The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-02-03

Their houses, their families, their horses, their flowers, their time, even their lives, are placed, tiguratively, at least, "at your disposal"
 "A los pies de usted. sonora" (my lady, I am at your feet) is the pre- scribed form of salutation from gen. tleman who meets a lady, while if two gentleman meet they address one another as follows: "Beso usted la mano q kiss your hand).
 The same applies to written corre- spondence. A note from gentleman to a lady ends in this wise: Soy de ", Senoa, atento servidor Q. SS, PIP. B." The initials are for que sus pies besa," and the whole phrase stands for T am, my lady, your attentive servant who kisses your feet"
 If gentleman Is addressed In writ ing only his hands are kissed, not his feet.
 These formula are followed, not only by the richer, but by all classes. As to the poorest, their courtesy toward one another is widely different from the gruff, borlsh intercourse of the plebei- ans of other nations.
 The poor of Mexico cannot frame a sentence without employing one or more terms of endearment;
 Como estas, mi alma?" (How are you, my souD. The words they address each other speak of the gentle consider ation for the feelings of their neigh bors, which characterizes the race and emanates from spontaneous courtesy. A Mexican gentleman will never per- init a lady to descend the stairs unac- companied. He takes her softly by the hand or offers his arm to assist her in | going down the steps, and only takes leave of her at the door; when he does | not assist in leaving the lady at her own home.
 | Often in their rambles through the large cities of the country strangers lose their way and have recourse to | their sometimes scant knowledge of | Spanish to be put in the right road. An invariable courtesy when the stranger | addresses man not of the lowest class | lis the result
 Love Is more the business of life in Mexico than in northern climes; per haps because other people have more | diversions than we. have. The lady love | Is ardently styled "the very eyes of me- but that does not prevent the l Mexican beau, when stung by jealousy, from denouncing love as treacherous. Since there is no help, bow before you, kiss your feet and depart" is the becoming way in which the unrequited lover takes leave of the girl that has
 given him the cold shoulder.
 All hope Is over, love Is stretched up on his bier; but the Mexican whom a
 beauty despises, although naturally an j gered, at the slight, pretends to feel l more keenly than anything the annoy. ance he has given her with his unrernit-
 ting attentions. Excuse me, fair lady
 for having put you to the trouble of re.
 polling the audacious revelation of the
 feeling you have awakened in my
 bosom" Such Is the mild form IT | which he gives vent to his rage and | despair
 Race, of course, has had it's influence
 in promoting this spirit of courtesy ant
 ciyility. It is an inheritance from olt j colonial days. The descendants of tn,
 Viceroy and ''oidores'' of New Spain ac l quired by the exercise of power ant
 wealth certain advantage of manner
 and tone transmitted through severa
 generations to the Mexicans of to-day
 high breeding was the result in al
 classes that came in contact with tht
 old Spanih cavaliers or with their off
 spring.
 It may be set down as certainty
 that no society is more refined thar
 that where a poor peon has the man
 ners of a gentle man Two Republic.