Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-03-24
Miseellaaeuus Reading.
MExIcO'S "FOURTH."
It Was On September 16 that She Was
Freed.

Americans who love to make bott
night and day gloriously hideous or
our cherished day of liberty, our noisy
Fourth Of July, listen a moment or
the 10th Of next September while your
sister MeXicanos pour out their glaG
and noisy rejoicings in memory Of
freedom from expressions far worse
than yours-the oppression of Span.
ish master
The Toltecs and Aztecs, before the
Spanish came, prospered in their land
raising corn and cotton, building
roads, temples and cities and decorat-
ing them with the mineral wealth OF
the country. In 1925 the Aztecs found.
ed the City Of Mexico. It's wealth was
told to the Spaniards and in 1910 all
Mexico was governed by Spanish VIC
eroys-not for the purpose Of teach
ing these people self-government and
bettering their political and economic
conditions. No! No!
From this time OH for three centur-
les Mexico was worked as a Spanish
mine. The natives were slaves-for-
eign trade forbidden them-yet the
Indian spirit Of freedom lurked in this
newly formed Spanish-Indian race
and it was famed by the wars Of Ma
poleOn. They rebelled in 1910 under
the leadership of Hidalgo, a country
priest, and became free. On September
16, 1910, at II o'clock in the evening,
the declaration of independence was
signed and the Critic, the cry of inde-
pendence, rang out loud and clear:
viva la Libertad! Viva la Republica!
Viva Mexico!"
September 16, 1910, will mark the
one hundreth anniversary of Mex
lean freedom and the land will be in
holiday attire. Each year the Mex
leans, where they are found in any
numbers, make this a great festal
day, and not this day alone-the Gel
ebration may last two or three days.
This year the 10th fell on Monday,
and the celebration in an Arizona min
ing town began on Sunday by permis-
sion of the mayor. The town was a
blaze of green, white and red, the
Mexican colors.
The band. each instrument tuned
independently Of the others, had prac-
tised faithfully for a week or more
every evening and was we'll ready for
Sunday The anvils doomed, the band
played-played all day and all things.
punctuated by the Mexican national
air, a slow, mournfull, melancholy air.
America, Ny Country" was recog-
nized among the others. The pro-
gramme took no account of firecrack-
ers. In fact a firecracker was not
heard. The Mexicans delight in feats
Of physical strength and oratory.
The Sunday programme included
horse-races, fifty yard dash for boys
and one for girls, pie race and potato
race for boys, miners and smelter's
race, creased pole, wheel barrow and
three legged races; then the donkey
race, to some spectators the feature
of the day. Not used to starting at the
firing Of the guns, nor indeed, at any
signal save the spur and goad, and
not at all accustomed to the rate Of
speed expected Of them on this occa-
sion, the donkeys each started when
it seemed good to him, stopped to pro-
test against the spur and lash, trotted
a little and walked a little, and stop
ped while the crowd screamed and the
rider beat the hard little fianks with
his strap. The gray donkey won the
race and his rider won the stakes.
The rider treated his friends at the
saloon near the goal, but the donkey
had not even a melon rind. The prizes
for the races ranged all the way from
$15 to $3.50. The celebration in the
evening included stirring patriotic
speeches, both in Spanish and Eng
lish, and the reading Of the Declar-
aration Of Independence of Mexico"
and singing of the national hymn.
This hymn in the original Is most
beautiful production. which transla-
tion into English mars somewhat:
At the loud cry Of war all assemble,
Then your swords and your steeds
all prepare.
And the earth to It's centre shall trem-
Bile
When the cannon's deep roar rends
the air.
Oh, my country, entwine on thy tenn
Piles
Boughs of olive so fresh and so ver-
nal,
When inscribed in the heavens eter-
Blessed peace for the land thou dost
see.
But II stranger and foe in their bold
Dare to tread on thy soil they must
perish.
Then my country, this thought only
cherish.
Every son is but a soldier to thee.
On Monday came the grand parade,
headed by two flags side by side-the
green, "Hile anu lSu DdlS VI thShiN'
and the stars and stripes. A motley
crowd of swarthy Mexicans, Indian
braves and red gowned barefooted
squaws, with a generous sprinkling
of palefaces, made way for the flags
of freedom Then came the dusky
goddess Of liberty and her maids in
her wagon of state drawn by four
proud old horses, all decked elabor-
ately in green. red and white. Behind
this came the gayly decorated float OF
the singers, maidens gowned in white
with sashes Of the national colors.
This was all of the parade proper.
Boys, barefooted, blue overalled
and slouch hated, girls in green, red
and white gowns and sashes; men and
women in their holiday best colors
closed in to follow to the grand stand
for more music and speaking. Last,
not a part of the celebration and un-
noticed by all but a Californian. came
procession of wood laden donkeys-
slow, steady stepping, heads down, no
holiday The wood SuDDly of the town