New-York tribune., 1910-01-22

love of leisure, the readiness to postpone
until tomorrow what ,ught to be done
to-day. the ceremonious habit of people
VINO Will not sacrifice the graces TO an
iceal OF getting on" Education is
making its way. and so the vast lump
Of the population is being gradually
leavened, but there is a kind of laziness
In the air. and the author does not give
very engaging picture of Mexican So
eiety. 1t is. insfact. if we are to believe
Mr.. Carson, rather dull. and this. We
gather. is largely the fault of the women,
who arc Indifferent to household duties
and have but slight intellectual interests.
Mexico has much to appeal to the eye.
The Aztec ruins, the architectural monu-
ments of the long Spanish occupation
and the simple dwellings of the present
day are all worth seeing. and they are
set against a background OF scenery
that is generally attractive in one way
or another. and is often beautiful. The
people, too. embrace many picturesque
types. notably in the stratum of Indian
blood, and in the everyday life of the
country there Is plenty of movement and
CCiol HOW II Is. al liidiiy VI
its phases, of Old World character and
simplicity may be judged from Mr.. Car
sons story of the beggar he met in the
course of a railway journey. a solemn
Vagabond, singing an old Spanish song
To an air picked out on his mandolin.
The author this describes him:
Catching sight of me- he stopped play
ing, and lifted his sombrero. / went out
on the car platform and handed him five
cens ned TO my hys atonfhmen ne pSStey sad as
he in choice Spanish, with some emotion,
you must pardon me for being unable TO
accept your gift, but l am Decent beggar,
sefor fun mendigo de diez centavosl. and
never, never accept a smaller gratuity.
Drawing himself up with an air OF pride.
he continued, Il shall be honored to sing
for your entertainment a song of old Spain
one of our noble Mexican airs, but al
ways for a fee of 10 cents, never for less,
for l am ten-cent begSar, senior, poor as
| am"
1t was impossible to resist this touching
protest. so with an apology handed the
ccurtly vagrant his proper fee, which he
Cmil gracias, sehor) and a graceful bow.
At the other end of the car the mob of
beggars were scrambilng Tor copper CONS
thrown TO them by my fellow passengers.
The melancholy minstrel glanced at them.
shrugged his shoulders and waved his hand
deprecatingly. "Ah, sehor.' he observed,
those poor people, they have to work
hard for their bread: good folk, worthy
folk. we'll deserving of your charity; but
they give you very bad impression of
Mexico. Pray. senior, do not class them
with poor musicians like myself
Vignettes of this sort are not, perhaps,
the freshest things in the world, but Mr..
Carson shows exceptional aptitude in so
selecting and arranging them as really
to revive the atmosphere of Mexico in
his book. The considerable information
that he has to offer IS set forth in unpre-
tentious fashion. His main point is to
make his readers share in the casual ex-
periences and impressions of a journey
pursued with equal judgment and appre-
citation. There are good illustrations
provided, halftones from photographs.
AS popular contribution to the litera-
ture of land in which Americans every
year have livelier interest this volume
is WARMLY to be commended