The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-11-24
COURTING IN MEXICO
THE CUSTOMS ACCORDING TO WHICH
LOVERS MUST WOO.

LOVERS MCSl WOOs
How Affairs of the Heart Are Begun
and Carried on In This Land of
Long Distance Courtship - Making
Love Under Difficulties.
To begin with, it is clear the conditions
of society are quite distinct with these
people. The custom Of carrying on a
courtship under the window of your mis-
tress, as often us not, too, without the
knowledge of her parents, is entirely the
correct thing. In any other country this
would be filtration 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
good reason for this. In former days
the country, as every one knows, was in
a most terribly unsettled state. Go only
a short distance out of Mexico and you
will still see the most evident proofs of
this in the heavily built surrounding
walls of many of the haciendas. These
walls are in some cases loopholed for
musketry. Those were feudal days, and
the great landowners had their retainers
about them on their estates. This was
necessary, for the people were ever on
the alert against armed invasion. The
roads were unsafe, and brigands swarm
ed 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 haciendas?
The manner in which love affair
commences is quite interesting, and in
this, as in every other matter in Mexico,
there is right and wrong way of set
ting about it. In the first instance the
meeting between the man and the girl
is quite accidental. Possibly he is pass
ing in the street and sees her at the
window. Mutual interest is aroused.
and then there you have the commence
ment Of as pretty a courtship as you
could wish for and one that is thorough
~ 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 beforehand.
Having decided that he would like to
carry on love affair with her, his first
move is in some manner or other to send
her his card accompanied by DECLARE.
ton of his admiration. II he has been
very much fascinated, poem is perhaps
addressed to the fair one. must not
forget to mention that it is 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 requests her to wear q red
rose in her hair, or perhaps it may be
that he earnestly. begs the senorita to
throw him some particular flower from
her window when he comes to learn his
fate.
There are many and numerous other
ways Of starting love affair, and the
ingenuity sometimes displayed is very
amusing. There is one factor in partic-
ular which is favorable to lovers in this
country and that is the cleverness Of the
servants. There is no man who under
stands the fine points of an intrigue let.
ter better than your real genuine Next.
can mozo. and he will throw himself in
perfectly whole hearted manner into
your plots and help you out of the most
unexpected difficulties. All praise to the
mozo! He never intrudes, but at the
same time he is muy simpatico, and
watches developments.
cannot refrain from referring to one
particular episode of which | have no
doubt select few have some knowledge.
There is certain street in this ancient
and historic Ciudal de Mexico, which is
the nightly scene of most comical and
certainly very original courtship. Creep
softly out at the witching hour, not
midnight, but the proper time, and per-
adventure. provided you look in the right
place, you may come across youth lean
ing in a studiously careless position
against wall. Above him at some con-
siderable height is small stone balcony.
and the occupant of this is a pretty
young lady closely yelled in black
tapalo.
The first thing to strike the observer as
somewhat curious is the fact that the
man does not seem to be interested in
the balcony at all. Neither does the girl
appear to be leaning over the balustrade.
on the lookout for any one. But pause
moment, and presently you will discern
faint black line wandering up the ex-
panse of white stucco wall, and then
the whole puzzle is solved. These two
charming lovers are communicating with
each other by means of hand telephone.
They each have one end of the instru-
ment. and If you pass by sufficiently near
you might possibly catch an indistinct
murmur Of voices. He is certainly yery
constant. / had occasion to pass that
way one miserable evening during the
rains. Mexico was then simply mum
dated with water, and the rain on that
particular evening was simply coming
down in sheets.
That. however, did not daunt the
knight of the telephone. There he was.
as usual, sheltered in serviceable look
ing waterproof. The rainwater off the
street had come up over the pavement.
and he stood patiently, but no doubt
quite cheerfully. in formidable puddle.
Such heroism surely deserved equal sac.
rifices on the part of the balcony too.
But not bit of it. The young lady was.
invisible, though it was noticeable that
the telltale speaking cord passed up over
the rail of the balcony and in between
the half closed windows Of the room.
pictured the senorita to myself sitting
comfortably ensconced in an armchair in
nice dry place, and have no donht 7