The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-05-27
IN A MEXICAN INDIANS HOUSE.
a Massive. Ancient northumberland
mass and nr;sarv


ness and Misery.
Walk straight out east, pass the south
side of the palace from the grand plaza,
cross the bridge over the wall or canal,
and go straight on to No. II. This No.
II is great rusty, creaking portal which
opens into a paved court where at least
100 babies are playing over the rough
hagstones or about their mothers as they
grind, or wash, or knit, or sew. This
massive and ancient portal is the door of
about fifty homes.
AS you enter you see large brass sign
fastened up on the side of the wall. 1t
is secured there by big paddock. These
large signs that you see locked up on the
walls all about the city are usually rich
and massive plates of solid silver. This
is the doctors sign.
And surely, surely it is needed here.
The smellsl And yet any aagstone is as
clean as soap and water and broom can
make it. Look in at each door as you
pass. The floors are like snow. They
are scrubbed and washed almost perpet-
ually. There is no cleanliness like this
Mexican cleanliness anywhere. And yet
it is such helpless, silly might almost
add such dirty-cleanliness This is the
part of the city where you are almost
constantly taking off your hat to blue
and red and curiously pictured collins.
Now let us look at these houses. The
doors are all open. Why? Because the
only light that ever enters these caverns
is through the door and wooden win
dow on hinges. In all these forty or fifty
hOf1coc ~ 81, <,f <~lo =
single current of air can pass through
one of them. Bear in mind this is the
sample middle-class Mexican house, not
the Indian adobe hut at all. These
houses are all stone; all under the police
and sanitary regulations of Mexico City,
and are entirely orderly and respectable.
And yet SO wretched and miserable are
these people that am certain if Ameri-
cans were to live here they would lay
life down as a burden too dreadful to be
borne. But you never hear of suicides
here. And, indeed, why should they
kill themselves? They die so fast here
that the youngest of them need not to
wait very long. Take off your hat;
more collins on the backs of the little
bow-legged Indians are passing by the
great portal. The walls of these houses
are from four to six feet thick; every
house is a fol tress, you see. The rent is
81 month for house on the ground;
but one room, one door. A large family
will live in one of these dark, damp
caves. Their children are born here:
from here they bury their numerous
dead. They try hard to be happy. They
sometimes dance, when the collins are
not passing, on the clean hagstones in
the court.
There are holes in the hagstones down |
the center of the long court into which |
all the Stops are emptied. The sewer is
clogged up sometimes. Then they lift one |
of the hagstones and the thick. green,
and poisonous water is made to creep on |
and out to the open gutter in the level |
street. If ever the yellow fever climbs |
to this height and sets down in this val
ley there viii not be soul of this primi- |
live and helpless people left on the banks
Of these dank lakes. You imagine them
idle? ignorant? must repeat again and
again the Aztec is the most industrious |
creature on this earth. And do not think
him ignorant of books. Ignorant he is of |
Ill the laws of health, helpless in taking
care of himself, for the master has had
MS heel ON his neck for centuries; but his
children are at school. And many an old
Spanish book may be found in these
dreadful dens Of misery, Of helpless,
hopeless poverty.
Yes, they have forgotten their own
language. And those of the city have
iorgotten their old traditions. They only
nave the Spanish account of the con-
quest. But the mountain tribes come
Town and wander about and across the
,ity talking strange tongues. And these
AVE kept their traditions. They have
llso kept their blood pure, not only from
he Spapiards, but from each other. The
women of each tribe wear their own
Instinct dress, made by hand up in
heir mountains, and highly colored.
'ome of them are much like the Scotch
'laids of the Highlands, far over the sea.
Ind one would think that these strange
RIDES meeting and mingling here would
ght and trouble the peon. But nothing
f the sort. They come and they go with
ips sealed. With all the silent mystery
bout them, they go as they come, few
and none caring, WHITTIER
oaquin Miller's Letter in Chicago
Tyo1oa