The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-02-06
CoURTING IN MEXICO.
Conditions Which Make the Tele-
phone Useful Auxiliary.


From the Mexican Herald.
To begin with. it is clear the condi-
tions of society are quite distinct with
these people. The custom of carrying
on a 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 Ia
good reason for this. In former
days the country, as every one knows.
was in a most terrible unsettled state.
Go only short distance out of Mexi-
co and you will 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 eases
loopholed for musketry. Some of
these picturesque old piles are verit-
able fortresses and are perfectly self
contained, with their mirader. or wotch
tower, perched up on 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. This was neces-
sary. for the people were ever on the
alert against armed invasion. The
roads were unsafe and brigands
swarmed over the land from end to
end.
Is it surprising then that under these
circumstances the MeAicans should
have learned to guard their women
safely within the walls of their hac-
iendas? Besides, apart from the dan
ger of bandits and robbers, which
have always existed. the history OF
this country has been one long sue
cession Of merciless revolutions, party
against party. foreign interventions.
and 50 forth. War and revolution do
not certainly bring with them much
security for women. Moreover 1t must
b. remembered that these customs
have an even older origin. The people
are Spanish. and, therefore, to a great
extent Moorish. 1t is undoubtedly
fact that several of the oldest families
in Mexico today have a strong Moor
ish strain, handed down in all prob
ability by Andalusian ancestry. AM
dalusia. as most people arc aware. re-
tains in most marked manner many
of the old Moorish customs and tradi-
tions. The Moors have left their de-
cendants in that part of the country.
and many dark. almond-eyed Anda-
lusian Senorita. languidly watching
the crowd below. ir some old street of
Granada through the heavily barred
Moorish window, is as thoroughly an
Oriental type as any you will see in
the East. One Moorish custom which
remains ir this country is that of
clapping the hands to call a servant.
This is certainy not Spanish Or Mex
lean. but entirely Eastern.
The manner in which a love affair
commences is quite interesting and in
this. as in every other matter in MeXi-
co, there is a right and wrong way Of
getting 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
in the window. Mutual interest is
aroused, and then there you have the
commencement of as pretty a court
ship as you could wish for, and one
that is thoroughly 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 that
the man knows something about the
girl beforehand. 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 declaration of his
admiration. If he has been very much
fascinated a poem is perhaps ad-
dressed to the fair one. | must not
forget to mention that ii is a very
usual thing for the gentleman to
ask the lady for some token by which
he may know she desires to counten-
ancc in his suit. Perhaps he requests
her to wear a red rose i'm her hair. or
perhaps it may be that he earnestly
bcgs the senorita to throw him some
particular Hover 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 par
tcular which is favorable to lovers
in this country. and that Is the clev-
erness of the servants. There is no
man who understands the fine points
of an intrigue better than your real
| genuine Mexican mozo and he will
| throw himself in a 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 ITO
doubt a select few have some knowl-
edgeS There is a certain street in this
| ancient and historic Ciudad de Mexico.
| which 10 the rishtiv soana at a mnst