The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-12-15
THE LAND OF TOMORROW.
Where Good Things Are Plentiful
and the Climate Delightful.
THE COST OF LIVING IN MEXICO.
Truits md yeuctubIcs Can lie Pur-
chased for Few Pcnntcs-lm-
ported Goods Expensive.

| City Of Mexico. December u Especial
Correspondence Of The Post. III presume
my friends and the patrons of The Post
have by this time arrived at the conclusion
that my promised letter to them about Mex
leo would never materialize That the
Mexican habit of never doing today thing
that can possibly be postponed until to-
morrow seems to be contagious is the only
excuse | have to offer for my delay.
Mexico has been so thoroughly written
UP by the metropolitan dailies rrasiou3 to
and during the late campaign Of eouca
ton" that IT is hard to find anything new
to say.
Mexican hotels do not rank with those Of
the same class in the States. so we are
glad to be at last under our own vine and
fig tree, fguratively speaking, after more
than month at the iturblde. Tie hotel
most patronlzed by Americans IN McS!co,
and once the palace Of the emperor of Mex
leo OF the same name We have house
ON Avenidn ,Iuare2, between the Alameda
the principal Park OF the city, and ihc "a
SEQ MeXico's famous statue lined drive,
lthllDE uNA 70 tNbIuiANlNNs wv '"'"h'N'
home OF President Dia1. 80 that from our
front balconies We can daily rcriew the
beauty, wealth and fashion Of The ctpital,
for everyone here. who pretenls to be any
body socially. drives On the paseo daily
from to p. m. rain or shine.
our house. like all other Mexican houses
OF any size is built around an open court
or patio. with the stables and sei,Lnts'
quarters OF the ground floor aud the liv-
ing room upstairs. AaO5her poc'llia ~
about the houses in this country is that
they are built without chimney However,
as the thermometer rarely goes below
degrees the lack OF fire is not felt to any
great extent.
Perhaps something about the cost Of l,N
ing in this city will be of interest TO POET
readers contemplating permln Mt loca
ton in Mexico, and those ror whom Texas
is good enough" can compare Them with
home prices. All figures .,,i,l arc IN M'N-
lean silver. which Is worri only onc-h halt
as much as American IN jncy. House rent,
~ in an large cities varies according to
location and size Of house. md ranges from
S2b month for Il cOufDr- lbie hNic place
in the suburbs TO $500 or more for a palace
close in. II has been said by some one,
wise or otherwise. that we either cat to
live or live to cat. Here the lover OF GOOD
things has no cause for complaint. In the
three weeks we have been housekeeping. I
have found In the market Strawberries
they have them all the YEAR, which cost
about 25c a quart for very choice ones;
roasting ears, six for l2 cents; caCliflowcr.
to ~ cents a head; English green leas,
u cents for quart Of shoiled cnes celery,
three lunches for cents; choice oranges,
eight for y cents lines, four for cent;
Wild ducfs. % cents Il pair. and nearly
every edible vegetable aud fruit in srcat
rrcfuson at Approximate prices. Meats Of
all kinds arc trst-class in quality al very
reasonable prices Among The articles Of
food on gold basis and classcd as luxu-
RIGS are American corn meal at 10 cents 4
bound natirc bacon. very fine, 40 cents
pound, butter, Go TO IS cents; best coffee,
60 cents, native sugar. superior to Ameri
can in strength and sweetness but not 30
white. ten pounds for 81. Cotton goods of
all kinds are more than double the price
sold for at home while WOODEN fabrics are
much cheaper. and you can get an al WOOL
suit of clothes made to order for about TIE
same number of dollars that a ready made
suit OF the same quality would cost in the
States
Much has been written about the poverty
and degradation of MeXico's laboriug class
That the truth has TO a great extent been
told | will admit, but the Indians. Or poems
who constitute the hewers of wood and
drawers Of water in Mexico, are not as
black as painted. Many are clothed In rags
and covered with vermin, but only four or
I'VE years ago they wore no clothing at all
but a breechcloth. There are very few
among the laboring classes wko will work
that are not employed at a price sufficient
to supply their simple wants. The house
hold servants in this country furnish their
own food. and we allow ours cents a day
oach for that purpose, or say aen:s Amert-
can money, and they keep rosy and cat on
a sum on which the average cclorcd lady
who prcsdes over the destinies of The Texas
kitchen would be sure TO starye to death.
American cookery has no charms for the
native servant IL he can get his beloved
pulque, tortillas. chill and frijoles And
when it comes to professional beggars there
Is not n city OF equal population IN the
United States, but has at least two for
every one here. The Mexican aims seeker
has virtue rarely found in his American
brother, as a rule he Is not persistent. He
takes refusal in good part and a donation
of IN centavo q cent? with God HESS
you, sir (only he says it in SPANISH. and
IS happy. while the average American of
the same class kicks II your charity is
less than a cline.
To friends who have asked my advice
about locating in Mexico, | will say that
mere is plenty Of money in circulation. and
an American who has some capital and
average business tact can do well in almost
any line of business with which he IL
familiar. but for man without capital or n
permanent situation in advance of their
coming, ii is a good country TO stay SWAY
from, Mexico Is Jew country in n mod
orn commercial sense, and the moderpizinr
process is Just getting fairly underway In
such country money combined with brains
always reaps rich harvest
j. Van Pearse.