The Republican journal., 1904-06-23

ment; and therefore Republicanism,
pure and simple, does not meet their re-
quirements. The government of Uru-
quay is divided into the usual three
departments, executive, judicial and
legislative. The President is elected by
a majority of the General Assembly for
four years, and is not eligible to two
consecutive terms. The five ministers
composing the cabinet are appointed by
the President and are responsible to
him alone. The little Republic is divid-
ed into nineteen departments, which
answer for the States in ours; and each
department sends one Senator to the
upper house" of the General Assem-
bly,. The flower house" has fifty-three
members, who are elected every year
directly by the people, proportional &C
cording to the number of voters in each
department Thus Montevideo, the
most thickly settled portion, has twelve
representatives, while all the other de-
partments have only two each. The
constitution regulates the annual SEES
sion of the legislature from January
to June, but renders that wise regula-
ton practically pull by providing for
extra sessions greatly to the disgust
of country members, who are kept at
the gay and expensive capital nearly
the year around by the majority resid-
ing in Montevideo. The consequence
is that outside the capital none but rich
men dare to aspire for the office. Judg-
ing from the few sessions which have
attended the Uruguayan Congress seems
to conduct its routine business on much
the same plan as that at Washington.
Indeed, looking down from the gallery
upon the rows of shiny bald heads and
listening to the spread-eagle flights of
rhetoric, called forth on the slightest
provocation, such as chartering tram
way or bridging back country creek,
one might easily fancy himself under
the big dome capped by the bronze God
dess of Liberty, were it not that Span
ish is spoken here instead of American
lied English.
South Americans incline by nature to
eloquence as ducks to water, and ora
torical gifts are rated higher than any
other. In no country of like compass and
population can one hear on every hand
and read in the local papers so much
high sounding but empty gush concern
ing Republican simplicity, paternal gov
eminent, equal rights, generation of
habeas corpus, and similar humbugs, as
in La Banda Oriental. The State re-
ligion is Roman Catholic, but other
sects are tolerated-all except the poor
Jesuits. Infidels, Mohammadans, Jews,
heathens, are welcome to come and pro-
claim their peculiar faith, or their lack
of any, at will; but the sister sect, once
so powerful a rival, without whose
pioneer efforts among the aborigines
the government of today would never
have eXisted-are most bitterly tabooed.
OF late years the Uruguayan govern
ment has paid unusual attention to the
education of the masses. 1t required a
hard struggle to separate the schools
from UNCONVENTIONAL control; but the
late President Santos accomplished it
! by measures that at the time seemed
brutal, but are now generally acknowl-
edged to have been for the public good.
fundamental education is gratuitous, and
compulsory upon children between the
ages of and IA. Though the total pop
ulation of the Republic is barely 700,-
! 600, there are no less than $50 public
schools, with a staff of 800 teachers,
! tWo-thirdS of whom are women. Be
sides these, the small republic has up
wards of 500 private schools, with a
1000 teachers and nearly $4,000 pupils
There is a military college in Monte.
video supported by the government,
whose cadets are graduated with the
grade of lieutenants. The University
of Uruguay averages 500 students and
has distinguished corps of professors
lClC d1C 6liSO WV Luigi
in Montevideo. The special pride of the
country and hobby of the government,
is the new school of Arts and Trades
1t occupies a handsome building neal
the Plaza Ramirez. and is supported by
the State. Its aim is to afford pool
boys an opportunity to learn gooo
trades or professions, and thus become
useful citizens. An applicant for ad
mission must-frSt of all-be of Uru
guayan birth and an orphan; he must
not be more than thirteen years old al
the time of entering, have been previ
ously vaccinated, and his guardian Of
sponsor must contract for him, il
writing, that he shall remain six years
under the absolute control of the prin
cipal of the school, with no interfer
ence from home or elsewhere. The
school is conducted upon a military
plan, and discipline of the strictest sor
is observed. Its expenses are borne by
the Department of War and Marine
eked out by the products of students
labor Sales of the work accomplished
take place at regular intervals. The