St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1907-03-27
Brief Notes on Mexico.
Former St. JOhnsbury Citizen De-
-. rihes his Recent Trip to that Republic

u, the sweet oOuIuS that DlCdluCS upon
ear INK nHI of violets, stealing and giving
our.-[Shakespeare.
The whole round earth has been so
.o,sacked from pole to pole by the
dorm traveller that it has become
.,ost difficult task to narrate anything
,rbatever, novel or new
However, will just endeavor to give
one something of an idea ofthis truly
,rondrous country from brief notes
taken while there recently for few
weeks.
Opr small party left New York at 10
NJ on a Tuesday, over the Lehigh Val
lev railroad to St. Louis. and from
thence via Missouri, Kansas & Texas
roilroad through Missouri a corner of
Kansas, Indian Territory and Texas, to
Eagle Pass, where we entered the re-
o,blic of Mexico passing from Spoffard
20 Eagle Pass, Texas, over Southern
Pacific; thence over International &
Mexican Central to Silao, Mexico.
Thence by tram drawn by mules 6 or Z
miles to Guanajuato pronounced Wanna
wato). which we reached about@1oon on
the following Sunday. Although we
had Pullman and dining cars all the
way. vet the round trip of nearly two
weeks with IA nights upon the Pullman
was most tedious. A much better way,
Think, and less expensive is from New
York to Galveston by steamer and from
thence by rail to any part OF Mexico
desired.
Mexico is country of amazing inter-
est to those who may have travelled
through its superb scenes or have ex-
perienced in the bright and sunny morn
ings, the spirit of its old romance and
become acquainted with its rulers and
people, and country where each day
seems more charming than the last.
Where every stream that drives it's noisy
course, adown the myriad mountains
sides (chief among them being the giants
Popocatepetl and Ixtacihuatl, tower
ing 1000 #. above the sea, covered
with eternal snows) and drag their slow
lengths along through the land to the
lakes sings but one song-the song OF
peace and rest-where every growing
field gives back a score of times more the
labor it consumes, where. mountains
Weld their riches to skillful hands,
where songs of birds and perfume Of
flowers creep by upon every passing
breeze-and where strong and sell
reliant people live their natural lives Of
steady growth and stretch forth a
friendly hand to every stranger in the
land People in many ways better
governed than our own, thanks to the
vigor and honesty of that truly great
and good man, Porfrio Diaz, who will
live in song and story as he who first
welded these 81 states of the republic
into a strong nation. So far as am
able to ascertain, the constitution O
this republic and that of its severa
states are very similar to those of oul
own, and in many respects, especially II
its military and police systems, better
governed In area it is larger thar
England, Scotland, Ireland and Francs
combined. Most marvellous in it
material resources. 1t has every variet,
ofclimate: for if the altitude seems too
low, in four hours one could be twice Al
high, and if too high, in the same tim
you could be twice as low.
Again. if the air is too dry, in a night
time a proper moisture can be attained
If too cold, the proper warmth can b
reached in one day; for between the lonl
water line that separates Mexico fron
the United States and the line of stee
that crosses Tehuantepec, there is a per
feet climate of every class that healtl
can demand. Mexico is marvellous in it
material resources, rich in tradition
and marvel in it's prehistoric ruins. Il
fact, no other country can compare wit
it in material progress There is nearl.
10000 miles of railroads well equippe
and thoroughly modern in every partie
uar. Of the dozen or more large place
visited, two particularly interested m
In many ways.
First, Guanujuato, situated in a gulc
IN the mountains that rise on all side
from 1000 to 5000 feet. The city ha
but one natural entrance (of so, 900 an
which in the 18th century containe
100000 inhabitants; larger than NeN
York City at that time) and throug
this gorge is tram line connecting
with Mexican Central at Silao. There
not room sufficient for the people, S
they have terraced the mountains an
built four and five stories of adob
houses, square, devoid of ornament, e,
cept grass and flowers goats an
monkeys, etc. upon the roofs, whic
resemble pictures of the middle ages
The streets narrow and poorly pave
are filled with half naked poems, wome
and children, who are jostled about b
the hundred of little burros loaded wit
ore and other things from the mines,
which there are nearly 500. Guanajuat
has produced in the last $50 years owe
abillion and half of dollars in gold an
silver, has a theatre costing owe
100000, which was 20 years in COZ