The Brookhaven leader., 1888-12-13
MEXICO.
GETlIPSES OF HER PAST
HISTORY AND PRESENT
GLORY.
An Interesting Letter from
Bishop Galloway.

Mexico may help to "till mp the forms
aud not he unacceptable to Your read
ers-m my ncighbors. But just where to
begin and when To stop embarrass
me. am burdened with wealth of
matprial-all most interesting and
! instructive to one on his first tour
| through the land of the Montezumas.
Letters descriptive of scenes and ex-
pcriences in Mexico are only valuable
in refreshing memory and for their
| subjective tone and color. One can
NOT hope to add much to the store of
facts already familiar to newspaper
columns and the pages of periodicals.
| The same facts, however, have varied
and renewed interest as they are seen
by different eyes and receive the col
oring and setting of Il distinctive, if
not divergent. SUFFICIENTLY.
The government of Mexico is now
! Republican in form-mOdelcd much
after our own, "the best the world
ever saw" After the overthrow of
the Aztec dynasty by the Spanish
/ invaders under COrtcz in 1921, the
country was ruled by Viccroys of
Spain for three hundred years.
But the clarion voice of Hidalgo in
1910 raised the cry of freedom and it
rang through the land until after IL
! thousand or more battles Mexican
| independence was secured and sons
of the soil controlled her political
! deStinics. lIidalg0 soon fell, but the
echoes of the brave priests voice Yet
make martial music to patriotic
| hearts. The church condemned him,
but his countrymcn have cannonizcd
him. In the main plaza of the beau
| tiful city of San Luis PotoSi there
stands fine monument to his memory
surmomtcd by Il lrfc-Sizc bronze statue.
In the marble works at Oriziha | saw
the drawings of another monument to
he erected to his honor in the City of
Mexico and the rare native stone IF
which it is to be constructed. 1t is to
cost $500, 0O0-a free-will offering
from grateful people to the honor
ed memory of "the Washington of
Mexico"
But the life of Mexican national
Independence has been stormy. Rev
olution is the normal condition of the
country. The mixed blood of the
people is hot and turbulent. 1t is SAID
that three hundred revolutions, sue
cesSiul and abortivr. have disturbed
the country'S since the overthrow of
Spanish domination. Yet. through ali
these changes of rulers and the con-
fusion of dynHstics and contehdiug
factions, there Las lttn a steady adj
vance to ialgcr n d more intelligent
liberty. The people now have free
dom of speech, press and conscience.
The Mexican government is divided
into three bodies, like our own and
independent of each other. viz: the
Executive, the Legislative. and the
judiciary. The Legislative branch
the Congress composed Of a Senate
and House of Deputies. Members of
the House are elected directly hy the
people of the several states in the
proportion of one member for every
$4,000 inhabitants and the members
of the Senate are elected 10y the State
legislatures. | visited the House of
Deputies one afternoon and was much
impressed with the admirable appoint
ments of the building and the com
piacent delibcratiOn of the assembled
statesmen. Such clouds of smoke and
fumes of cigarettes! If they smoke
ont all opposition as easily as they
did this tourist, the present party will
long remain in power. As il matter
of fact the President and his immedi-
ate advisers shape all legislation.
He ut times attends the sittings of
Congress and has absolute command
of the army. And without the army
10 man would long hold the Presi-
dcncy. Liberal ideas, however, are
everywhere at work and must soon
make easy revolutions an impOssibili-
ty. | WAS surprised at the generous
provisions made for public education,
from the common school to the Uni
versity. The Minerva College of
Mines and Engineeling-will compare
favorahly with anything in the United
States. The collection of minerals
and other specimens is scarcely be-
| hind our Smithsonian Institution at
Washington. All the departments of
scientific instruction are ably officer
ed and any citizen of the Republic is
entitled to free instruction therein.
The building is one of the finest i'll
city of magnificent architecture and
cost 81 100000. From the tlat-roof
of that institution TALL houses in Mex
leo have flat-roofs) | had splendid
view of the entire city with the neigh
boring lake shimmering in the morn
ing sun, and volcanic mountains tow