Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1895-07-18
THE Poems OF MEXICO.
Woman Writes sympathotically of This
Downtrodden People.


wretched existence more endurablc
sometimes, but they are so poor and
there are so many of them, that it
would take a great deal to do any
good But they don't expect you TO
help them; there is stoical indffer-
ence, submission to fate, about them
that shows their Indian blood. They
complain not, for they know it would
be to no effect They simply drift along
in their dreary, poverty pinched lives,
asking nothing They arc utterly
without hope or ambition; the thought
OF the morrow does not disturb them.
They shrug their shoulders if you
mention it to them or ask them about
the future. "Pues, quen sabc" Cwho
knows?) they say. To-day is all they
can cope with Tomorrow may care for
| itself.
Observation-Disclosures should see
the places in which the poems live,
right here, in this very city of Mexico
have seen them, and though have
seen slums before this do not think /
care to be again in the filthy, gloomy,
pest'stricken parts of this city, where
they live just like animals. For one
thing, it is hardly safe to go among
them too much. They say there are
some places here, slums, that even the
native police would rather resign their
places than go into, and after what |
have seen, am sure that it cannot be
q matter of wonder.
1t is in these slums that the "tifo" is
so horribly fatal. shall never forget
last year. when this dread disease was
spread throughout all the city
ing from the peon slums, when ono
would see in single day string after
string of cheap, black street cars-I
would rather not give the exact mum
bers-laden with their cheap black
boxes, going out to Dolores, the ceme-
terry. 1t was certainly a depressing
sight, one not easily to be forgotten.
When stricken with the disease they
could do nothing, of course, for they
had no doctors, no medicine, no food
nothing. One needs there fore not
wonder when one reads of the terrible
work of the typhus and the fearful
death rate during the spring months in
the City of Mexico.
AS rule, believe that people don't
find poems interesting. Well, even if
you care only for the great ones of the
earth and the wine and cake of this
life, you may want to know how the
other half lives and wish even taste
Of the humble tortilla and pulque of
the Mexican. But if you have any of
the milk of human kindness in you and
are of such disposition as to think
this self-same peon has a soul just as
you have and can feel and be miserab bic
and happyif he has only Il tiny chance,
you might care to study him. He is
worthy of it, for, in his own way, he
stands alone, distinct from any other
race on earth, descendant as he is of
the proud old Toltecs and Aztecs, with
a civilization that makes our boosted
Anglo-Saxon history seem but brief
tale of yesterday.
The thing that appeals to one most
in the peon is his peculiar admiXture
of aboriginal and Spanish traits. They
are the most stoical, most Indifferent
people, believe, on carth-that is, the
Aztec. Take one of these poor, ragged,
dirty fellows wandering along here
now in San Juan, barefoot, cold, moth
ing to warm him but his old ragged
tilma, wrapped all around him, and
mufliing up his face so that only his
sad hopeless eyes can be seen-takc
him and torture him, as they did here
during the frightful days of the pcrSe-
cution-burn him with fire, put him on
the rack, or tear the flesh from him
bodily-I don't believe that you could
make him cry for mercy. Just as his
Aztec ancestors he would suffer any.
thing before that.
They are fatalists Whatever comes
they meet with always the same sad
hopeless submission to fate, expecting
nothing else. Poverty and oppression
has been their birthright since Cortes,
the brutal; that Il change should ever
come or that they should rise above it
{ never seems to enter their minds.
In what strong contrast to the Indian
! characteristics come out the Spanish
traits The poorest peon among
them all has real, inheren
, grace and courtesy of manner
dignity and gentleness, that il
odd and pathetic against background
of rags and dirty old tilma and barr
a brown feet. But it is natural to them
Z none of it is put on" as it is so Otter
!. with the Anglo-Saxon. 1t is the
birthright, and not even the oppres
sion of hundreds of years has beer
able to take it away from them.
like it myself. 1t is only this touch o
romance, old world grace, that make
these poor ones endurable.
shall not soon forget being helpe'
once over some stepping stones in tn
, Morelos river, down in the hot coun
try, by peon. He was clean, than
goodness, but he was bar foot, and ha
an old battered STRAW mzsassp an
ragged cotton clothes y But none o
the powdered and beruffled and be
, wigged courtiers of the year of on
Lord 1000 could have taken me acros
those horrid slippery black rocks NOR
carefully, deferentially, or with NOR
grace and courtesy than that tier
caliente" peon. If | had slipped, @
even got tiny bit wet, am sure h
would have wept! Yes, it was an c,
perience, and like to remembef it.
And, too how they do enj6y then
selves, if you give them evS SO tin
an opportunity! Such a little bit of
thing makes them happy they Al
more like children thapsany thing els
so easy are they t9Asease' and SO lit
have they to be pleased with. The
are fonder of music, flowers and chi
dren than any other people in ii
\ world, and for this reason one cann'
4 believe them wholly bad. -Providen'
:. journal.