The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-04-17
GIN OLD MEX. Z"
BY JAMES VERNON.

BY JAMES VERNON.
The Michigan Press Association has
returned from its trip to Mexico.
1t would have been hard to tiId jol-
lier, better satisfied, or more parcel
btrdened party, than the fifty-four that
emerged from the Pullman Hotel Cars,
President and Celtic in the Illinois Cen
trnl Depot, at Chicago, at one o'clock
CIesday afternoon, March 10. They
were the members of the association
and their ladies' They had travelled
$500 miles since leaving Chicago, Feb.
is, 5000 of which had been in Mexico.
They had slept and eaten in those cars
and tried the patience of their attend
ants for twenty four consecutive days
aud emerged from them with unrufiied
dispositions. One who has had no ex-
perience of such trip cannot realize
what that means. So to illustrate to
the readers of The ODD FELLOW, es-
pecially the lady readers, will just say
that in practically two kitchens and two
bedrooms, the former each nine by
twelve and the latter thirty-five by
twelve feet, there were cooked and
served four thousand meals and there
i've hundred beds, all the work being
done by two cooks two assistant cooks
and four walters. 1t was close quar-
ters and fully calculated to bring out
any unpleasant characteristics that
might have been hidden in the travel
er's disposition, but the editorial sane
rum, with its trials and experiences had
evidently fully prepared the excursion
lists, and what would probaly have made
| he ordinrry traveller shudder became
TO them an absolute source of amuse-
nent and relaxation; it was a revelation
10 the writer, and fully accounts for the
| fact that editors as rule, are married
men.
What revelation to us this trip has
been, leaving our homes in winters
| fiercest grasp, we in twenty-seven hours
found ourselves in New Orleans, with
J4,nr overcoats off, enjoying summer
fcarnISal, with rrosAs. Aioiets,. phcsies
and magnolias in full bloom. The trip
to New Orleans takes one down hill five
hundred feet, bringing us of course to the
sea level. From New Orleans through
Texas to Mexico, through its valleys
and over its mountains, up into the air
we went again over $500 feet, (about
mile and a half and then dropping back
again into the beautiful valley in which
lies the City of Mexico out of that
again up and over the mountains and
down their southern side to Vera Cruz
and Oaxaca into the tropics indeed with
the thermometer at ninety in the shade;
we dipped our hands in the salt water
of the Gulf of Mexico and ate oranges
and tropical fruits of every conceivable
variety, fresh picked from the trees, and
purchased at prices that made us wish
that Providence had endowed us with
greater capacity; back we rushed to
Mexico City, the sudden and frequent
changes of elevation making itself evil
dent in our cracking and humming ears
and by an occasional nosebleed Some
slight indispositions resulted from these
sudden and frequent changes of eleva-
ton and temperature, but happily, moth
ing serious occurred to mar the pleasure
of the trip. The rapid manner with
which we moved from place to place
gave us little opportunity to definitely
locate incidents, and the trip leaves in
our minds confused ideas that make it
seem almost like dream; nothing but
reference to notes makes it possible to
convey any idea to the reader of what
| the trip has been.
The ride from Chicago to New Or
| leans over the Illinois Central railroad
was continuous, and for twenty-seven
hours we glided over the beautifully
ballasted iron of that company soon
leaving the snow clad fields. 1t was de-
! lightful indeed to witness the approach
of spring, as hour by hour we moved
southwark, first the green tint to the
fields, then the green tipped trees, the
songs of the birds, the wild flowers, the
more fully leaved out trees, the plowed
fields, the growing grain, the blooming
roses and the open windows. Do you
wonder that we drew in long breaths
and sang joyful songs?
Arriving at New Orleans we found
] ourselves in the midst of their annual
gala days, Mardi Gras, everything else
is lost sight of, and for two days fun
and frolic is the order of the hour.
Maskers parade the streets in parties,
and everyone is good natured, in fact l
apprehend it would be dangerous to be
otherwise; parades by day and night,
balls, masked and unmasked, in honor
of Proteus, Comus and Rex, fill up
every minute of the time The process
sions especially the evening ones, were
very beautiful; the floats were very
extraordinary, and were said to have
been the finest ever seen in the city;
they cost thousands of dollars and have
occupied the attention of their builders
for the entire past year. Already prepa-
rations are under way for the next
years fete. The Michigan contingent
was handsomely entertained by Mrs.
Bersegay, who not only devoted one of
the balconies of her handsome residence
on st. Charles Ave. to our use, from
which to witness the parade, but also