The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-12-26
INTEREST IS SHOWN
IN SOUTH
SOUTHERN HALF or WESTERN
HEMISPHERE is DRAWING
ATTENTION or MANY.

New York. Dec. a5.-That there are
tides In trade and travel as there are
In the permanent migratlons Of man
Kind Is trusm long accepted by his
forians and socioIoYiSts. New mar
kets are the constant quest Of I'll.
merchant. but the confirmed Traveller
Is no less a seeker after novelty: fresh
scenes and new experiences are al
ways attracting him away from the
fields which familiarity has deprived
of their interest. Practically Ii this
true of Americans. who have won for
themselves the name IF the most rest
less and enterprising travellers Of the
modern world.
This being true IL Is no wonder
that statesmen and prophets of COM
mercial expansion are alike consider
ing with keen interest Just now the
developing symptoms of u reciprocal
interest in each other between the
people OF the United states and their
Latin-American neighbors Of the
southern hemisphere. Consular repre-
scntatiyes, government officers, re-
turned travellers have for years been
preaching the gospel Of South Ameri-
can opportunities 10 the English speak
ing Americans Of the north, but, until
recently, with very litti. discerniblc
effect. While American trade and
American travel have ov"rflowcd Eng
land and "the continent" invaded the
Mediterranean lands and the West In
dies. and made the United States n
familiar name throughout the near
and far east. South America has re-
manned the one great division OF the
eaith's surface practically unvisiteI
and unknown. The American Of the
United states has seemed anxious to
know something about every part of
the world except that lying gcographi-
cally nearest to him and embracing
the larger part If the new world with
which he proefaitns his Identification.
II has been left for the beginning
OF the Goth century to bring the first
evidences Ut a change lii this atti-
tuae of Indifference on the part Of the
people Of tn. United States toward
their ''nfher American neighbars."
Within the past two or tire. years
these evidences have been accnmulat-
ing in a way which indicates that.
thanks to the introduction of new
forces In trade and politics. this In
differences Is finally being replaced by
genuine realization IT the r.ssIbtii-
ties Of South America. both n "A com
mercial field and as a new region Tor
tourist travel.
Real Interest.
I, may almost be said that the fist
real general interest IF this kind In
south American affairs dates from the !
widely hcraldea journey of Secretary
Eoot among the capitals Of the great
Ia
and that 1t was newly stimulated
when our battle fleet I'm it, voyage
around the world visited the South /
American ports and the newspapers at /
home printed glowing accounts from /
their correspondents 81 the hospitaN- +
ties showersd Upon officers and men
by the South Americans and Of the
strange and wonderful sights of Rio. +
Bahia. Enenos Ayres. Lima, and either
places which previously had been =.
merely queer names recalled vaguely /
from. the geography books.
The interest then implanted has +
since been fed by numerous books i
about South America. written by tray !
elers and students and by the greater
attention given To S,,u;h American |
affairs in the daily news. In particu- !
of the Caribben1a A. have been set i
forth In SUCH attractive light by re-
cent writer's, IF whom Arthur Ruhl
and Charles NJ Pepper are examples.
that the steamship lines plying be-
tween the United states ana South
American ports ARE reporting the be-
sinnings III Il decided tide of travel
setting t. the sauthaard.
Upon the foundation of this evil
nence enthusiastic prnclamers Of the
southern continents attractions have
already begun to predict future
which shall see South America the
States and rs an annual exodus 10
the lands below the equator eanaiing
in numbers that which crowds tho
bound steamships every
spring and summer,
While tn. fulfilment If this pro-
rhecs does not seem to ha among the
things Immediately probable. there
can be no doubt that something like
a new discovery IF the other half of
their own hemisphere by the travelling
public Of the United states f. actual
evidence Of this Is the new policy
adopted by the South American
steamship lines in giving Increased
prominence to their facilities and to
the attractions of the regions which
they reach. i
Still more significant Is the very
latest development in this direction.