The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-02-12

| "A Siiltll quantity Oh corn anu DEANS
will last long time in an ordinary
family. 1t often happens, however
that a family does not have even this
allowance. and then their neighbors
come to their assistance and divide
their meagre store, even though they
come to want themselves.
With all his faults and frailties, the
Mexican stands far ahead Of his more
enlightened neighbors in point Of char
ity. He will divide his last morsel
with a hungry brother. In sickness
and in health, in want or in plenty, the
Greaser is Christian at heart. With
him the Golden Rule is not only for
theory, but for practice. And, as char
ity covers a multitude of sins, so must
many of their falings be overlooked.
They are also most polite and cour-
teous people. The stranger that bides
with them, be he white, black, or yel-
low, is given the freedom of their homes
and provisions. They put forth their
utmost endeavors in entertaining a
guest. They have always a greeting
for the stranger, and never turn one
from their doors. Among themselves
the women always embrace on meet
ing; they do not seem to have any lit
tie social disputes or controversies
and are neither hypocritical or insin-
cere. If they say they are glad to see
you, they mean it exactly. Hand
shaking and passing the compliments
of the day are always in order, even
though they meet several times during
the same day. Even the little child
rem are taught to say ''Buenos dias''
and "Gracias" as soon as they can talk.
As class, they are very poor, many
of them being poems or slaves. They
are poor to start with, and, not being
abic to procure the necessaries of life,
they are forced to obtain goods en-
credit, and this credit soon runs from
molehill into mountain, leaving
them irretrievably in debt. From this
incumbrance they do not often extri-
cate themselves, but remain peoned. to
the end of their days, to the party to
whom they are thus mortgaged. There
are people who make business of this
sort of thing, and are always on the
lookout for some unfortunate who has
no other resource. In this way they
obtain laborers to work out their con-
tracts for little or nothing. The peon
is satisfied as long as he has enough to
eat and wear, with. of course, his al
none. He never lives in the future,
and believes literally in letting to-mor-
row take care of itself.
OF course, there are exceptions
among these people, as am1ng other
races. Occasionally you will find one
who owns his own house, a herd of
goats, and possibly a few head Of cat
tie. This man is looked upon by his
neighbors as a nabob, and is vested
with the title of Don PasIuale" or
'Don Miguel" as the case may stand
To gain this distinction he has to be a
little more conservative, and limit the
expenditures Of his family; otherwise,
he would be as poor as his neighbors.
Strange as it may seem, these same
people bear him no envy or ill-will, but
rather look up to him with a kind of
pride, respecting, no doubt, the energy
in him which they lack in themselves.
When the Greaser has the good for
tune to possess few goats, he soon
becomes a stockman, as they are a very
prolific source of revenue. 1t costs
nothing to feed them, for there is grass
in the mountains the year round. The
meat, milk, and hides they yield bring
to their owners small fortune. The
flesh of the goat and that of the sheep
are similar, and many an unsuspecting
"Gringo" has paid his Mexican butcher
for "borrego',, when he really was get
ting 'chiba."
Another source ofwealth to the Mex
lean is his burro. These burros, like
goats, depend upon nature for their
subsistence. When grass is plenty,
they Craze; lacking that they are said
to eat the most impossible things, such
as old boots, shoes, and cast-otf cloth
ing, but for this latter fact | am not
prepared to vouch. The personifica-
tion of meekncss, these little animals
are veritable beasts of burden. One
popularity Of the burro is that he al
| WAYS bears cross. Extending from
the head, along the spine, to the tail,
and from the forelegs over the shoul-
ders. two distinct lines intersect in the
shape of a cross.
The Mexirans claim that this is
proof that it was born to bear all sorts
of indignities. When not at work haul
ing wood, stone, or freight, these abused
creatures are made the butt of the
younger population, who ride, drive,
and torment them in innumerable ways.
To all this the burro submits without
protest When freed from both work
and worry, they are allowed to roam
at their own sweet will through streets
and alleys, treating the denizens to the
most heart-rending 'hee haw, hee haw,'
that soft in the Silly night has the