The National tribune., 1891-05-14
A COUNTRY OF CASTE,

where society follows certain ruts and where,
to q certain extent there is nobility, where
the controlling class is not numerous, but very
wealthy, and, as we say here, "yery select"
European manners prevail everywhere, and
the middle and upper classes Of Chile-in fact,
all above peon, or serving clas5-fairly rival the
Parisians of similar rank i'm the good taste and
elegance Of their dress. On the short railway
journey from Santiago 10 Valparaiso, the gen.
tlemen Of the country invariably travel with
extra hat in a fine band-bOx, and with
cane, and the ladies' with threg-and i have
sometimes counted "a many as four-parasols,
all finely eneased in silken bags and carried by
their servants
The majority Of Chilean ladies are Of more
than average size. They are tall, graceful and
shapely in form 10 a remarkable degree. They
Of the voluptuOus and dangerous type, with
magnificent shoulders and dOye-like necks.
The face is oval the chin strong, with divinely-
cut mouth and glinting white teeth. Their
nOses-well, / can't describe a wOman's nose,
and will not try, but their eyes arc lustrous
wells, and when they look straight at you out Of
their depths Of gray or blue q thousand miles
is as nothing. and the effect is delightfully."-
thrilling.
They appear in public with a true queenly
bearing. To the production Of which the French
mOtiste always contributes her full share. To
them Paris is the only shrine Of fashion, and
they are apt pupils in all the latest fashionable
extravagances. Their toiletsa are perfect arsenals
with which they defend themselves against the
assaults Of time.
The men of Chile are born cavaliers. Even
the small boy Of the country moves about with
a natural grace which no amount Of training
could ever produce with our northern people.
THE WORKING OR LABOR CLASS
of the country very incorporate, and the
dreadful extent Of drunkenness is the first thing
n q. Al.
country, and is a matter of most universal
comment. The working classes are fading
away before it as the Indians were swept away
in this country.
Four-fiiths Of the death rate Of the country is
brought aboat by intempeTance. There are
times in every year during certain festivals
that il is impossible for days together for en-
poyers of any description to get their laborers
to do anything solely on accOuns OF drunken
ness. Public works lie idle for days because
| the lahOTers are all drunk, and as the servants
are native, it IS impossible 10 get any work done
en- Monday. because everybody goes 4 spree
/ Saturday night, and no one is expected to re-
cover from it until Tuesday morning.
In this matter, among the lower classes the
/ 'gOmeu arc as bad as the men. / have walked
/ the Alameda TO the railroad depot early of
/ morning after the celebration Of some great
| National festival in commemOratiOn of sOme
| battle, when it would almost seem rs if the bat
/ tie had Just been fought over again, and the
| dead and the wounded were lying under my
/ feet. / could count them in groups of tens and
/ twenties, lying indiscriminately, men and
women, dead drunk, all over tho ground.
/ The educated classes Of Chile have some
very curious ideas of life in its practical every
/ day phases. They are, like all Spaniarls, very
i proud and sensitive and amazingly enViOu5 and
| Jealous. particularly Of their country. / have
/ seen many examples Of their peculiarites in
| articles that have read from time to time in
| the Spanish papers, many of them labOred edi-
| torials attempting to show by statistics the
ENORMOUS NUMBER OF MURDERS
in this country. and arguing from such premises
that theTe could not be much law or order here; ;
calling Us u great mob, etc. They are always
very particular, by the way, to style US the
United States of North America, and they think
we are guilty of the most objectionable assur-
| ance in calling ourselves the United States of
America.
Another matter most frequently recalled to
the minds of their readers by the journals. not
only Of Chile but of all South America, Is
/ what they call our conquest Of Mexico. In all
the school histories OF Chile it is called that,
and our war with Mexico is universally con-
sidered by all the educated classes as an mex
eusable war for territory.
A few observations upon the learned profess
siOns Of Chile may not be out Of place. First,
as 20 the law and the administration Of Justice /:
The legal profession is, TO ALI appearances,
next to the theological the most favored.
| About every 50th man OF the cultivated classes
OF the country gOries in the title Of "AbOgado."
OF course only respectable minority Of these