New-York tribune., 1908-11-07
IN SOUTH AMERICA.
IN Entertaining and Piuacioas Book
of TraCel.

i 9r and the Pee People 'f souPs s
Emo. PIP. ssI Charles scribners sons
A capital picture of the South America of to-
day is framed within the boards of Mr. Ruhls
vivaeious book 1t is picture more truly in
formative as to the progress spirit and opinions
of the Spanish American peoples than is that TO
be found in many volume of statistical solid
ity. Not that the author scorns statistics-he
! duly provides them. but they relegated to
an appendix His attitude toward his subject
during his recent journey was eminently judi
cious. He preserved open mind; if he had
any prejudices he suppressed them; he carefully
considered the alien point OF view, and dis
comfort of travel took the edge off his sense of
humor. The result is account both enter
tanning and useful. 1t is calculated 10 do away
with the Northern idea of South America Il
place-to quote Mr. Ruhl-"vaguely comic and
bizarre, inseparately attached. somehow, to the
worlds fevers and revolutions" ." He dwels
on the folly of generalizing about great con-
| tinent marked by widely diverse conditions, and
he shows in many illuminating pages the con-
trast between the old Spanish civilization and
the vigorous working of newly borrowed blood.
and energy.
One of the peasantest chapters describes the
authors tramp across the CordiIleras on tho
, WY from Santiago to Buenos Ayres II was
his only adventure about which there a
spice of danger. and his Santiago acquaintances
tried to dissuade him from the undertaking. 1t
the winter time, when the pass is buried in
snow. when storms to be expected. when
murderous examiners may attack the traveller,
but Mr.. Ruhl desired to find himself in the Ar
gentine city on a certain day. and he disre-
garded these friendly representations. 1t was
not comfortable journey over that icy pass.
and the record Of il helps to accent the gayety
and luxury of the city of Good Airs place
as busy and as rich and as new as Chicago"
though ii has passed its four hundredth birth
day Buenos Ayres. Rio. Valparaiso. Lima,
Santiago, Caracas. each town is lightly and
vividly sketched. How far removed is the South
! American city Of to-day from the ways of its
romantic past may be seen in this paragraph
dealing with Lima
spreuting out Of the old ciudaqd de los Reyes;
ride paper chases it's young women play tennis
andIafter wearing the mant2 10 churcn IN Inc me
| ropean dresses ana hats, It's business men have
energy Latin-Americans used TO expend apos-
trophies TO liberty TO the agitation of commercial
ments. Trolley cars hum across the startled
ianqscape rom tarIao 10 i-Gla o. or uotH ~ F
town modern army trained by French ofheeTsm ,-
ore of Japarese in white service uniforms
tramp through the eternal dust In the library
young Peruvians are reading reference books as
they would in a city library at home The Uni
versity of san Marcos was established by Charles
himself in I but The rev pega Line 1s is n5 here a also:
dark eyed young men. puckering her brows ana
Here in the acceptance and assimilation Of
the ways Of modernity. is the characteristic note
of twentieth century South America. Brazil.
| too has her share of current methods and enter
prise. but her atmosphere is less that of to-day
Before the things and heard and vaguely felt.
the endless procession of vague unrelated things
that battle and allure-semi-antique humans living
languidly in the midst Of sun-drenehed nature.
which by its very luxuriance. might seem TO have
| overpowered thenl-I-atn sensibly tinged with
terfiies floating the breathless air-negrO coach
| Worn-dusky velvet-eyed donaeIIds-pans blazing
walls and indigo sea-one loses interest in railroads
! and power plants and the things we do better at
home Brazilians must interest themselves in these
things. for therein les their salvation. II I seem
10 neglect them is because it seems absurd TO
visit conservatory fun of orchids and spend ones
time seeing how the steam pipes are put in
AS for the darker side of modern South
! America, there is picturesque hint of it in
this poem by Mr.. T. r. Ybarra, quoted by Mr.
| Ruhl:
Wv sect cen cheeIly Pearl Estree'?
! Trahnslating letters all day.
Fair Mercedita waits for me.
So Wv op here one must estay
/, Zen cheelly. ogly Pearl Estree'?
! Porque?
Across Caribbean zen,
To shgain beeg red tiles;
To wahtch leetle soldier
March op an down crooked files.
All. look, he moonlight
CItes seelveT pure-for miles an miles D
An Mercedita calls 30
An smiles.
But not. I cahnot go, yoG
tAIy Government ann Gets fOe)--
7 most estay cen Pearl Estree'-
I I'm revolucionaTioi
one mont to wait-a shor time-bah,
one mont before fight estart
One nont'-no Merceditd-ahi
lar