St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1901-02-06
Descendant of Spain In New rIexlco.

During the months lately passed we as
nation have been brought into closer
connection with Spanish-speaking peo-
pie than ever before. We have come to
know and feel their peculiarities. Their
false pride, their ideas OF the require,
ments OF honor, their underhand deal
ings, and their lack of human feeling
have opened up to us a character not
altogether lovely.
About $50 years ago Spain sent her
language, and bit OF her peculiar char
acter, into a territory that has since
fallen to us. The majority of the popu-
lation OF this Territory of New Mexico
are the descendants OF those Spanish adj
venturers and the American Indian.
This Undesirable mixture has produced
the New Mexican of today. He speaks
the Spanish language more or less i'm.
perfectly. He is nominally Romanist,
but, in reality, is Indifferent to moral and
religious teaching. Those who live near
the American towns have learned little
OF the modern ways OF doing things, and
their minds have been unconsciouslv de-
veloped to some extent by this contact
with new life. A large number of our
Mexican population live in the mountain
Gus regions, where they raise their sheep,
and where a little water can be had tor
the irrigation Of their scanty crops.
Their farming is carried on in the rudest
fashion The ground is ploughed, or
rather scraped, with the. smallest.si sized
plough, which is usually dull. Then the
grain is sown broadcast. When very
ripe it is cut with sickIes, threshed out
with horses on a dirt floor, and win
moved by tossing in the wind with
large paddles. The wheat is washed,
ground in very old home made mill,
and is sfted by hand. This -four is made
into a thin ndigestible cake called tor
tlIa.
Their towns are small, a collection OF
low. fiat, dirt rooted, rectangular, sun
dried brick houses. The floors are usual.
ly of this same dirt, which is in evidence
everywhere. 1t is easy to believe that
the majority of the people are also made
OF earth, tor many have never experienc
ed The sensation of good bath. One
fnuI teen-year, old boy said, after taking
his first bath in several years, "How
light one ieels!"
Being shut off from the outside world
and having no books nor papers, it is
only natural that their minds should be,
come narrow and weak. A very few
mothers, and small portion of the
fathers can read and write. The Roman
Catholic church has done little, and is
doing less and less, to develop the intel
lect of this forgotten people. When
children who will become voters have
not the intellectual power to learn to
read and write well even the easy span.
ish language, it is time some organiza
ton should begin to develop mind in
these United States citizens. They have
been neglected too long already, Out o.
eighty school children from five to fiteer
years of age, enrolled last year in a
school OF the Congregational Education
Society, twelve and one. half per cent
could keep up in the grades OF an Ameri
can school; fifty per cent, will be ablt
to learn to read and write their owr
language, to read and write English
poorly, and in arithmetic to struggle
through division" thirty.seven anC
one. half percent will never be able tC
learn to read and write their own Ian
guage inteIigentlv- Home Missionary