Arizona republican., 1910-06-14

The current number of the CoSmo-
politan Magazine contains the first
chapters of the autobiography of Por-
firio Diaz, the great president OF
Mexico. II was not generally known
that this wonderful man had prepared
any story of his life, but an editorial
note explains that he began work on
his autobiography in 1892; that he
wrote industriOusly for a long time.
but finally laid the work aside, hav-
ing still to cover the momentOus
period in which he has served as Mex
ico's ruler, and that recently ii was
arranged that he should complete his
memoirs and furnish them to Mrs.
Belle NJ. Sherman, the magazines
representative.
Two important and often disputed
questions are settled by General Diaz
in these opening chapters: The ques-
tions as to his Indian ancestry and as
to his age. From time TO time ii has
been asserted that he is a pure blood
Indian; again, that he is of the bluest
blood of the Spanish aristocracy; that
he is but little more than seventy
years of age, and that he is now at
least eighty.
He settles the matter of his age
by stating that he was born in the
city of Oaxaca. on the 18th of Sep
TENDER, 1890" When he is elected
president again, on the 26th of this
month, he will. therefore, be but few
weeks short of lineage Of eighty. OF
his ancestry. he says:
MY father was Faustino Diaz, and
my mother Petrona Mory. My grand
parents on my fathers side were
Manuel Diaz and Marcia Bohorquez.
both of OaXaca, and on my mothers
Mariana Mory and Tecla Cortes, of
Yodocom. Ny mothers father came
from Asturias and married an Indian
woman of the village of Yodocom. in
the parish of Irlantongo. district of
Nochistlan, state of OaXaca; my
mother was, therefore, half Indian, of
the Mixteca race"
So that President DiaZ is one-quar-
ter Indian. If there is any blood of
il comes so remotely that he seems to
think it not worth while to mention it.
AS a matter of fact, the august ruler
of Mexico, like all self-made men. is
proud to state the fact that he has
made his way from a humble begin
ming. Ut is only women. by the way.
who generally object to talking OF
their lowly antecedents) No Ameri-
can has risen to eminence under
greater difficulties than confronted the
fatherless boy. Porfirio Diaz. His
father was a blacksmith. and died in
1893, when the future master of Mex
icos destinies was in his third year.
Theneeforth. for many years. young
Porfirio's experience was one OF
direst poverty. Two small houses
comprised the property left to his
mother. She kept an inn. and as ne
cessity pressed her she sold her pieces
of property and took the proceeds to
piece out her frugal living. Thus
they lived until Porfirio was IS, when.
as he tells, II took upon myself the
duty OF bringing up and educating
the family" The boy had thus to |
take care OF four brothers and three |
sisters.
Faustino Diaz. his father, had been |
q man OF ambition. notwithstanding |
his discouraging surroundings. He |
had moved from place to place in or
der to better his condition. so that he
might educate his children, and it is |
evident that this ambition was shared |
by the widow. She was anxious that |
Porfirio should be a priest, and his
early education was directed to that
end. But Porfirio as a child saw
wider horizon than a parish priest
hood.
My first ambition" he says was
to be the colonel of a regiment; when
] reached that, / aspired to be a gen.
eral; then / wished to become presi
dent of Mexico"
What a lesson for the boys of every
race and land-the lesson that the
field OF achievement is boundless, if
one but will to achieve.
Although Diaz was ambitious from
the first. he did not learn readily. AT
six he was sent to a parochial primary
school II learned but little while
there Afterward / went to a mu-
nicipal school. where / learned to
read and write as well as it was then
taught. which was badly. 1t was only
later, when l was nearly grown up,