Clarksville evening tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1890, 1890-03-11
THE BORDER MEXICANS.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HAPPY
PEASANTS OF THE SOUTHWEST.

on the Texas coast, is found a type of beiue
that Is almost an anomaly, even among on
own cosmopolitan classes. The border Mexi
can, or 'greaser,n has no nation, yet he i
distinctly local. He is the evolution of tina
AIRED and sun kissed belt characterized by
nora and fauna as acrimonious and as shaggy
as himself and best exempliied by the cactus
the coyote and the burro. You cannot ac
cuse nature of making mistake in his crea
ton, for he is an adaptation that rises super
Tor to adversely. You viii find him pictur
esque and, when better known, not all bad
This Mexican is far below the nations repre-
sentative, yet he IS not the degraded peon %
serf OF the land He is rather what the peou
has become in the two generations he has en-.
1oyed the freedom of our government, if moi
wiser, at least less servile. He is generally
admitted to be the result of fusion for some
centuries of the Spaniard with that mild
type OF semi-ciyilized Indian of the Cortez
conquests but is nearer the Spaniard, whose
beautiful language, further softened into a
dialect, he still retains. This may be due to
lazlness, but is more probably from the liquid
movement of Indian speech peculiar to some
OF the southern tribes, as shown by the pres
emit language Of the Pimas and Maricopas of
southern Arizona
WANT NOT THE UNATTAINABLE.
The Mexieans are the happiest of contented
creatures, and, though poverty is their uni,
versal heritage, they have no wants. Jean
jacques Rousseau must have been among
similar peasant class in Italy when he wrote
30 truthfully that He only Is free who wants
nothing beyond what he can get and does
harmlessly as he pleases" There are two
classes of Mexican peasants, the Labradoes
and the Rancheros. The former are the
milder, simpler people found sprinkled along
the small canyons and valleys on little plots
OF bottom land adjacent and irrigated by
simple or community bitches called aceduias
which lead from the streams, winding along
the bank in gradual way till the streams
lower level will permit them finally to wan
der over the bottom. TLey bridge no ar
royas, build no dams, arches or culverts, and
use only natures level, water, TO give the
grade required for their canals. In engin-
eering ability they are as far behind the Az
tees, who once inhabited this valley, as are
the present Egyptians behind their ancestors
under Menes
A plot of few acres supports an entire
family Of dozen, exclusive Of dogs--as many
more. First a crop of melons and cebada
Gmelons and barley; later crop of freioles
and calebazas (MeXican beans and pumpkins.
A little pepper and onions and their commits
sary is complete. The Rancheros have more
or less cattle, ponies sheep or goats are less
local in their tastes and are more hardy, so
that 1T Is among them that is sometimes found
that outlaw element That has made "Greasern
the synonym for bandit and has stamped the
race as thieving and treacherous This char
acter Is partly the result of traditional SEN
timent-a spirit Of adventurous resistance to
tyranny. On the Mexican side man who
evades their outrageous taxes ana customs is .
hero one killed in an attempt to do so, "A
martyr The government only is the robber.
The men are fine hOrsemen, Of the firm vet
easy border seat alwaysusing that instrument
of torture, the bocada or Spanish bit, in the
control of their ponies, Many are expert in
tossing the RATA and some handle a revolver
well. A Pueblo scene is very characteristic.
Adobe dwellings, matched roofs, arbors be-
meath which are the stone jars left unglazed
for cooling water, and the stone hand mill for
grinding the corn for corn cakes, called tor
tillas" The conservatism of this people would
compare with that of India. The agricultur-
al methods are those described in the Bible
Hay is cut with ahoe, sometimes hand knife
or a sickle; "a bough whose forks embrace the
proper angle in their pillow, and their oxen
are yoked by lashing pole to the base of Their
horns.
AT THE BALL
A fiesta is usually celebrated by "baile,"
or dance II it be fall and the night air be
cool you will find this hop inside "iacal."
Everything has been removed from the house
but row of "Siasn Chairs and boxes).
placed around the sides Of the room, which is
lighted by few beds Of glowing Goals placed
at intervals ON the freshly swept hard packed
earth floor, by IA few candles cemented to
brackets or projecting adobe bricks by their
own wax, and by the star beams that sft
through the matched roof and ceiling. The
Goals serve also as a stove and free light for
cigarettes The music viii be given from an
orchestra composed of a couple of guitars a
violin, an accordion and one or more harps
There are no hop cards, but the habitue can
tell you in advance what the programme will
be-waltzes alternating with the Mexican
redowa or three step, la galopa, a polka and
maybe western square dance or two.
There is no directoire or empire gowns, on
corsage bouquets, none of the traditional
Spanish dress save the mautilla. This is
folded diagonaly; double edged front, placed
over the head, the longer end falling forward
is carried loosely over the bosom as high as
the throat and crosses the other. fold on the
left shoulder, leaving only an oval Of face :
visible from brow to chin. Tho women re-
tain a Spanish fondness for black and also
tho Indian love of bright colors The men !
are indifferent to dress except SO far as to
having broad, light felt somhrero, and
scarf, or SASH of bright colored wool or silk
about their waist. To a Mexican girl dane 7
ing is instinct. Their acceutuatiCn is so per
feet, their movements SO yielding and full of
muscular grace, that TO waltz with one on an :
sarth floor, where the friction is something :