The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1891-04-24
CHILIAND THE CHILIANs.

Interesting Facts About the Land Where
| ducements to Immig rat lion High Char
| acer of the Politicians Struggle with the
| Church.
(Coqumbo Letter to Boston Transcript
The latest census gives Chill a total popula.
tion of $3.50, 347, of which number only AZ, =.
| 600 are allowed to vote. According to the
| previous census there were IN chill only 49,
1913 persons, male and female, who could read
and write, all these, of course, belonging to
the upper classes. But there Is no country
In the world where greater efforts are being
made to bring education within reach of the
poorest. Every year congress ap2rOpriates
more literally for the purpose, and In every
town there are free schools expressly for the
poor. besides many excellent colleges, semi.
naries and public libraries. The common
school system Is as nearly perfect as can be
made, combining the best educational ideas
of all the lands. Some years ago the govern.
ment sent an envoy to the United States and
every country Of Europe:on purpose to study
schools and methods OF imparting instruc.
ton. That gentleman, Senior Abalardo
Nunos, has since been made the general COM
missioner of education In Chill, and has com.
blned. with best results, the wisdom and ex.
perience of all the lands he visited. He says
that Switzerland has the model schools of
the world; the United States next; Russia
next; then Germany, France, England and
Italy, In the order named. The most beauti-
full school-houses have been built In every
town and city, regardless OF cost, and com.
bining every modern convenience and appli-
ance. The time Is coming when ignorance
will be the exception and education az uni.
versal here rs In our older republics.
For some time past the CHILEAN government
has been expanding large sums of money In
encOuragngEuro laborers to col0nize its
frontier and become citizens. By way of In.
ducement each head If family Is given 200
acres of land, lumber enough to build
quantity Of seed, and 81 n month during the
first year, while the crops are growing-the
latter being a loan for eight years without
interest. Moreover, when the emigrant first
arrives In the country they keep BIN one
month, free of charge, IL he so desires, In one
OF the several inns which the government
has erected for that express purpose; and he
wherever he wants to go In order, that he
may look the field over thoroughly before de-
Gliding where to locate. Indeed, they don't |
do things of this sort "by halves" in Chill, |
and the unknown emigraDt without dollar |
In his pocket or an ancestor at his back, Is In
fnitely better off than many an tmpecup1ous
arstocrat! A large number Of energetic and
industrious German peasants have taken
advantage of this uneXampled liberality; |
and In time their presence In the country
may considerably alter Its statistics. In those
sections where they settle, the mental and
moral characteristics of the coming genera
ton will undergo as great change as their
In course OF few decades
even thrift and industry may become honor
able. A Gillian not born of the lower classes
would siarve to death before he would de-
grade himself by manual labor; and nobody
works L. he can possibly avoid 1t. There Is
demand for skilled artisans of every sort, and
or u |
,ood wages, soon as arrived.
AS Il rule the typical CHILEAN politician Is
nan of dignity and wealth-never a rascalv
vire-puller nor corner.grocery guZzler. lie
nacts only such laws as he believes will be
or the welfare of his beloved country, and
xpects to see them obeyed, Those swtndlers
Vho daily perpetrate frauds upon the United
tates government would here be branded AS
raitors and driven from the country, II they
we're not sent to the .hill of DEATH" or the
lace of public executions. For many years
be CHILEAN government has been differed by
be best and purest men In the nation; and so
roud are they of their rapid advancement
nd so Jealous of the national integrity that
L matters of Jurisprudence and civil service
re watched with faithful and sacred inter-
ST. The same spirit of loyalty to Chill, If not
ways to the men who are temporarily ad-
mastering its affairs, las in Balmaceda's case,
manifested throughout all classes of socte-
II In the wind, and who is too ignorant to
III the time of day, would cut the throat OF
ny man he heard speak sneeringy of his be.
we'd country. They may revolute now and
emselves believe a through pure patri-
ism. Ss3s zM @
There have Seen 9fesf changes IN Chilli
thin the LAST decade or two. The massage
the famous cemetery bill, which occurred
few years ago, Is one Of the many signfi-
mt examples. Previous to that time the
omish clergy had held control of all the
lblc cemeteries, and collected death tax
IS upon every corpse, but utterly refused
permit any Protestant dead TO be buried In
nse Grated ground. After a bill which COM
fled the authorities to inter the dead of any
ligious faith In the public cemeteries, had
ssed both houses of congress. and was
Waiting the executive signature to become
W, the president was visited by deega.
IN, 800 strong. of the weathiest and most -
fluential women of the country, who I'M -
orcd him to veto the bill. They were the
ives and daughters of senators and church.
en- of highest standing, and it Is said that
e jewels they wore on that occasion were
Drth more than million dollars. The pres
emit received them with courtesy and listen
to all they had to say; but the obnoxious
Il was duly signed and became law. So
Ich Importance was attached to this polti.
| interference with church affairs, that for G
lime nothing else was talked of, and the l,
Cd bishop of Conception, the most inf1uen. ~
i Jesuit In South America, and man of
werful physique, fell dead from the shock
len he was told that the new law had gone
10 effect. Then the wealthy Catholics com. ID
,nced wholesale removal of their dead .
I'm all the desecrated cemeteries to the a
urches, and even to the courts of their
uses; hut were stopped short by the prompt
actment OF another law which made II a
A. -l-o- l,-l rtAI