Smyrna times., 1886-06-09
The Land Of Mexico.

Romance and rest is about all that
can be said of Mexico as | now find it.
For Il good many years l wandered
about Italy and patiently saw her peO-
pie ridden to death and borne down to
the earth by priests. But here?
What is here but rcst-the rest of
death ? find these people, after cen
turics, shut up in little mud huts,
without air and without light.
And yet this is the sweetest land to
look ON, to breathe in, to be in, that |
have vet found. February flowers are
in my hand, and on my table, as |
write in the heart of Mexico The day
has been warm, sweet as May, almost
sultrY.
How many such sweet days in the
year have you here Senor?"
| asked this question Of the polite
and kindly old bootblack, born at Chi
huahua, as l climbed up the crazy
stairs in this crazy old adobe house
Just now to begin my work. He
4 looked at me scratched his head with
his long claw-like nails, and l asked
/ him the question again. He got the
idea full in his head finally and then,
/ like a true, old fashioned generous Cas-
tilian, whO.always likes to make every
body happy, he said:
Zone thousand ~
gave him Mexican quarter for his
huge and generous account of the
many good days in the year down
here: and he insisted on scrambling
up after me and laying those same
claws on my bald bare head and giving
me his blessing.
Speaking Of this Mexican money, l
may mention that l am at this mo-
ment loaded down with it, True ]
have only what was, when l set out to
cross the border, fifty dollars. But for
that fifty dollar greenback | have in
pocket about sixty-fve massive Mexi
can silver dollars. Even their silver
here, to say nothing of their paper, is
sold at about seYenty-five cents, as
agninst our American silver dollar
They are plOwing here now and
planting. The forked stick, such a.
they used in Italy before the people
arose and drove the priests out, is the
only plow l have been able to fine
among the people in this fertile plain
The grain is trodden out by goats
!
and bored through the center, with oaL
poles put through for aXles. The oXeI
still have poles tied to their horns fol
yokes, as seen in the Greek pictures Oh
stone cuts of time out of history.
l went up on the hills, far out of tho
city this morning, among the people
Goats and sheep and pigs were being
herded together. Old Bible times
it seemed to me. Mexican men lay
ABOUT under the old walls, and watched
me and their ilOcks at the same time
Americans you meet wandering about
here or working on the railway, tel
you they are vicious, and that you will
he shot or knocked down and robbed
l know better These are good people
but oh so helpless, and so hopelessl
benighted. l shall GO among ther
with my pockets full of silver, as Ion
, as it lasts, as l went among the peopl
of Italy; and you will find that l sha
suffer no harm to the end.
All around at the bottom of thes
brown and lazy mountains l found Ii
tie mud huts, full of pretty brow
children full of silent, patient, blacI
eyed and miserably clad Women. An
all so shy. And such dense ignoranC
everywhere. Not one of the peop
can read or do aught but tend his fe
goats and sheep and swine, and driI
the patient little "burro," with burr
in his tail and all over his enormol
gOod-natured ears. Not one of the,
F. people, big or little, old or young, bl
Pt takes everything from the lips of IL
~ priests for Gospel. Great lazy an
d. dirty fellows these priests are, too,
OF look upon.
81 But, mind you, 1 do not think Il
priests are immoral or mean in al
way as q rule. l only think they a
pitifully mistaken. Talk with them 6
Is, the time; about the country; abo
ng the people about all things of whit
no they know anything, as | used to
+ other lands. And they all tell me tn
- this is the best that these people a
capable of.
The priests of Italy used to say thI
And yet see how tall and proud tn
that same PROSTATE Italy stands no
- The Mexican women? Away
Id, here in the mountains, far away fro
temptation, they are purity itse
10 Even the most impatient American C
find no cause OF complaint against the
modest and most most virtuous WON
up hero in the mountains. They q
fond of their children to Il degr,
% Every little bit of trinket or color th
can find goes to the little broy
baby.
nh And there is much color he
They make for themselves with tn
own hands-these modest brown "
cry men--many curious and beautiful b
of color to wear. They weave silk
ent in very primitive way, it is true--G
let they make their fabric glorious W
ap color. And how gracefully the lit
5S i5or ladies wear what Eide they lhave
va wear.
I am struck with the possibilities
It every foot of this fertile land. TT
ses. ss not every foot of Mexico is fertile,
4nd by great deal, but where the grou
is rich it is so very rich. And this
&c. public that now has only eight or
million souls, all told, may very "
sustain one hundred millions.
9. TO give you some idea Of the ext
- of Mexico 1 may mention that
3af- now, here in Chihuahua, sevC
hundred miles in the interior; aud