The sun., 1901-10-06
DRINKING IN YHE TROPICS.
TEMPTATIONS TO WHICH MANY
AMERICANS SUCCUNB.
Life IN Gustemaia . Medley % t,viiisstisn
and Barbarian Rsilresd- BuiIdiag
Heroes Whe went stay sober -sa,s-
rtes That Var, with rate of Exchange.

GrAsTAroYA. Guatemala. Sept. IL
II u one OF the ironies OF fate that fond
parents with dissipsted sons should send
them 90 the tropics In the hops the out
door life and new surroundings will re-
form them. The experiment has been
made many times with disastrous results.
and nowadays when a young fellow steps
down the gang plank AZ any Central Amen-
can port the American and European vet
erans who have for years been on their
way To the devil. via the tropics. mutt-r
cynicaly. .One more unfortunate. Won
der II he has any good money to sell, and
~ a preliminary To conversation ask the
new conner 20 take q drink IL he takes
the first one IL is generally all on with re-
form and the chances are ten 20 one that
he will drink from three 20 fve times as
much a. hs did al home
There are men, Of oour-e. who are strong
enough TO resist the temptation 20 drink
but they are even fewer than one would
expect Indeed IL Is only natural, that
IL should he ~. since there IL every Induce
ment 10 forget present mi-erie- In drink
aud few reasons for not doing ~. While
the tropics contain many white men.
a. distinguished from natives. Who are
of the finest character and highest attain
ments. II h unfort unately true that they
also contain more than their full share Of
men who have made failure OF life else
where and finally drifted u the part Of
the world that comes nearest TO filling
the vivid description Of kipling n country
Wa.t, a man car fNlse thirst
whsf, ihsf. stat Do leu CJmmAudmsnu sna IN.
bssi i Ike ih- s'fi
The great employers Of white" labor in
this country arc the railroads either In
operation OF In course 81 construction.
a nd they are extremely lenient IN dealing
with drinker~ II has come 10 be r-cog-
mir ed condition tina, most men here are
going TO drink whether the management,
likes II OF not, and since II ls always difficult
to ge, men the powers that To- overlook
every day drinking and only intertere when
the spree becomes too prutract"d " ~"
rules Of any - the United Siatc- railroads
were enforced here for a single day ther"
would h. many vacancy In the Operating
department of the ruad Thi- statement
must not bs taken a. meaning that the
roads IN the tropics are run In har1m-
scarIm style with inebria,es In all depart
ments and the softer men standing out ike
trees In a parade. for they are not No
where la the world do men work harder
under more adverse cunditions and CON
parativry speaking for le-- money than
The white men who are running and build
ing railroads ia the tropics When their
days work L. done there l. nowhere Tor
them TO go and nothing 20 do until u Is
time 20 work again unless " pe tp inrr-
gather with a few cOng"nial fellow country
men aud pa-- the dreary hours IN shoot
ing dice Tor drinks
life in Guatemala. a. elsewhere south Of
Mexico, l. a strange medley Of civilization
aud barbartsn, grim hie and death -iTus-
sl.s and happy gp-lucky, devil -inav-care
humor To begin with. the absence u
public opinion makes every mau Law
unto himself. 20 larg" extent HE CON
stant, n.ver-failins source oi Jokes, anu
oaths a. well, i the money When a man
lands ia the country with 500 and suddenly
finds that he hA- $50 he s apt Ia think
n Is n fine country and To throw away what
he has a. II /; had no value whatever III"
rate Of exchange h constantly varying
and n all railroad salaries arr lald IN th"
native currency no man knows a. ih" b"-
ginning 81 he month what be- will H. draw
ins ai The. end Not long ago the head ~ a
railroad department walked into cdrhno
NJ the end 81 IN. track. where ~" men who
brought the train W were drinking
These arr on mo .buy-, he said h"N-' SO
r,due.d my salary again and J M -ur-
Reduced your salary a-fru ur" ~
those addr'-~-'si why N'n I'N'i' uI""u'
7Bl. amt NDu.'
-Y,~ answered ,hc frs' si"aAor. I'm
s'iu drawing 7Du a noLth, . vNvhaug"
ma. gunn up Agsin ls-' month NV salary
w.s worth IN ia gold. now r tHt--'-~ % hN
nearly % hrst Thing YOU 'ruw III T."
reduced 10 nothing aud s'il. Ira" hig
money
Uc Nas rRh' 20 n CERTAIN extent. TOO.
There ar, men wufAirg nor" today Who
have h-u earning golden opinions in"m
'h..ir suparlsr~ Tor months aui a. ~" sam"
time ~uferiug a constant reduction ~ th"
amour, u heir monthly s'ip"n : r"ck"u"d
I'M gold OF course. salaries -hugld vary
with the rate Of exchange. hut hey Il" not,
and the mon have 60 - us'si 80 iHkthg
ihing- a. th'y find theui hat now th"N only
laugh a: the situation and lake another
drink
unop A. ou'casis 10 a cer'ain extent, Nv
ia. pgt,pla a. home. the Am-rloA oAiI- IN ''.-
,raI Au1.rira ar. Americans tn - proud ~
For on. thing they are men all uv"5, u-n
who have fought their wav again~i oh
stacl... that would hav" oNer~ h"lnIrd
sny but tI. strongest and N they have an
In ieueriden' air and consider u their right
10 do and saV pretty much aha they pleas"
who will gainSay them that knows them,
I, l. not ~ long siisC" certain ohioiai rai-'S
a storm he was glad 20 -" die down ls-cau-e
be asked one = the loWli,~t OF them who
had come 20 him With complaint why D."
didn't s'Ry in HE own country u ne diin'
like Guatemala
Tie man whom be adlrrssed had fought
d.o. IA fRc,. 20 face In the swamp- Tor mouths
a. ,ba rails crawl,d slowly through the
sliine toward The hills of th" interior. %" hau
protccted tho property of hi company.
rife IN hand rom the depreciation of
huri- - irresponsible and angry revo-
h'ionists he Rad sw.at"d aud toilet With
an urconsciouz herui-m that wa- splendid
a. IA. read which ovrr~orksNl anu under
raid him climb,-d into tie hills, over IA"
chas,n- aud through III" earth 10 - d'~'
'lnatior and alwavs and ever D." had shown
that be- Nas a man frpm his feet tu the crown
uf his head "a man all over Nha' D." laid
when he vas aEkol tl.a' question hr never
stated. hut sincn then no one has cared
20 uu' similar query.
Given that sort of man, one who has acted
A. 'he advance guard 81 civilization when
hi- Mfr was contained IN his cartndg" tclt,
who l. to hlam" him u nov and th-u d. ,ak''s
hi fiing and does things he should not
Il i not - long -inoe IN" hrad ~ rallrpad,
not NJ hat time compl.tcd. whs az the "'N'an
terminus uf his line sitting uu th" N"rardAh
Of the hotel hooking uut At 'h" iwins'ins
nshts - IN. shipping H. was Norri'-i ivt
hi- r,zht- hand man. who had hrSu with
the rad from IT, inception. vac on -i'ren
tlat wa something gaudy IN tie Narled
Manifestations o. assumed, aud W" Ng
Chi.f Was g't'ing decidedlv t.r'd dur'
thcn therr Wa- Whunp oui On the wsi"f
'Thai's him. mutiet"d tie 'hi"i, 40 lc
walked o. 10. cds" oi tl~ v"tanda.
wonder v4.Ai thu devil hos up 20 now
,,s n "a. IA s..I out uvsf ihs va'ef he