Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-14

In the country they will often be met long
before daylight driving their burros carry
ing ON their own backs burdens into a market
town twenty or thirty miles away. The load
they carry and distances they frequently
make with them are almost incredible. | have
known one peOn to carry on his back by means
of the peculiar pack of the country eighty
good-Eized water jars distance Of fifteen
miles IN a morning. In the city one is struck
by their alert, polite WAYS. They are very sus-
ceptible TO kindness and equally quick to resent
severity OF language from IA stranger. Outside
of the cities / have found them noticeablv
honest; and even in the cities they would rank
far above the Mexican II observe the distinction
made by Mr.. Bishop. l think. of calling Mex
lean the mixed blood of the Spanish and native,
and applying the term Indian or ''peon" ac-
cording to the class. to the pure blooded
native in this respect The old hereditary
traits of the Latin race will crop out even
mixed with other blood and transplanted to
other soil.
COUNTERFEIT com.
And this reminds me that the stranger should
be very careful about counterfeit coin The
country is flooded with it. Have no hesitancy
about examining carefully each coin given you.
no matter where, and you'll not have the ex-
perlence of the writer, who has in his trunk
some $40 which was given him at various times
III the capital and which Is said not to be ..coin
OF the realm The Mexican will set you an ex-
ample of carefulness in this regard and ex-
amines your dollar or ffty-cent piece every
time.
MODERN CONVENIENCE.
In Mexico City there is one elevator (of
course l am not referring to such articles as
pulque or tequiia) and that is in the Iturbide.
1t actually runs twelve hours-between 10 a. m
and 10 pm. As there are no hotels however
more than two or three stories high this makes
no difference.
The city has electric lights. but no gas.
Candles are the general illuminators, but lamps
may be had The telephone, bicycle and type
writer have made their way TO "a very limited
extent. The former is used only till about
dark and the central is feminine and Span
ish speaking. An American traveller trained
only in college Spanish and talking through
the phone in thunder storm must be inter-
ssting to the other end of the line.
CHANGING OF CHURCH BELLS.
One Of tho most annoying features Of
Mexico-less so in the capital than in the prov
ince towns-is the incessant changing of the
many Catholic church bells. Formerly it is
said to nave been unbearable, but the law has
recently taken note of the nuisance and de-
creed that each bell can only be rung for a
Certain number of minutes at q time. Each
church. however, seems to hold constant serv-
Ice and jangles its bells at intervals Of every
Few minutes from early morning service until
Vespers. Had Juarez. the great reformer, no
other casus belli against the clergy than this
any foreign sufferer would still have held his
treatment Of it justifable.
IL Is 10 be feared that in the capital itself
but little reaetionary sentiment has taken
place In favor of the church and some day pop
uiar wrath will suppress this outward sign
OF spiritual grace" Pat could surely never
have been to Mexico.
THE POLICE SYSTEM
OF the city Is excellent. The force is well uni
FORMED, vigilsnt, courteous, and one patrol
man Is stationed on each block. At night they
an be found at once, as the position of each