Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-07-04
UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA.
North American Ignorance of the
Countries South of the Isthmus.
iii. e. Armstrong in Ainslee's.1

III. E. Armstrong in Ainsleesl
The United States was the first nation
to recognize the Independence of the
South American republics, and over them
it raised the aegis of the Monroe doc
trine almost 80 years ago; yet, compared
with the Europeans we in America are
profoundly ignorant about South Ameri-
ca. We know almost nothing of its
scenic wonders. for we do not visit them;
our share in its exploration is insignlf-
cant; what information the world has
of its fora and fauna has been CLEANED
by Europeans mainly; our knowledge of
its ethnoogy also comes from them, and
the same may be said of the history of
its people i'm the 18th century Qrom
American sources almost no account of
the rise of the Spanish republics can be
had; and II is European and not Ameri-
can, capital that has opened up its Wild
ernesses, built it's cities and railroads
and established its industries. How
many Americans have seen Ecuador's
avenue of volcanoes" 20 of whose nigh
ty crests exceed 5000 feet? How many
Americans have heard of the Paulo At
fonso falls on the Rio San Francisco,
with their descent Of 800 feet and vol
ume of 600 cubic feet per second; or
of the seven falls of Guayra, on the Para
ma. which in combination during the
rainy season challenge the grandeur of
Niagara?
How many Americans are familiar with
Gen. San Martins achievement in max
ing the passage of the Uspalata pass
- 700 feet above sea level with an army
of 5000 men. infantry, cavalry and ar
tillery, in the war of independence In
1877? The Great st. Bernard, over which
Napoleon led an army, Is 5000 feet low
err than Uspalata. And writ in water
so far as most of us are concerned is
the heroic defense of the Paraguavans In
the war of 1S65-70 with Brazil, Argentine
and Uruguay. when the population OF
| Paraguay declined from 100000 to 225,
600. and none but women. old men and
children were left of people dis
tinguished for their gentleness and anna
. bility.
For the American naturalist. botans
( hunter and traveller. no part of the worlt
4 should have more attractions. Brazil
| alone has 1900 species of birds many o.
! splendid itidescent plumage; no less thar
80 kinds of apes; 80 varieties of snakes
including the water boa. which swallows
horses and men: eight species of alliga
/ tors. the vacareguaz III q feet long; "a bats
! including the loathsome vampire Phyl
lostoma Spectrum two feet in wins
stretch. that kills cattle and fastens oil
sleeping children; and 1900 distinct marin'
creatures. Eight thousand species o
beetles have been recorded in Ecuador
domesticated and trained to patrol gar
, deus, am IN the fautero bird who's
song so resembles the sound of flute a
to deceive the practiced ear. Among tn
apes of equatorial South America is tn
bowler, which has developed a kind o
tribal organization under a chief VIII
leads a chorus of dismal music unlik
that of any other animal and heard 70
| miles at dawn and sunset. A curiosit
of the plant world in Peru Is the Tama
| caspi. or rain tree. which grows to
height of GO feet, and absorbs the humid
ty of the atmosphere I'm such abund
ance that in drouths water drips fror
its branches. So many strange thing
there are in the animal and vegetabl
kingdom of South America that no pru
dent person would do more than sus
gest the wealth of them. In the frs
quarter of the 10Th century most of tn
exploration and exploiting of Sout
America will be done by citizens of tn
United States. because the commercia
interests of this country will point tn
way. The political are growing in i'm
portance.