The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-01-12
CROWDS IN MEXICO.
Typical Characters Found MingIinG
in the City Streets
From the Mexican Herald.)

tETOn the AeElC4u hera4a-D
The good humor and peaceabIeness of
great crowds Of people here have been
exemplifed during the past few days of
the public celebration of the Inaugural
ton OF President Diaz. How kindly and
considerate Is even The poor and too often
despised pelado has been amply proved
He has taken his wife and numerous pro
geny into the public streets and has Teen
attentive to them and as anxious that they
should see all the sights, as If he had been
one OF the more fortunate caste. The Pc
lado is as witty as an freshman, a fact
not often perceived. but well known to
men who have made a study Of The Mexi-
can lower class And he has the open
hospitality and generosity Of the true Hi
bernian. He has sailed forth from the
tenement houses, flied the streets, taken
4 really artistic pleasure in The deeora-
tiCns, always worthy of admiration here,
and watched the passing Of distinguished
men in brilliant equipages with a sense
Of national proprietorshIpl
One must admit that often the pelado
is physically unpleasant, he smells of
pulque and garlic and his baths are al the
most, Of annual occurrence. Still his low
estate is not his fault; he IS the social
element which has resulted from nearly
fOlT centuries Of neglect. That he is IN
clean and ofends the oIfactories that he
is miserably poor. is not Of his deyising.
He is the disinherited, the pariah Of So
cIety, and that he is still warm hearted,
witty, and lacking all envy is vastly 10 his
credit There is nothing Of the Anarchist
in him.
Above the pelado come the artisan and
petty shOpkeeping classes; they have been
much IN evidence and their behavior has
been excellent They are civilized in the
true sense OF that word And We are glad
TO note by many little signs that they
are more prosperous than formerly Their
women show a growth OF taste and they
have more money TO spend than in other
years The social Ieaven is working a
Mexican crowd is a pleasant one; ii is
not surly. and II does not stand so stiffiy
fer its rights" that it forgeJs the duty Of
men and women in public places to be mu-
tually accommoda ting and cousiderate.
The people frcm the country, the country
cousins. the much ridiculed payos. have
been here in force. and it has been a
goodIy sight to see the sturdy backs the
strong. manly shoulders Of the class who
are. when all is said and done the back
bone of this Mexican nation; from them
the cities are recruited and the places OF
the worn out and degenerate filled II
was worthy Of note during the festai days
this spectacle of the stronE-bOded men
and the robust women from the interior
who keep this nation alive among the peo-
pies OF the earth. They. too. we're good
humored. obliging. and Open-eyed for city
maryels The world can show no better
hearted class than the rancheros of Mex
leo. BeneyOlenCe ami humaneness shine
from their faces. These are men who
can sit a half broken horse, make the
fields return their yield. and keep Mexico
agoingi
The people from the country make our
city population show badly in contrast;
Vigor goes out with city life with aIco-
holism and lack Of exercise in the open
air The hope of Mexico lies in her coun-
try people. and they have not been spoiled
by overculture and the artificial refine
ments of modern civilization