Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-03-10
BY A. w. LEE


did 100 or 200 years ago, with the ex-
| ception OF the railroad, electric lights
and few more or less modern build
ings, not to mention a street car line,
over which the cars make just one
trip per day, at noon to and from the
depot. :. -
A. Typical English Tourist.
With due Difference to the many Gull
tured Englishmen whom I know, I
think the typical English tourist is at
times the most exasperating person in
the world. Today while / was fairly
exhilarating in the antiquities of this
place, a tourist direct from ''Lunnon"
came up and said with pronounced
drawl: isYtIe
"Ah. there's nawthing very old heah,
don't cher know,
! looked at him in amazement and
said: 80
why, my dear sir, you are mis-
taken. Everything here is oid--at least
loo. years older than anything, except
ing only the handiwork of God, in the
United States
ooh, yahs." he replied, as he ad-
justed his monocle, "but then every
thing in the United States is very,
! very young, don't cher know"
What thought was:
well, old boy, that may be true,
but the United States was old enough
and big enough over 100 years ago
to whip Johnny Bull to finish and
could do 1t again in short order if it
wanted to-"
| But didn't say it, because every
body is polite herealmost even Brit
ish tourists. So went into the palace
which Cortez built and lived in 400
years ago, looked hard at the old walls
and just thought things.
Modern Cuernavaca.
In the modern city of Cuernavaca
one can see public laundry, where
women, fifty or sixty at time, go to
do the family washing The munich.
pality has erected a long, low building
through the center of which courses a
stream of swiftly running water. On
each side Of the stream is row of &C.
ment stone basins. in front of which
the women kneel and leaning far for
ward, dip the water up from the stream
into the basins Then with soap and
hard hand rubbing, they remove the
dirt from the clothes. The water is
cold but soft and Is retained in the
basin by a plug which is removed when
| it is desired to change the water. A
crowd Of laughing. talking, gossiping
women on their knees in one place at
the same time, each bending over her
particular family wash and all vigor-
ously at work, is truly a novel sight.
In reply to the inquiry as to what hap
pens IL more women come than there
are basins at which to work, the reply
| was:
Then they must wait; It's rule Of
| ffelseome, first served"
Market Day Scenes.
It Is the people of Mexico who inter.
est me far more than ancient cathe-
dral, castle or prehistoric ruin. Today
I have seen the native Mexicans in
the market place, and can readily be-
| lieve they looked and acted very much
as did their pagan forefathers, in this
market place centuries ago before the
Spanish conquest Thursday Is the
great market day in Cuernavaca. Early
in the morning woman and men, chill
dren and donkeys we're seen coming In
by every road leading into the town.
Every one of them was burden bear
er, the only distinction being that most
of the women carried a child in their
arms in addition to the basket or bag
of produce on their backs. Arrived at
the market place. the burdens
of vegetables, fruits, eggs. chick
ems and other commodities Tin
Guiding the babies) were de-
posted on the ground, and the men
and women seated themselves behind
them, likewise squarely on the ground,
and then proceeded to display and
measure out their produce. In add1-
ton to, the country people there were
the town vendors Of calicoes, handker-
chiefs, sweets, pastrys, ice cream, soft
drinks and nicknacks, each with his
peculiar call and lively exploitation OF
the value of his merchandise. From
early morn until late in the afternoon,
here In the space of large block or
plaza, was one of the busiest marts !
have ever seen. Each OF the men
from the country wore a big straw
hat, a cotton shirt and a pair Of cot.
ton trousers; the women a black or
blue shawl, a cotton shift and skirt.
Some of the men wore sandles, but
most of the men and the women al
most without exception were bare
foot. Babies there were in hundreds,
stolid little dirty pappooses who sci.
dom cried and in comparison with the
child of civilization seemed to give
mighty little trouble. But Of poverty
dirt, good nature and apparent con
tentment | have never seen the equal
among the same number Of human be-
ings. There was but little drunken
ness apparent and no brawls or fights
during the day. However, several pc
licemen, armed Costa with clubs and
big revolvers, were constantly on duty
and in this country the people have q
profound respect for the police.
i 1t is matter of congratulation and
thankfulness that this vast mass of IL
literates are neither citizens nor wards
of the United States. Yet the great
men at the head of the Mexican gov
eminent today, with the support and
! aid of the intelligent and we'll to dc
Mexican people, have taken hold Of
II the great problem of educating anG