the south of Europe but
seldom learn English. One meets edu-
Gated people who handle the English
with great success, but these are the
exceptions. There is a saying down
here that 'sthe English and North
Americans get on so well in life
because they learned the English; after
English, nothing is difficult"
The 3,25O,OOO that make up the
aggregate of the population Of the
Argentine Republic, are distributed
as to origin in the following pro-
portion: Argentines (not including
the children of foreigners), 81 per
cent; Italians, II per cent; Spanish, 6
per cent; French 5 per cent; English,
2per cent; Germans and Swiss, per
cent; all others, 6 per cent. These
figures will indicate what changes are
to be wrought before English becomes
the language of the country. The
largest and most powerful English
colony of the world is in this city of
Buenos Ayres. 1t does much of the
business, and publishes two daily news
papers, with an aggregate circulation
of less than 5000. On our journey to
Paraguay we found not one person able
to speak English, though our steamer
was crowded with shifting passengers.
Two lads returning to college in Corri-
entes said they had studied English
three years. When we asked them
what they had read in English they re-
piled, after considerable choking and
twisting of the throat: "Check Spec"
by which they meant Shakespeare.
That was the only English they could
stand a single word The little
Spanish community in New York,
with its Spanish paper, will make
North America Spanish as soon as the
English community here will make
South America English.
Reckoning the children born in Ar
gentina as natives-and there is no
reason for not so reckoning them
there are II per cent. of foreigners in
the population, as compared with II
per cent. in the United States, 8 per
cent. in Switzerland, per cent. in
Brazil, per cent. in Chill and France.
and per cent in England. lmmigra-
ton is rapidly increasing. In 1860
there arrived 1866 immigrants; in
1865. II, 767; in 1870. 39,667; in 1873,
42,O66; in 1880, Al, ,618; in 1888, 63,20O;
in 1884. 71,400; in 1885 the returns, not
yet published, are expected to reach
100000 These immigrants taken to-
gether for ten years show Italians, 70
per cent; Spaniards, 10 per cent;
French, 10 per cent; German and
Swiss per cent; English 2 per cent;
others 4 per cent Among the for
eigners the birth-rate is higher and the
death-rate less than among the natives.
These facts indicate tendency toward
a change in the character of the people
of this country.-Bishop Foa0ter, IN
Chicago NeUs.