The morning call., 1893-04-02

ana such happy, careless people, hfely
car has at least dozen dogs and such lots
of chickens, and all the people so good
natured and happy. The dogs are kicked
back under the seats and go to sleep there
1t is said that, as in California, there IS no
hydrophobia in Mexico; but / don't sec
how they know, for surely no Mexican dog
ever had snap enough about him to bite
anybody.
Que curious thing in these cars Of dogs
and dirt and babies and fieas is the cava-
lier In broad hat and silver bells, with
wicker demijohn under each arm. The
necks OF these wicker demijohns are thrust
forward and have not cork in them, but
are closed with little wicker cap.
used TO wonder what in the world these
dashnR cavaliers were doing all the time
with so much whisky nnder their arms, but
once, when several of them were in the same
car, one of the little caps shot off Then
suddenly out shot ROSTERS head, and such
Growing and swearing l never heard, for
half dozen other cocks heads got loose
and shot out, and began to crow and peck,
scratch and try to get out and at each other
and fight. Then | knew that these hand
some fellows were professional cock lighters
used to see, later on, poor old Santa
Ana in his decrepit days leaning over the
cockpit at Tacalya, near Chapnltepee, the
great gambling resort, and Yelling WIN All
his feeble might for his fav0Iite cock. He,
too, was pensioned-Mexico is not mean.
He put In all his time at Tacalya, gambling
in one way and another to the end.
And this is the vice there, gaming; gam
ing and dirt and dogs and fleas and some
drunkenness, although they are not such
drunkards as we are in Mexico City, nor are
they one.quarter so quRrrelsome. Neither
is crime of any sort nearly So frequent in
Mexico City as in the average American
city, and when any bad thing is done there
it is ten to one done by an American or
European.
Take, for example, their robberies. How
many here in ten years? dozen, perhaps:
/ recall but one in Mexico for that period
of time, and then the robbers were caught,
stood against the cars they had derailed and
shot down next day. Yes, know you read
lots about revolts, robberies and all kinds
of crime down there, but you see the Amer
lean has the wire and he don't want it to
rust There are no such liars in the world
as the men at the Mexican end OF the wires.
The one hopeful thing in Mexico Is the
improved school system. 1t takes sort Of
military form, as in Italy. Little boys no
bigger than mdgets march up and down
the streets by thousands daily. The wife
of the President is at the head of gener-
GUS kindergarten system, and all things in
the line OF education, from the baby up to
the cadet at the military school in the castle
of ChapulIepec, are surely going forward
bravely. The good priest attends to his
prayers and let's politics entirely alone, nor
Goes he longer assume the control OF the
schOolhouse.
The one sad thing there Is the poor
health, or rather the mortality, among the
patient and lovely little children. l am
told that more than three-fourths of the
children among the poorer classes die in
infancy. The fact is the poor people do
not get enough to eat, and what they do eat
is not good. Strange as it seems, they still
live on Indian corn, and this corn is nearly
all brought from Texas.
Yet Mexico is the richest and best place
for Indian corn in the world. You walk
along thu populous streets in the Door part
of the city and there is a woman rubbing a
long stone up and down a broad, leaning
fiat stone. while little girl drops IN the
soaked grains of corn to be ground. Thou
sands of thousands of women grinding this
soaked corn from Texas; and patty, patty
pattyl You hear it all up and down and
around as yon go along.
This sound is made by the hands of
pretty little brown girls, who sit on the
damp earthen foo and make and bake the
tortillas corn cake which The mother grinds
and grinds. All doors are open, as in
Japan. You can see all that goes On aud
hear all that goes on.
most guieless, sweet people are these
helpless, hopeless and half-fed MeXicans OF
the poorer class. Their one comfort is
their religion. They are very tender
hearted, good as they can be ana sngu-
larry honest-if you consider how hard
is their lot. But their misery, although
they don't seem to feel it. is the one thing
that made it Impossible for me to remain
when l went there faw years ago to settle
ing in through the windows of the school
house.
The floating Islands of flowers in the hot
lake under the oyerhanging mountain of
snow are and must remain to the end what
Humboldt named them-the marvel of ma
ture. TIE waters of this lake are not really
hot, although they are spoken of as such.
They are only warm-warm enough 10 COM
pei the rankest of vegetation all the year
through.
And so this rank growth thrusts I'D
through the water, the top dies in the sun
and the roots rot OFF in the warm water.
Then birds build, dirt aeeumulates, tile
wind blows, and away drifts your floating
island. Then the Mexican flower grower
and gardener comes with his baggage and
babies, and there is a dear little fairyland
apart and happy in world entirely its own.
vi course there are collisions, for there
are many, many little floating islands of
flowers and vegetables in this broad lake,
some SINK, others are formed continually,
but the inhabitants never quarrel There is
a broad canal leading from one end of this
lake into the city, and any morning in the
year this canal is moving mass of flowers,
fruit and garden truck.
The MeXicans, taken all through. are the
most generous and affectonate people in
the world. know it is the fashion among
ignorant men to deride the offer of his
house and all it contains, but be means it.
The mistake is entirely our own, for when
he makes the offer he believes he is dealing
would put his house and its contents on his
back and get away with it in the night if he
could.
Had Macmillan continued his policy OF
kindness and confidence he would have re-
manned Emperor of Mexico; but he was
persuaded by the man who finally sold him
to be severe. He began to shoot down the
MexicaEs and so in little time it was verv
properly his turn to stand up against n wall
and be shot to death.
Jnarez conquered and ruled Mexfco with
love and gentleness, and so was the first man
for generations to serve out his fun term, as
he was the first real Indian ruler since Mon
tezuma.
The present President of Mexico, like all
truly brave men, is as gentle and affection
ate as woman. He trusts his people and
they trust him.
OF the wisdom and justice of Diaz the
world knows quite enough: but Of his af-
lection Tor his marvellous 1owerland and
his watchful love for bis people it is not so
we'll advised; so let Ii be solidIy set down
that he is so deeply seated in the hearts OF
all Mexicans, high ana low. that reyolu-
ton Is Impossible while he lives.
nave said that the City of Mexico is
more orderly and less given to crime than
almost any city of our own; so saw that
any serious disturbance is as Improbable
with that republic as with u.s. Go down
there and esta blish factories with perfect
confidence. The opportunities are great
Tor fortune-making, the protection all you
can ask.
:, An, had but space to speak of Carmen.
Dearl Enough to say that the wife OF the
PRESIDENT of Mexico Is to the children, the
deyout Indian women. all the poor, sick and
miserable CT Mexico, their good angel
next. indeed, to their Madonna. think
there is no woman so loved on this globe as
beautiful Carmen Romero Rubio Diaz
JOAQUIN MILLER.