The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-01-03
Brazil Smiles Splendid
Under a Tropic Sun.
HER LOvABLE PEOPLE
An Interesting Description of a Mighty
Republic and Glimpse of Daz-
zIing Possibilities Under
Changed Conditions.

To the Editor: I must thank you for
this opportunity you have given me 10
speak to so many of my countrymen about
that great country-its people, which lies,
geographically, twenty days by ship to
the southeast of us, and next to my wife
and children in my affections.
The twenty States of the Republic OF
Brazil cover 100000 square miles more
territory than our own country and lie
almost entirely within the Tropics
Just now they are in midsummer, and
in my Static, Mnas Geras, the thermom-
eters may sometimes go to 80 degrees in
shade. Next July it may go down to
40 degrees, or even Sc.
! The topography of the country is not
unlike the climate.
The low-lands are in the North, down
! the Amazon valley. Toward the South
the surface rises slowly into high table
land and low mountains. There are no
! Pixies Peaks in Brazil But over the
greatest part of the country, one series
after another of beautiful round topped
bills one piled upon each other until We
reach the height OF some 5000 feet above
| the sea.
When we come to speak of the natural
wealth Of the country, it seems to be an
exaggeration when less than truth is told.
Cold. mines, among the richest of the
world, silver, copper and whole mountains
of iron are there. All kinds of precious
stones, beautiful colored marbles, building
stone and coal are there. Many of tho
finest woods of the world grow there in
great abundance. 1 have seen 27O odd
specimens of wood from my state, all Of
which take a high polish.
! From the ''Sringoes'' of the Amazon,
rubber goes out to all the world. Cotton
and sugar cane are planted only once
/ in three or four years Corn grows with
almost no cultivation. 1t never sees a
plow-and the mountains of Minas pro-
duce a most excellent grade of rice. All
the cereals grow with very little cultiva-
ton. The leaves Of the "Agave Ameri-
cana" produce a fiber from 4 to feet
| long. And this plant grows wild, on the
Ipcorest land, in great abundance Add
| to these the almost endless variety OF
tropical fruits, textile and medicinal
plants, which are legion, and some idea
may be formed as to what Brazil must one
day be.
water countries. The great rivers, with
the exception of the Amazon, were not
made to serve man as highways, but to
| furnish him power to run his mills and
drive his cars Every little stream as it
pours its beautiful crystal waters over
! the rocks seems to be clamoring for the
hand of man to harness it's untold thou
sands of power to the instruments of civ
! ilization for his service.
The animal life of the country is like
everything else, varied and abundant.
Cattle raising is one Of the great interests
of Southern Brazil Coffee was once a
source of wealth to the planter, and
still brings a great deal of money into
the country. 1t is now at starvation
prices for the farmer.
But ideal climate and great natural
wealth are not what make a country.
These ore, at best, only the dumb SER
wants of man. We alone can understand
them and use them for the making Of
a nation. Whoever cannot do this must
sooner or later give place to those who
can. Shoot, Luke, or give UP your gun,
is the law of nature
Over Brazil's vast territory is scattered
a population of less than IS million.
Brazilians, like ourselves, are the chill
dren of Europeans. But their forefathers
came from Latin Europe. Portuguese
blood has predominated, and French IN
fluence has formed the institutions.
The old Latin mania for lawmaking is
a marked characteristic of the people,
but the old Roman power to execute
is notably lacking. They are an exceed
ingly polite and ceremonious people, and
bro tn oh l.,
and pleasant to strangers. They have
very high sense of hypothetical justice
and look upon war as a very barbarous
way of settling disputes among civilized
nations; while their theories on many
vexed questions are strikingly in harmony
with the principles of abstract justice
On the whole the average Brazilian is
a courteous, friendly, peaceable sort of
man and we like him very much Nothing
can be more false than the idea l find
everywhere, that Brazil is turbulent,
revolutionary country. The facts in the
case are that she has had fewer armed
disturbances than we, and not half 50
serious.
Brazilians remind me more OF my peo-
pie in South Carolina than any foreigners
1 nave met.
/ shall say there is about the same
general difference between Brazihans and
South Carolinians, that there is between
the latter and the New Englanders. They
are bright-generally quicker than we are.
have encyclopedia memories and won
derfully developed imaginations. Braz-
ilian is in his glory when dealing with
theories and distractions. They make
good lawyers, physicians and hnguists,
and have very keen sense of the aes-
thlic. They have good medical law. civil
and mining engineering schools There
is a public school system and a good
many private schools. some of which do
good work The trouble Is. that there is
not enough of them. So per cent of the
people are illiterate. This is due to sew
eral clauses: The lack of money on the
part of the government to sustain the
public schools, the difficulties presented
by a small population scattered over
large territory with very poor roads.
and the influence of the Roman Catholic
religion. which. though it poses as the
friend of learning, has managed to keep