Evening star., 1898-08-27

snap in them. and as to the Bolvians, they
are waiting for some other people to come
In and gobble up themselves and their
country. You notice the difference the mo-
rnent you step on Chilean soil. I was de-
lighted with Antofagasta, although 1t is a
town largely built of corrugated iron and
driftwood. 1t had an air of business about
it. and the spirit of gct-up-and-get was
abroad everywhere. When asked one of
the citizens whether I could post my let
ters without danger of the postal officials
destroying them in order to steal the
stamps. as I had been told was sometimes
done by the clerks of the post offices of
Bolivia, he replied, Certainly you can.
This is Chile" He was right Chile is a
land of its own kind, and for South Amer
lea 1t is very much up to date 1t has its
railroads, telegraphs and telephones, and
its people have as much patriotism as we
have. The Chlenos, as they call them
like the other peoples of the west coast.
of Spanish descent and of the product of
the union of the Spaniards and the In
dians; but the Spaniards who came to
Chile were largely from the Bosque prov
ir ces of Spain. They were the best of the
old Spaniards, and today about one-third
OF the population are their descendants
These constitute the ruling and wealthy
classes of the Chileans. The other two
thirds are formed of the mixture of Span
ish and Indian blood. but the Indians in
this case were far different from the Incas
and other tribes further north. The In
manhood. The most of them have always
been slaves and they are contented to re-
main slaves today. They have no viriIe
Qualities whatever, and the mixed breeds
Wnich come from them partake of the same
spirit. The chief tribe of Indians here Is
the Araucanians. They are undoubtedly
the strongest Indians of North and South
America 1t was long before they wer,
subdued. and they caught and nut to death
PEDRO Valdevia, one of Pizarro's lieuten-
ants, who came south to conquer them. It
was with these people that the Spaniards
united, and 1t is a question whether the
masses of the Chileans of TODAY get most
of their strength from them or the Span
fards. The kraucanians are -boned and
muscular, and their women are especially
well built, recalling the words of the old
saw:
IF strong be the frame of the mother,
her sons shall make laws for the people -
There are still about fifty thousand of
these pure Arnucanians who have settle
ments of their own in southern Chile.
These 1 shall describe more fully after NV
travels IN that part of the country. The re-
n'ainder have bean assimilated with the
Spaniards. and they form to a large extent
the working people and the rank and file of
the Chilean army. The temperate clima to
OF Chile has also had an influence in MAX
of the semi-tropical lands of the north.
Chile is $500 Miles Long.
My voyage down the coast Of Chile gave
ms some idea OF the enormous length of
the country. I spent five days In coming
by steamer from the nitrate fields to Val
paraiso and the German ship on which I
shall sail Within a few weeks for TERRA del
F'uego will require nine days to reach
Punta Arenas, on the Straits of Magellan.
Chile Is more like a long-drawn-out sau-
sage or worm than any other country of
the world. The only land that compares
with it is Egypt. which drags its weary