Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-03-07
THE CITY OF MENlCO.
A GLIMPSE AT HOME LIFE IN THE
QUAINT CITY.
How the Houses are BuiIt-The Mexican
Love of Mirrors-Why They DO Not
Warm Their Houses-A Mexican Dandy
and His Costume.


Especial Corr sTs'ndenreI
CRY or MEXICO Feb - I have a lovely
room on thf, azofeo roof All roofs are fiat
in this country. As IN Havana. On the
sou,h side i4 a nuhIi, Garden fIIad with
trees and fowers-la,Ieu though with dust
,hould think they hay. even les rain here
in the dry season tban in Havana The SIN
NAV set in dark c,ouds rise IN heavy clouds
and during the dav dark cIouds NAV cover
the ,kv and say. III will rain in n shorl
time will if notI had better not 60 ont "
The answer ALWAYS Is. oh no il never
rains at this season" II i. nmu.iny to sa.
with what confidence they sneak when tn.
Sims are all to the contrary They add.
1T NAV snow but il will not rain " To
hear them nredict snow when the leaves are
green and wi h ones hands full Of vioiets
lust gathered from the garden. is as in
credible In nne A. that the clouds do not
uortend roin
The houses belonging to the wealthy class
are palat.al residences two storie. high
with . court in the centar. the rooms huiIt
on the four sides all communicating bv
doors and or,rir, on ver,rdas in which
are rare nIants and birI. The rooms oa
the sou,b side have all tho hansfts Of th.
and lovely rarDptpl with the most
exnansive cor1ats chair. and sofas covered
with satin damask elegant and e1nansive
iplaiI t,bIes eXnu1.ita v.ses and su,erb
banrinrs. In short in this citv so far from
the civilizqtion of Pari. and London one
finds nothing wanrinr. Int the greatest
disrlavs of wealth ar, the mirrors-mirrors
corresponding in size with he parIors and
they are surssrb and four ami six IN a room
in the wealthieSt houses in the states
Imagine these mirrors and costly articles
being brough from Vera Cruz TO the CITY Of
Mexic, ON the backs Of muIes before the
FncIish did the MeXicans the favor TO build
tha railroad for them The lower rooms are
occupied by the men servants and their
families and for carr age houses and
stables The rooms frontinr on the street
are pener ,lly occupieI as places of business
In these lower rooms The sun never enters
being completely sh ,dei bv the veranda of
the upper story, and, having no fires are ey-
ceedi. Civ rod and damp The walls are
stained with the damrnes. two or three feet
from the floor In such DIare, most Of the
busines, men spend their lives. | shook
hands several time, with gentlemen in these
offices and their hands were as cold as ice,
j.
that hev do no, warm their build.n-s by
artificial heat they rerlv: Going from a
warm atmosphere to a cold one in the street
would be sure to rive one the pneumonia,"
Was ever anv iie. so ahsurdl Deaths by
tvphoi p1eurnonla are quite as common as
in tn, state& The houses belonging to the
middle class ere !uiIt on the ground floor.
and only on one de of an inclosure.
The entrances from the street, the same
for the family horses and carriages are
immense Ioprs Thev open on the garden
and the rooms occupied bv the family are
strung along one after another on one side
of tue incosure, commencing with the
parlor and ending in the kitchen, stable,
etc. There is no hall. If YOU wish to avoid
r,lsSing through a room, or if YOU find the
door fastened, YOU must 90 into the yarl 10
rass on. In rainy weather pass nv time
N bed to keep warm and dry. For davs
do not leave nv bel The native ladies wrap
themselve, in sha Wis, and the delicate ones
remain in bed and this is the finest climate
in the " world" at least so Alexander Humboldt
pronounced it But one could be sufficiently.
or, rather entirely comfortable il one could
have a fire They say people do not live to
an Old age in Mexico | have a memorandum
dated NJ ,rch ) Ii SAYS that nearly three
weeks ago it commenced to rain AMI i: has
continued to rain ever since both dav and
night One day it showed; they said the
noun. aims were white Think OF remainin
nearly three weeks in bed only TO keep warm
and dry But must be cOntentei and re-
member that | am realizing a dream, or.
rather hope of almost life time to see the
CITY of Mexico | assure YOU for one, that
it has not the finest climate in the world
Give me the hot suns and delightful sea
breezes of Cuba The natives saw to me
when complain Of the cold: "Oh, wait TN
til April But in the meantime | am abso-
lutely suffering; have rheumatic pains for
the first time in nv life. AMI had cough
Just believe that for the present, am
heartily sick of nv visit to Mexico a filthy.
dusty CITY in dry weather and no western
town Ia the wild WOODS, is more muddy in
wet weather When YOU come to Mexico,
don't come in the winter months Remem-
bert The sidewalks are never swept WAS
caught in a wind storm on the street one
day in the dry season. and had to take refuge
in a butch RS shop The dust rose above
the two-story houses in such quantity that
the opposite side of the street was invisible
The Mexican ladies seldom, the wealthy
nerer, walk their dusty streets Many ladies
are on the streets. but they are mostly
foreigners Carriage hire Is very reason
able-half a dollar an hOur-and if you oc-
cupy one a little less than an hour the
driver is willing to take twenty-five cents
| have not been TO church recently for
with the doors all open feel so much draft
that have had an increase Of nv cold each
time that have venturei to go Perhaps
I con d find a sheltered SDO- in the cathedral
but LonnetS are not allowed there There is