The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-05-26

not. TIE m re substantial buildings,
as we'll as the churches and public edi
fees, are usually constructed of stone.
The stores on the public squares ISL
frequently have "PArtales." These
are acades running the entire length
of the block and are constructed by
making the sidewalks four times the
usual width (they are ordinarily very
narrow thus moving the front of the
| stores back, ard the second story is
built over the entire sidewalk, giving
a wide walk protected from sun and
rain and inviting custom for the stores
in incleme t weather. The streets are
usually paved with cobble stone,
though some Improvement on this has
/ been attempted in some places. In the
City of M -Xico there r some streets
with asphalt pavements. The names
| of streets change with each block, or if
the same name ia retained, it is the
first, second, or third Of such a street
according to the number Of the block
from the beginning,
The ordinary means of freight trans
port, exclusive OF the new methods by
railroad. is by 'burros" donkey s. and
by carriages on mems backs. 1t is as
Uonishing what loads can be carried by
both. The load on a mans back is usu
ally::sustained by a band passing around
che forehead. The working women
usually carry their infant children on
their backs. The loads on the burrOre
are divided ard placed one half on each
side. Numbers Of the animal singly,
out more frequently in droves, can be
seen at all times passing along with
Out brides and carrying loads much
larger than themselves, and men can
often be seen carrying loads 90 large
that only the mans feet can be seen,
thus resembling an animated hay rick
or corn shock. When railroad con
struction began the native laborers
would take eff their " ,rapes," or
blankets, load them with the dirt, then
giving a twist they would fasten an
end of the blanket around their fore
neads and trot eff with enormous Loads
When wheelbarrows we're prescribed,
they would load the bsrrows up and
place the loaded bRrrows on their heads
md carry them eff to empty. When
made to roll them, they would still put
The empty barrows on their heads to
9ring back. But this stage of develop
nenC is now pact, and the incident
merely shows that the use Of the wheel
0arrows, like many other things in GU
,ivil cation, is not intuitiYe but &C
Tired.
In all the cities and towns Of any
-iz9 they have street cars, electric
-igh's ice factories end other
infants OF modern civiiiz ,tiOn. These
plants come from the United States
md like the railroads ere largely
owned and operated by Americans
In respect to water works and sewer
sge the cities are as yet almost unpro-
Vlded, with the result that with 4 Of
he heal1hiest climates in the world
the cities on the great plateau Of Mex
GO show a comparatively high deata
rate. This is especially true Of the
City Of Mexico where the death rate lie
4OnOrmally high There q 81 stem Of
sewerage and drainage has been under
construction some years and will be
completed very soon, which will doubt
less change all this. The signs and ad
vertisements of our leading sewing
machines are often met with and also
the agencies of u great life insur
ance companies, though nece asarily,
from what / have said, there is small
demand for fire insurance.
The religion of the country remains
nominally Roman Catholic, for the
Reform" las it is called), which confs
Gated all the church property was eco
nomic and political and had no religious
element in it, thus differing widely
from Luther's in Germany and Knox's
in Scotland, and in some particulars,
though not in all, more nearly resemb
ling the coniscation Of church prop
erty by Henry VIII in England. The
women of Mexico are, as @ rule, still
devout Catholics. The men are said,
by those who know them best, to have
as a rule no religion to amount to any
thing, though probably the majority of
them still lift their hats whenever they
nsp2en to pass a church door, were it
fifty times a day. There are very few
Protestants, as yet, among the native
population, though the DIFF 3rent de