The herald., 1897-02-09
LUMMIS ON MEXICO

The current NUMBER OIL harper
Monthly contains the first of a series of
articles on Mexico by Mr. Charles F.
Lummis of this city. The series bears
the title of The Awakening of Nation,
and forms one of the most conspicuous
features of the magazines bill Of fare.
for the ensuing year 1t is written in
the strong, clear style for which Mr..
Lummis is admired by all who read his
work, and contains many interesting
illustrations, chiefly from the authors
own photographs.
1t is highly appropriate that such a
series of articles should appear at the
present time, and that of all men in the
country MI Lummis should be engaged
to prepare them. He is an American of
the rugged New England type, a Har-
ward man and a graduate from a still
greater school--that of Journalism. For
the past ten or twelve years he has been
making a study of the Spanish American
character habits and history, as de-
veloped in Arizona, New Mex
leo. California. South and Cen
tral America and Old Mexico. He
is the author of half dozen books on
these topics, one of which. The Spanish
Pioneers takes high grade as a work
of history in an almost new field. His
familiarity with the language, his sym
pathy with the Spanish American char
acter and institutions, and his practical
skill as a photographer and an explorer,
give MIR. Lummis a peculiar vantage
ground for such work a that undertaken
for the Harpers.
The articles will be read with an un-
usual degree of interest by the people
Of this section for other reasons besides
their acquaintance with the writer and
his work. The time IS at hard when
closer trade relations Will come to exist
between the republic of Mexico and the
state of California. There are only four
states or territories of the union that
touch Mexican soil, and California is
one of these. Prosperity in the sister re-
public means business for California and
ultimately, when g steamship line shall
be established between Southern Cali
fornia and the West Pacific coast. it
means the development of active COM
merce between this section and the Mex
lean republic. According to Mr. Lummis.
a great awakening is at hand-indeed
has already taken place. The school
master is abroad in Mexico, religious
bigotry is confined, political reform,
even municipal reform Qatest of all to
arrive in this country) is coming to
pass. free silver nation, its finances
are in admirable shape and the condi-
ton of its people is steadily improv-
ing Its cities are provided with sewers,
electric lights. telephones, and tram
ways. Factories are springing up in
of industry. a vertable revolution poll
tical, religious, social, intellectual and
industrial. is going on so quietly that
outside nations have scarcely as yet de-
tected its presence.
MI Lummis promises in his later arti
cles to treat some of the political and
financial questions that underlie these
great changes. and The Herald will be
much interested to note his conclusions
as -, tho in firaOce of free silver coin a sra
in Mexico, especially as Mr.. Lummis has
shown himself in his former writings to
be a strong gold standard man, and this
story of prosperity is decidedly at var
lance from what we heard from gold
ORGANS during the campaign.