New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-11

ing ordinarily in thin and sterile soil, it seems
to have power to draw milk and honey out OF the
rocks. For productive energy ii is one OF the
marves of the vegetable kingdom.
AS pulque is the national drink, the maguey Is
accounted by stern moralists to be the blighting
curse of the country This seems to be an Ill
considered Indictment of beneicent nature, which
has clothed the valleys and hillsides of the Mex
lean tableland with the bue-green verdure oil the
Agave Americana. In the hot lands where pulque
is not made there are worse liquors brewed from
the settings of cane-sugar. These would have
been substitute in the highlands Tor pulque, If
the magueys had boomed in Mexico as in North
ern greenhouses-Once in generation or century
Pulque when unfermented is as harmless as new
cluer and much Of what is drunk in enormous
quantities by the poems is OF this KIND. lheh
there is the fermented pulque, which, while rch
in alcohol, is not SO maddening an 1ntoXlcahJ as
the cheap brandy and rum brewed III MEXICO as
well as in other Spansh-American countries >,
The Toltec tradition is that the rum ana dls-
persion Af the race were caused by the discovery
that a cheering and inebratinS drink cOuld DC
distilled from the prickly maguey cIumpS Al
was q woman naturally enough, VINO made tiie
first honeypd brew and tempted man TO taste ana
find ont how happy and wise he could be- and
the King was well pleased with his draught and
straightway married the fair brewer; ana then
oil the drank pu!que and went 10 Uhe de en-
moraists have drawn inspiration from 1t TO TINS
day. They will have it that pulque is the cheI
cause of the DEGRADATION of the working-caSses OF
Mexico. They overlook the manifold uses made
of this wonderful plant in the great plateau ten
anted bv the poorest population on earth-that IL
not only provides their drink indeed, DuJ also
their great fibre industry, covering for their houses,
fuel with which to cook their scanty meas anu
even food itselR-for the roots OF II are whoiesoe
and nourishing when cooked. The maguey Is lhe
neon's staff of life as we'll as his strong wine
The legend of the image of Los Remedies, the
neglected shrine Oh the road from Mexico 10 10
luca is connected with the maguey Ohe Oh t I
soldiers who followed Cortes in his retreat on tle
forlorn night carried with him an image 9l uc
Virgin and hid it under maguey plant. oup Ss-
onently an Indian chief found this image alteI
repeatedly seeing appariuon OF the VlrglH anu n
a femple with magnificent shrine was DuliJ on
tho Scored ground. Our Lady of the Remeolos
and tbe Magueyes was the patroness OF Mexico
and whenever there was pestilence IN the cry oi
drouth in the land solemn invocatlohs were oieico
NV professions of priests at her shrine
The Mexicans are religious, but tney are ai fc
natriotin Their generation for the virgin Vi etT
Pemedios was impaired when she took sldes wv MllI
the Rovalists in the War Of independence; NY
thev transferred their affections to the other We
in' of Guadalupe whose sympathies were WIZ
5ba rebel republicans What might be good re
Iirion was very bad politics. AS the Lazy q, o.
Gnadslnpe increased the Lady of Remedlos nc
creased The overthrow Of Spain carried WIN WIN \
Tho nrpstioe of the shrine built where the nla9'
was found under the maguey. 1t was m t,1au
cholv illustration of the folly OF mln9hng PoI'i0'
with religion. l. Az -