Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-02-23
ing exercises.

1 lD& eAcEClSCSs
It is to be feared that most of our peo-
pie underestimate the Importance of the
nations of Latin-America-our nearest
neighbors. We talk much Of the degen-
eracy of the Latin nations and eulogize
constantly the Anglo-Saxon nations (our7
selves included) for their strength and
progress.
! The Anglo-Saxon nations are most truly
powerful forces in the earth, and for the
present God seems to have entrusted to
them the leadership of mankind. But
the Latin nations are not spent forces,
and with those of Latin-America our
country must have increasingly intimate
relations. They are our next-door neigh
| bors, and that which affects them Tor
| good or i'll must help or hinder us also.
If we think of them as our customers
only--the lowest and least noble relation
which can subsist between nations-they
| are most important to us. Our commerce
| with the nations of Latin-America during
| the past year was ten times as great as
our trade with the Chinese Empire, hve
/ times as great as the bulk of our deal
| ings with Japan, and exceeded by $l25,-
| OOO, 900 all our commercial transactions
with Asia, Africa, and Australia. 1t
might be far greater If the jobbing houses
| of our country and our factories were
! managed with more intelligence. But our
| leaders of commerce are in the MAIN
| men of narrow horizon, extensive ignor-
| ance, and unlimited egotism. They DO not
| conduct our foreign trade in broad and
statesmanlike manner; but with the meth
DDS of international peddlers. They DO
not take the pains to inform themselves
of the customs and needs Of the nations
| with whom we have dealings, and by con-
sequence, we fail to obtain our full share
| of their trade. We have Cuba In our
| hands, and yet we sell to Cuba less than
fifty per cent of it's imports while we take
about ninety per cent of its exports. Great
j Britain, France, Spain, and Germany get
/ out of Cuba much of the money which we
| nav the Cubans for their sugar and to-
| bacco Since we buy ninety per cent OF
what Cuba has to export we ought In all
reason to sell to the Islanders more than
! fortv-nine per cent of what they import
But we do not. Our merchants refuse to
pack goods as our neighbors desire; they
| do not study their import laws; and they
decline to conform to their commercial
customs with respect to credits, Invoices
and bills of 1ading. When / was In Ha-
vana, about a month ago, there were
goods lying in the Custom House there un
| delivered and unbelievable because COM
/ neTCldl HOUSES III 6COA 5lds
Tennessee were not managed with intelli-
| gence sufficient to comply with the Gus
| tom-house regulations and the tarin laws
which our own representatives had es-
| tabIished In Cuba. In much the same way
our trade with Mexico is hindered and
| embarrassed. We lose thousands OF Mex
lean customers for lack of little study
upon the part of our exporters we nave
direct and rapid railway connection with
Mexico. and might double our cOmmerae
with this great republic If we would act
| with more intelligence and fuller informa-
| ton.
Mexico, our nearest neighbor, is thor
oughly awakened nation, and the evidences
| of it's progress are visible on all sides. i
passed through considerable part OF the
M-xican republic three years ago and l.
am now repeating the journey, and OBJ
serve the most conspicuous and impressive
| marks of advancement since l was here
then. In matters material there has been
decided progress, and not less In things
moral.
Take for example the educational pro-
gress of the state of Coaruila alone
This is one of the state bordering on the
United States Its educational work is d.
rected by Hon. Andres Osuma, the State
SUPERINTENDENT of Education. He is man
| of ability and culture. When he
| took charge of the school of Goa
| hula in 1900, there were In all
the state only Sc public schools The
number of the teachers in these IS schools
was 215, and the pupils numbered no more
than 1000. Now the schools of the state
nunber 247. the teachers 563, and the pu-
nils $500 The entire population of the
State of Coahuila is only about 100000
souls. In 1900 the state spent on its public
schools 100000 annually; now it expends
s9S6 600 to which sum must also be add
| ed 900 for the Normal College at
saltiIlo, $4,000 for high-schools, $4,000 in
aid of specially selected professional stu
dents and $4,000 for the cost of school
Notwithstanding in all $4,000 an
nualIy for public education.
| 7 was in Saltillo few days ago and Su-
nerintendent Osuma showed me the splen-
ala building. for the Normal College.
which has Just been completed under his
leadership. 1 do not know where one
would find a handsome school structure,
so admirably adapted to the ends
| designed to be served by II. 1t Is
most beautiful in its external appearance
and in all its interior arrangement and
| equipment II is well-nigh perfect. Its
cost was about $4,000 or about 81 each
for every one OF the inhabitants of the
state of Coahuila. Mr.. osuma is very
Justly proud of this splendid structure.
and his people may well be proud of him.
He is in the front rank Of the educa-
tional leaders of Mexico, and his work
will influence all the states of the Re-
public. as we'll as bless his own state of
Coahuila. Already fine Normal College
is under way in the City Of Mexico-a
movement which has been greatly stimu-
lated BIZ what Mr.. Osuma has done at
Saltillo, the capital city of Coahuila. The !
building in the City Of Mexico viii cost
81 ,OO0. O00
In the matter of Normal Schools Mex /
leo will lead all Latin-America In Cuba
there is a public school system, but no
provision has ever been made for pre-
pairing teachers for their work. When our
government interviewed in the affairs OF
the Island the American authorities col
Iected and expended taxes for public in
struction; but they did nothing in the
way of providing normal instruction by
which teachers might be qualified for the
vyorfr Of teaching Iuffmidated by certain !