New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-08
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
FACE 10 FACE WITH THE MExICANs. By faMf
CHAMBERS 0eoCH With two hundred hiustrs''o"''
Ouartz,. SsA florida. Howard Hulbere

FACE 10 FACE WITH THE MExICANs By FAINT
CHAMBERS GeocH. With two hundred ihus'rs''"''
Quarto, up. 5s& Fords. Howard Hulbsrt
This is an interesting account Of residence OF
several wears in Mexico by an American woman
who had her eyes open and appears to have noo
only seen a great deal, but to have taken carciui
notes of everything she saw. 1t is oil the moro
interesting because the author from the hrso 'ooh
IN the modes of life of the people OF the country
and 50 oui.lxlv acquired q knowledge Of the Gus
toms and idiosyncrasies such as nc mere .r'Nei-
Ter could have attained TO- IL Is not likely
however that her lively and entertaining &C
count Of her trials will induce other Grngos'
n 90 and do likewise, for however amusing
narrative of such experiences may be, the kind
of life itself must be anything but fascinating.
Mexican conservatism proved altogether too per
sistent for her in the long Every attempt
10 introduce American methods IN cooking or
housekeeping met with the stereotyped pro-
test, No es costumbres-" 1t is not the CUSTOM
and this statement was everywhere regarded as
settling the question finally against the proposed
innovation.
Mrs GoOch made plucky efforts to obtain her
own way, but Il was no use. She was not al
lowed TO her own marketing. That was the
legitimate function of the mazo, or house stew
ard, who always receives his commission from
the storekeepers and market people with whom
he deals. One mazo permitted the author to
make her own purchases Of provisions, but calmly
informed her that he expected her TO pay him
precisely the same commission he would have
received from the dealers had he done the work
Then she had dreadful struggles over the culinary
ARRANGEMENTS The Mexican ktchen-range is
exceedingly primitive being in fact merely
circular rm of baked clay on the earthen noor
of the kitchen. Inside of this miniature circus
ring little charcoal fires are lighted, one under
D,Ia and Qc
the apparatus is, however cook or mazo could
be found who was willing to abandon it for an
American cooking stove. Mrs. Gooch procured
one of the latter but her servants left her rather
than use il. All the cooks declared that it
would give them disease of the liver: besides, no
es costumbrc" was perpetually in their mouths,
and that an ultmatum.
The author was received into Mexican society,
and saw much OF the National domestic life.
She found it very pleasant and civilized. She
liked the people, and has much warm praise Tor
their better qualities When, however she be-
gins to talk about Mexican literature and to
bestow epithets upon the verse-wrlterS which
would be appropriate to the greatest European
and American poets of the century, the reader Is
apt to experience doubt to the sobriety of
her Judgment and the discrimination of her lit
erary taste. The plain truth is that Mexico has
no literature and that what is called poetry there
would not be admitted to the obscurest corner
Of a country newspaper In any other country,
unless it might be In Spain, which is only less
decadent In this field Of production. If Mrs.
Gooch had confined herself entirely to recording
her experiences, and had spared her readers
the long historical summaries which she has IN
serted il would have been better for the interest
of her book. Naturally, the freshest and most
attractive parts of her work those which treat
of Mexican interior life. Her account of the
women indeed introduces little that is new.
though il confirms much that has been told be-
fore The whole system of bringing up girls In
the sister Republic seems con.rived to make them
as useless and uncOmpanionable to their husbands
as possible. They never learn housekeeping, nor
for that matter anything else of the least prac
tical utility. They do not read, nor discuss
FERROUS questions nor think to any purpose.
They ore fair to look upon, graceful, gentle and
loft with good manners When that is said all
S said. They exist in semi-Orental secluson,
md are O very charming attractive, helpless
md useless kind Of creatures
OF course this applies only to the upper ten
The mass Of the Mexican Nation consists OF poor
peop!e, Indians and mostizos, who are raised but
little above savagery, who treat their women as
working automata for the most part, and who
have little or no civilization. Mrs. Gooch could
not I'm the nature of things, ascertain much
about the inner life of the masses, for she could
hot mix with them and the presumption is that
her information on this head is mostly derived
from others. Nothing that she says, however,
Is calculated TO change the belief that the Next
can people have long way to go before they
will be fit to establish and maintain self govern
ment. and before it would be less than danger
Gus and extravagant to think Of inviting them to
share the protection and privileges OF American
democracy Mrs Goochs handsome volume is
proflsely illustrated, the majority of the
sketches which are sufficiently spirited, being
her own.