The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-06-15

q waiter whose.sole duty 1t is to supply
the guests with coffee, which he car
ries about in tin pot in his right hand
while in his left hand he carries SIM
liar pot In which IL warm cream. An.
other feature ofeven the toniest restau-
rants In the fact that the guests are at
perfect liberty to smoke II they 30 de-
sire. And it il q liberty that il very
generally exercised, at least half the
gentlemen lighting their cigarette or
cigar between courses, no matter how
many ladies may be present.
-.
Indeed the smoking habit il univer-
sal and is practiced everywhere. in the
street cars, in the theatere, in the
House of Congress everywheree except
the art galleries and the churches. The
universally of the habit is further at.
tested by the fact that there are more
tobacco stores than any other kind.
Cigarettes are seen oftener than cigars
and they are vile here as every
where, particularly those that have
corn husk wrappers. Cigars of me-
dunn quality are little cheaper per-
haps, than in the United States, but
the better grades cost about the same.
-.
have already alluded to the head
long gait of the street cars in Zacate-
cas- and Guanajuato. The same habit
prevails in the City, the mules being
driven at the top of their speed except
along the most crowded streets. And
yet. in spite of this apparent haste, If
you signal a car it will wait without
any sign of impotence while you leis-
urely walk half a block or more.
And have seen a conductor stop his
car, saunter leisurely across the street
in search of change, and saunter leis-
urely back again. The moment he
got back, however, away we went a.
gain on dead run. 1t is q strange
combination. On the main lines first,
second and third class cars are run,
the fare being graded down to corres-
pond with the Accommodations. They
have also black funeral cars to take the
place of hearses, and freight cars to
take the place of drays. Four-wheel-
ed drays or wagons are not used at all,
the streets being too narrow. The com.
petition of the peon burden-bearers
probably has something to do also
with this absence Of freight wagons,
as these men work at ridiculOusly low
prices.
There may be few customs which
America could borrow from Mexico to
advantage. One Of them is the car.
rage system. BY this system the car
riages are graded into three classes,
the first class being allowed to charge
81 90 an hour, the second class Is cents
and the third class SO cents, the price
being the same COR one person or for four.
Each carriage has flag painted blue,
red or white to indicate whether it is
of the first, second or third class respcc-
lively. When engaged, the flag is Ia
ken down. The moment one sees
hack, therefore, he can tell what it
will cost and whether or not it is
engaged. "A considerable convenience.
~
1t is q we'll known fact that all
animals of the same species, in the
wild state, closely resemble one anoth- |
er. AL wild pigeons, for example, are
the same color. Variegation ofplumage
comes only when they become do
nestle fowl. So savages dress prac-
tically alike. 1t is only with civiliza-
ton that there comes differentiation Of
costume. Measured by this test the
Mexicans, as Nation are not very far
out of barbarism, for they all dress
alike. All through the Republic. a
broad brimmed hat, unbleached cot
ton shirt and trousers, and pair of
sandals strapped to bare feet make up
the male wardrobe. In the cool MORN
ing and evening, serape-a gaily-
colored blanket with hole cut in the
middle so as to let it drop over the
head onto the shoulders-is added.
The women dress in Mother Hubbards,
frequently very decollette, with
rebosa "a sort of a shawN instead of a
serape. The children dress well, they
dress in their compilations. The fore
going applies only to the com.
mon people. The dress of
the upper classes is Of course
vastly different. There is the same
wide brimmed, high, peak-crowned
hat, but it Is of wool instead of straw
and is gaudy with silver and gold
braid and embroidery. The pride of
Mexican dandy Is his hat, and they buy
them at prices ranging from twenty to
500. The coat is a natty jacket, cut
just long enough to fairly connect with
the trousers and made of heavy ma
- p. l