West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1897-03-25
TRAVELLING In THE TROPICS.
The Editor Writes About Mexican
Schools, Hotels, Manners
and Customs.
The People Have Lots of sand
Down There.
LEON, STATE OF GuANAJuAro,

UNITED STATES OF MEXICo,
February. 24th. 1897. )
4 L iitorial Rambliugs in the "Horrid" Zone
| promised in my letter Yesterday
to write from this city to-day, rs
did not get half done telling about
Aguas CAllvnties, the large and
quaint old town we visited yesler-
day. A. the Hotel De La Plaza
whore we stopped, | found an
American in charge named Geo ".
King, from Lawrence county, New
York. The hotel was formerly "a
convent and has been built over
handred years. The building is
large and Ia the shape OF hollow
square, with flower garden i'm the
center. The guest rooms are very
large and roomy, but much like "a
prison, with the thick walls and
iron barred windows with heavy
shutters to them, which are closed
and fastened at night. The doors
are fastened with heavy old fash.
ioned paddock and steeple and
chain on the outside. The occu-
pant is locked IN at night by the
watchman and has te stay there till
morning, when the watchman or
| 1atn al g L. Il
unlocks the doors. This lnsures
your safety from thieves er robbers
and there is no danger whatever Of
a fire. Such thing is unknown
in Mexico. In the first place the
buildings are of adobe, mud dried
| brick, moulded into various sizes.
which will last for ever and two
days over time, and gets harder all
the time by exposure to the dry
atm osphere of the country. Then
DO fire is needed in the building
except to cook with and mostly wax
candles for lighting purposes, so
that it is next to impossible to have
confsgration of any kind.
At all the eating houses along
this railroad, the Chinese do the
cooking and wait on the tables, and
% fact seem to run most Of the
railroad hotels, aud they do 1T very
well, too. At Aguas Calienties we
rode on Mexican street cars for the
first time. They have belt line
thatkuns from the depot around
the city and back The fare is five
cenJayos and he service fairly good.
All the large cities have horse cars,
only i'm ten cases out Of ten the
horse cars are mule cars. The
drivers use a long whip unmerci.
fully and make good time. They
carry bugle slung to them, which
they blow in a musical manner at
all crossings and TO warn people Off
the track. The cars are all old
fashioned horse cars, purch ,sed in
the United States where they had
been superseded by electricity.
We visited college for young
men and were agreeably surprised
to find the institution so well equip
ped and such an intelligent locking
body Of students in Attendance.
The building was a large one, built
like the hotel / have described, with
an iRterior court or garden and an
arcade running around it, open on
tho side next 70 The garden. Here
we found most OF the students who
wero not rcciting, walking around
and studying theIr lessons as they
promenaded slowly about the
grounds and in the shade Of the
arcade. Upon inquiry, we learned
that this is a custom Of the schools
Of the country, to allow The pupils
to prepare their lessons while walk
ing about instead Of Keeping them
cramped up on desks or benches as
we do in our country When the
classes we're called to rccite they
. repaired to The recitation rooms,
retiring afterwards to the court "a
study while walking around.
Teachers we're on duty all the time
to preserve order and sec that tho
boys did not neglect their books
and The decorum was unusually
good. The Principal Of the college
was very intelligent gentleman
and conversed nuontly in English
/ have before me bis card, on which
is written in his own hand os,
Medina, Aguas Calientes, Mexico.
We next went to the market
[ which te "a yorv ourfous r,1ooo Al