The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-30

was founded in 1891 facilities for the study OF
anatomy and surgery we're added, and. subse-
Quently. dissection was authorized. In 1tbS
q royal college for surgeons was organized In
the City Of Mexico on the pattern OF the instttu-
lions existing In Cadiz and Barcelona. Amid
the disturbances that followed the attainment
OF Independence the educational establish
ments suffered, but since 1887 there have
been but few Interruptions to the encourage
ment which they have received from the Fed
eral Government. It Is not, Of course. true to-
day as It was in 1904, when Humboldt made
the statement. that no city of tho New World,
not excepting those OF the United States. pre-
sents scientific establishments so great and
solid % those Of the capital OF Mexico There
Is no doubt. nevertheless, that the Mexican
School Of Mines and Engineering is the best
in Spanish America; IL is lodged In a
magnificent ediflce which cost $3.00O,0O0. The
National College OF Medicine Is housed In the
old Palace Of the Inquisition. The Normal
School for Males. which has GOO pupils. occu-
pies the Convent OF Santa Teresa. The Nor
NAL Sehool for Females accommodates 1,t00
pupils. At the Manual Training School of San
Lorenzo, started In 1898, poor boys are aught
gratultously. engraving. lithography. printing.
carpentry and many other trades. There is a
similar institution for girls dating from 1874.
The building occupied by the establishment
named Colleglo de Ia Paz. but better known as
the ylzcainas. cost So. 1000. 900 in 1874; IL IL do
voted to the education OF young women. On
the grounds OF ~Chapultepec is a high-grade
military academy. There are also In the Fed
eral capital n National Academy Of Art and a
National Conservatory OF Music. The National
Library, comprising 200. 0 0volumes. Is housed
In the seQuestrate6 Church OF San AGustin.
The National Museum occupies part OF the
building erected In 1871 at . cost OF $1,000
600 for the Royal Mint.
1t must. however. be acknowledged that.
while care was taken from an early date to
provide facilities for secondary and the higher
education. comparatively little attention was
paid to primary instruction. 80 defective were
the public elementary schools that all we'll
to-do parents secured private instruction
for their children. At present. however.
It Is recognized that the elevation OF
the people depends upon their requirement
Of primary education, and the States OF
the confederation 10Y vie with each other
in the multiplication Of common schools.
In 1895 the Federal Congress- passed q law
making primary education obligatory in the
Federal District and Territories. In almost
all the States also education is free and NOM
inally compulsory. but the law has not been
strictly enforced. For the most part. primary
mbITuCLlOn ID aHOEu6u dU JI6 cOSJ Vi bno
municipalities. but the Federal Government
makes frequent grants in aid thereof. The sta
tistical reports for 1895 showed that the total
number OF public schools for both sexes
throughout the republic amounted to about
1000. in which we're instructed $4,000 schol-
ars. at an aggregate cost OF $5.500,000. The
entire number OF private schools for both
sexes. including those supported by religious
and civic associations. is 1855. and the total
attendance is 81. 221. The number Of schools
In tho country for professional or technical
education is 1873. attended by 1880 pupils OF
both sexes. 1t is Senior Romero's belief that.
In the matter Of education. Mexico now out
ranks even the Argentine Republic. which
greatly surpassed her in former years. We
may here mention that the number Of news
papers published IN the Mexican Confederation
in 1895 was 1888. OF which "a appeared in tho
capital. or the latter. four were printed In
English. two in French and one in German.
".
There is a part Of Senior Romero's book which
will be read with special interest by civil engi-
neers: we refer to his account Of the method
oil draining the valley OF Mexico. The solution
Of this problem has required 300 years and has
cost the lives OF hundreds Of thousands OF men.
It may be recalled hat the valley Of Anahuac.
| or Mexico. Is an immense basin approximately
circular in shape. with an extreme diameter oil
about sixty miles. 1t is completely bounded by
high mountains and possesses no natural
drainage. Evaporation Is so excessive at GER
tain periods of the year that the malaria which
followed long drought was far more dreaded
by the inhabitants than the periodical floods.
Thousands persisted annually. and the neces-
sity OF artificial drainage was recognized even
by the AZtecs. Nearly fifty years before
the discovery Of America a drainage
canal was begun by acknowledgement. One
OF the dikes built by him was ten miles
long. The Aztec capital and the city Of
Mexico. which occupies its site. were placed
almost at the lowest level OF the valley. the re-
suit being that. on an average OF once In
twenty-five, years. the streets were from two to
six feet under water for an indefinite time: In
the southern lakes. which were higher than
those OF the north. and to furnish an exit for
the mountain wall Of the basin. The project
was not completed until 1889. when It was
computed that the work had cost 100000 liyes
The benefits derived from the tunnel. ulti-
mately converted into a trench or open cut
ting. were but slight. only the excess Of water
rled of. The fact that the bottom of the cut wal
thirty feet higher than TIE surface OF Texeoco,
is now but q few feet below the level OF the
main plaza OF the city. Up to 1880 the expen.
| NlluLo III WI Nd u "
have been eight million dollars. The gigantic
work first seriously undertaken In 1885 and
now completed contests OF three parts: first, q
new tunnel; %secondly, a canal starting from the
gates OF San Lazaro. and. after traversing a dis.
TANGO OF sone thirty miles, arriving at the tun-
nel's mouth. and. thirdly, al, Arrangement for
disposing Of the sewage of the City q Mexico.
long, is driven through tho mountain wall Of
the Anahuac Valley. at a depth much below
maximum discharge is 6S5 cubic feet per sec,
ond. Tho canal has q depth at its com.
mencement OF 1s feet. which, as It nears
s soSp tennslt IL Il i tEs dssfn. e VI Works fsse; pro Tsf
is. as we have said. the eS9nstrgction O.
which shall carry all the refuse Of the capita
labor was concluded on June 8, 1898. with
Messrs. Vein 4 Coe of Paris. The Importance
OF these undertakings to the Mexican capita
can hardly be ,oyerrated, Instead Of being. one
Of the healthiest cities IN, the world. a., from
Its situation and climate II should be, Mexico
has hitherto had an appalling death rate. due
principally to the want of drainage and to the
bad sanitary conditions.
II is. in truth. q precious storehouse Of infor
nation. for which we are indebted to sehol
Romero. He has Internationally done much
to place Mexico and the United States on