The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-07-25
FACTS ABOUT SOUTH AMERICA
There Are Many Things We Do Not
Know About Our Neighbor
Country,

ton to recognize the independence Of
the South American republics, and over
them it raised the aegis of the Monroe
doctrine almost so years ago; yet, COM
pared with the Europeans, we in Amer
lea are profoundly ignorant about
| South America. We know almost moth
ng of its scenic wonders, for we do not
visit them; our share in its exploration
is insignificant; what information the
been CLEANED by Europeans mainly;
our knowledge of it's ethnology also
comes from them and the same may
be said of the history OF its people in
the nineteenth century (from Amer
lean sources almost no account of the
rise of the Spanish republics can be
had); and it is European and not Amer
lean capital that has opened up it's
wildernesses, built its cities and rail-
roads and established its industries.
How many Americans have seen
Ecuador's "avenue of volcanoes" 20 of
whose mighty crests exceed $4,000 feet,
one of them 10000, and three others,
19,0oofeet? How many Americans have
heard of the Paulo Alfonso falls, on
the Rio San Francisco, with their de-
scent of 300 feet and volume of $50, 900
cubic feet per second; or of the seven
falls of Guayra, on the Parana, which,
in combination during the rainy sea-
son, challenge the grandeur of Nj
agara?
How many Americans are familiar
with Gen. San Martins achievement in
making the passage of the Uspalata
pass, 1900 feet above sea level, with
an army of 5000 men, infantry, cavalry
and artillery, in the war of independ-
ence in 1917? The Great St. Bernard,
over which Napoleon led ~ army, is
5000 feet lower than Usp4lata. And
writ in water, SO far as most of us are
concerned, is the heroic defense of the
Paraguayans in the war of 1S65-7O with
Brazil Argentine and Uruguay, when
the population of Paraguay declined
from 100000 to 225,O0O, and none but
women, old men and children were left
of people distinguished for their gen
tleness and amiability.
For the American naturalist, botan-
list, hunter and traveller no part of the
world should have more attractions.
Brazil alone has 1,7OO species Of birds,
many of splendid iridescent plumage;
no less than so kinds of apes; so vari-
cites of snakes, including the water
boa, which swallows horses and men;
eight species of alligators, the yaca-
reguazu q feet long; "a bats, including
the loathsome vampire (Phyllostoma
spectrum), two feet in wing stretch,
that kills cattle and fastens on sleeping
children; and 1880 distinct marine
creatures.
Eight thousand species of beetles
have been recorded in Ecuador; in the
calambo it has snake which is do
mesticated and trained to patrol gar
dens, and in the fautero bird whose
song so resembles the sound of flute
us to deceive the practiced ear. Among
the apes of equatorial South America
is the bowler, which has developed a
KIND of tribal organization under a
chief who leads chorus of dismal
music, unlike that of any other animal,
| and heard for miles at dawn end sun
set.
A curiosity of the plant world in
Peru is the Tamai caspi, or rain tree,
which grows to height of 60 feet and
absorbs the humidity of the atmos-
| phere in such abundance that in
j droughts water drips fromits branches
So many strange things there are in
the animal and vegetable kingdom of
South America that no prudent person
would do more than suggest the wealth
OF them, says II. E. Armstrong, in Aims
hes.
In the first quarter of the twentieth
century most of the exploration and
/, exploitation of Son.A America will be
done by citizens of the United States.
because the commercial interests of
this country will point the way.
|