The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-03

To begin with, it is clear the condi-
tions of society are quite distinct with
the MeXicans The custom of carry
ing on courtship, under the window
of your mistress, as often as not too
without the knowledge of her parents,
is entirely the correct thing. In any
other country this would be Irritation
carried to an extreme, but not so in
Mexico. Where custom sanctions, there
is nothing more to be said; and after
all, it seems to be in the very air.
Young women in Mexico are not per-
mitted anything like the freedom their
more fortunate sisters in England and
America enjoy. Here again, there is a
good reason for this. In former days
the country, as every one knows, was
in a most terribly unsettled state. Go
only short distance out of Mexico, and
you will still see the most evident
proofs of this in the heavily built sur
rounding walls of many of the hacien-
das. These walls are in some cases
loopholed for musketry. Some of these
picturesque old piles are veritable fort
resses and are perfectly self-cOntained,
with their mirader, or watch tower,
perched upon an angle of the wall, and
the quaint little dome of the capilla
showing through the trees. Those were
feudal days and the great landowners
had their retainers about them on their
estates. according to the Mexican Her
aid. This was necessary, for the peo-
pie were ever ON the alert against
armed invasion. The roads We're I'M
safe, and brigands swarmed over the
land from end to end.
Is it surprising, then, that under these
circumstances, the Mexicans should
have learned to guard their women
safely within the walls of their hacien-
das? Besides, apart from the danger
Of bandits and robbers, which have al
ways existed, the history of this coun-
try has been one long succession of
merciless revolutions, party against
party, foreign interventions and so
forth. War and revolution do not GER
tainly bring with them much security
for women. Moreover, it must be re-
membered that these customs have an
even older origin. The people are
Spanish, and, therefore, to great ex-
tent. Moorish
IL is undoubtedly fact that several
OF the eldest families in Mexico today
have a strong Moorish strain, handed
down in all probability by Andalusian
ancestry. Andalusia, as most people are
aware, retains in a most marked man
ner many of the old Moorish customs
and traditions. The Moors have left
their descendants in that part of the
country. and many a dark, almond
eyed Andalusian senorita, languidly
watching the crowd below, in some old
street of Granada, through the heav-
lily barred Moorish window, is as thor
oughly an oriental type as any you will
see in the east One Moorish custom
which remains in this country is that
of clapping the hands to call ser
want. This is certainly not Spanish or
Mexican, but entirely eastern.
The manner in which a love affair
commences is quite interesting, and in
this, as in every other matter in Mex
leo, there is a right and a wrong way
of settirg about it. In the first instance
the meeting between the man and the
girl is quite accidental. Possibly he is
passing in the street and sees her at
the window. Mutual interest is aroused,
and then there you have the commence
ment of as pretty courtship as you
could wish for, and one that is thor
oughly Mexican.
Now the usual way for the young
man, one would think, would be to get
an introduction. We English almost
look upon an introduction as sacred.
This, however, Is not at all necessary,
and in most cases it is possible the man
knows something about the girl before
hand. Having decided that he would
like to carry on an affair with her, his
first move is in some manner or other
to send her his card, accompanied by
a declaration of his admiration. If he
has been very much fascinated a poem
is perhaps addressed to the fair one. /
must not forget to mention that it is a
very usual thing for the gentleman
to ask the lady for some token by
which he may know that she desires to
countenance his suit Perhaps he re-
quests her to wear red rose in her
hair, or perhaps 1t may be that he
earnestly begs the senorita to throw