Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-03-23


wherever they go, and give to their coun-
tryrnen much reliable and intelligent in
formation abou; us From long OBJ
serN7a ton do not hesitate to assert that
the average educate Mexican is much
better informed about the United states
than the educated American is informed
about Mexico.
The great New Orleans exposition was
a revela ton 10 Inanv OF us as to Mexico.
We had been accus toned 70 regard ii as
a land Of anarchy and organdage, OF
beggars and revolutionists. But here
We're confronting ua the evidences of
great and progressive ma ton. In the
decade that has elapsed since that eX-
position Mexico has made wonderful
progress and development along every
line. If her people do live in adobe
houses made of clay" many of her build
ings, especially the public ones, are of an
order of grandeur and magnificencs not
to be surpassed in the world. To quote
again: First, of course. are the churches;
these form series of monuments scarce
ly to be matched elsewhere. Palaces,
bridges public buildings, even roads-aH
are fit for their company.
Throughout all of Mexico there has
been wond arful progress in the education
of the people. Public schools are numer-
Gus in the cities, and they re Of high
standard too. 1t will be a surprise to
many of the readers of this paper to
know that the Spa niards had established
industrial schools in Mexico two centu-
res before we dreamed of them. / make
this statement on the authority of a, re-
cent writer Of high repute. English is
compulsory in every school. public and
private in Mexico. Soon it will be a
nation of two lang1La ges, and when We
go down there to sell them our wares
they win be much better equipped for
trading than we are.
"At Guadalupe is the hospicio, or asy
lum, for orphans. This is typical in ev-
cry one of the United States Of Mexico.
An orphan babe can be on the very day
Of its birth placed in a government or
phanage where it viii be tenderly reared
and trained up to six years old. 1t can
then be put in an hospicio to be educated
AMI taught a trade. and main tanned until
its majority. Possibly II may be-
come us, in our present circumsta noes.
not to look down too disdsinfully upon a
nation which is doing this for it's found
lings."
Much of the silver ore mined in Mexico
is treated by the patio process" which
has been in vogue for several hundred
years. This is the cheapest and best
reduction in many inst1 noes, but it is
we'll known fact that many of the mines
are equipped with modern machinery
though the high price Of fuel is stand
ing barrier to the extensive use of steam.
Possibly many of the readers of this
article will be surprised to learn that
Mexico has numbers of cotton Factories
many Of them costing millions OF dollars
and manufacturing finer goods than our
southern mills have as yet attempted.
Many of these mills are beautified by
lovely statuary, and are surrounded by
gardens Of tropical flowers, which are
kept always in a high state of cultivation.
Truly the civiliZa ton of Mexico is differ
ent from ours. Catch a mill owner.
here wasting statuary and flowers on
his operatives, if you can. One word
about the beggars Of Mexico. / cannot
do better than quote a recent writer. who
says, zone reason why mosquitoes seem
so numerous is that we cannot get away
from them. So with the Mexican beg
gar Wherever you go, you see all there
is of him; and meeting ten people Of
whom two are beggars, you naturally
conclude that the same proportion holds
good throughout the whole population.
As a matter Of fact. there are prob7b bly,
not so many beggars per cent, in Mex
leo as tramps in the United States. The
Mexican beggar. too. has a different
stock in trade. His capital is to look as
poor. diseased and repulsve as he posi-
bly, can. He has not learned the
broader platform of irsoience, bull-dozing
and alternative crime"
In conclusion J will state one rerna rk
able fact about Mexico. which was as
great a surprise to me when first be-
came cogniZant of 1t, as 1t VIII now sur
prise many of the readers of this article:
Notwithsta ndinS 80 per cent. of its pop
ulation is Roman Catholic there is far
less liberty amorg them than in the
United States of America. Church pro-
cessions are impossible-a priest dare
not. walk the streets in his priestly gar
ments.
And thus / could continue for hours.
telling things about Mexico that believe
would surprise many who get their I'M
pressions from q car window, bot l viii
desist for fear of trespassing upon your
space t.