Wichita eagle., 1888-10-07
MEXICAN -PREJUnICES.
DREAD OF FRESH AIR CARRIED TO
A LUDicRoUS EXTENT.

and Pestiferuus-A Curious Dislike Of
Cold water-Chndish Fear ef Disease.
Indian Contempt for the Whites.
Most cities have some reason TO show
for their location Boston sits By her
broad bay. Chicago by the lakeside, New
Orleans In the bend of her imperial river.
Guanajuato and Zacatecas by the side Of
their rich mines, but there is no sound or
sensible reason for the location Of the
City Of Mexico in low and swampy
tract, when right at hand were building
sights Of incompatible view, Of perfect
sanitary conditions and certain to afford
space for the amplest possible expansion Of
the town Temporarily nothing is being
done, on any comprehensive scale, for the
advancement of the plan for draining the
valley Of Mexico, aud Incidentally the
city. A company Of Ohio origin is dig
ging canal under contract with the city
government, and it gets it's pay regularly,
as the rulers Of the city are good paymas-
ters and honorable In all their dealings.
But the big plan seems to have been
I let drop for q while for some reason not
apparent.
Meantime the death rate Is e1traordin-
airy, and what should be one of the most
healthy cities On the globe, standing as it
does at more than 1900 feet above the
sea level, Is one Of the most unhealthy.
The ravages Of what may be termed dis
eases engendered by dirt and dampness
are something frightful-typhus fever
(not the nilder typhoid), smallpox, which
Is always existent somewhere, consump-
ton. dysentery. etc. carry off thousands
every year. The lot of the poorer classes.
and Of those between poverty and COM
Portable circumstances Is q hard one
Their dwellings are damp, musty, Ill
smelling, pestiferous- It is among these
classes that the death rate is very high,
but among the well TO do people who live
on what is here called the primer piso,"
or first floor. or. in New England, the
second story, the mortality IS not greater
than in Boston. The popularity of the
climate is that it's lack Of oxygen renders
Once let yourself run down, and it is hard
getting up again. The languor of the
climate, the lack of life in the air, conspire
to keep the invalid weak, and it is the
rule Of the doctors TO send patients out of
the city as soon as it is possible to remove
them.
Out on the hillsides the country people
are robust and rarely III, unless they hap
pen to be of that class who try to keep
bedrooms Theoretically sealed at night.
This prejudice against the night air is
very great and widespread. | suppose
that eight-tenths of the inhabitants Of
this city shut up their bedrooms as tight
as drum every night Of their lives Thus
~ I.1..
away to the profit Of the doctors and the
drug shops. This fact accounts for the
many notified and sallow cornple1ions one
sees People who have travelled, or those
who are of receptive minds and have,
culate in their apartments. Their good
blood and clear compilations testify to
their obedience to hygienic Laws.
The dread Of the fresh air is often car
ried to ludicrous extent. People sit for
three hours in dirty, stuffy theatre and
breathe the air of the sewers underneath
the floors, inhale oil the human exhala-
tons which contaminate the unagitated
cir, and then, on going out into the COM
paratively pure air of the street, keep
handkerchiefs to their mouths and noses.
This morning noticed sallow woman
riding on the Paseo in her coupe. a lap
dog on her knee. The glass windows Of
the vehicle were tightly shut, so that
none of the glorious air of the morning in
that favored spot should by chance enter
her whitening lungs. This was the old
nonkish idea; in the converts the pious
brethren preferred close cells and musty
tones. They dreaded water, and soap
was unknown TO them
4 curious prejudice exists among many
people here against cold water when they
have ''catarro" or cold in the head, or
even touch Of chill In the bones For
weeks, till the cold has gone, they reso-
lutely refrain from touching water. An
other popular prejudice here is that
which inpels family TO move out of
house when any member Of 1t has died
For this reason It is needful to be eau
tious in taking house or apartments till
you have made certain that no one has
recently died therein of q contagious dis
ease. So far does this prejudice go that
many people abandon their old homes on
the death Of member of the family.
CHILDISH FEAR OF DISEASE
II does not seem to be so much a super
stition as childish fear of disease. And
yet these same people who would not con-
sent to remain IN house thoroughly and
scientifically disinfected, with new wall
paper and new paint, will move TO house
with stagnant ditch near ct hand, and
viii shut themselves Up in their bedrooms
at night ike herring IN a box. The old
houses here show in their construction
the dread of air and sunshine With little
narrow windows, brick floors and tight
doors, they were certain TO become rusty
IN six months occupancy. The ancient
converts had windows of the size of prison
windows. Churches were built SO that
never By any chance could breath of air
get in to disturb the worshipers All
this the white man did. But the Indian.
living mainly IN the open air OF the
high sierras. is . different sort of creature,
q man who can make sixty niles or more
day. He 1t is who eats with Al appetite
his frugal meal, and hss the good sense
to beat his idols when they do not grant
his requests immediately. These are the
men and women with broad chests and 6
color that shows red blood and good circu-
lstion- They hare missed the reilements
of the white race, but have preserved their
hvers and their lungs. IL the heart Of
the Indian their turks contempt for the
sickly colored white uian- He regards bis
pale faced brother IS man of article and
endless refnensnts, who must h,ve g.
hand Al apothecsry shop and doctor,
who dares not live out II the free country
unless protected by servants, dogs and
guns. Tie white man takes horse foy
q journey Of Ave miles; the Indian VIII so
twelve times IS Tar in . day Oh foot. and
viii be well and ready for another tramp
the mex. day. whsn the white man horse
would be used Up with tvo-thirds the
same amount of travel Generally veSe-
table eater, the Indian Of the Mexican