davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04

cation of the people, and there are 10000 government schools. All of this Is slowly educating the peons and making a middle class, something Mexico has lacked
 One of the hopeful signs of the times Is the immense amount of railroad build ing that Is going and the introduction of modern machinery in many places. Present-day Mexico is of necessity land of contrasts; compared with us it is much behind the times, the mode of living seems primitive, the common people are uneducated, but slowly and surely condi- tions are changing. Transportation Is now easy and cheap, where before one travelled in stage coaches and in fear of bandits. The bandits have been turned into the rurales, or police; abandoned mines are beginning to be reworked. and gradually the country is stepping across the dividing line between the Middle Ages and the present.
 Mexico is a federal republic, with a con stitution much like that of the United States, and part of the success of the present-day Mexico lies in the fact that the whole government works in harmony President Daz, his prefectos. govern OTIS of state and mayors of cities are one well-oied and perfect ma chine. It is quite probable that any un- derling who did not work in harmony would lose his position; but it is nlso Il fact that with the former unsettled state of the country, where a new execu- tive was created about every year, this Is the best method to promote steady ad- vance, This Is the opinion of many Ameri- cans who have lived long enough in Mexico to judgk. The Mexican peon is
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04

writer tested the ease with which whisky is obtained by the Indians. Giving one of them a dollar at the gate of the Mission, he found that it took just 23 minutes to convert the coin into bottle of "frewater.'
 The priests bemoan the backsliding or their flock, but they are almost helpless to better matters. Father Tallman, the active director of the mission, may preach q stirring sermon on Sunday inveighing against the sin of intemperance The appeal in their own language to the blan- keted men squatting motionless about the floor of the church like so many bronze statues makes a temporary impression at least, and for that day most of them will refrain from indulgence. The ven erable Father Asti, successor to Father De Smet and nominal head of the mis- sion, who is nearing his ninetieth year, promulga tes threats and pleas, whilst he sees with sadness the steady deteriora- ton of the Flatheads, among whom he has passed a lifetime of earnest endeavor. The Sisters of Charity and the Ursuline Nuns who conduct two schools on the reservation, strive through the women and youths of the tribe to influence the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04

and that is climate. We think of Mexico City as q winter resort but it is equally delightful in summer. The reason is ob- vious when one understands that it is on q tahleland. April and May are the dryest months, followed by months with night rains. December is the coldest month and May the warmest On the coast the summer months are warm, but there are many climates. There are the tierra caliente or hot lands, the tierra templada or temperate lands, and the cold lands, on which there are occasional snow and ice. One of the charms is the mountains. There ake 52 peaks higher than 10000 feet. It has "Popo," around which Is q sort of Coney Island amuse- ment shcw it has "The White Woman" resembling "Popo,' only flatter at the apex; orizaba, near the town of that name; CoIima, which erupts occasionally all of these volcanoes and snow-capped Every traveller asserts there is no beauty like these snow-white peaks standing against the blue of a tropical sky.
 One charm about every Mexican city is the plaza. The Mexicans are fond of music and members of the band are all lowed 10 engage III Ho oluer puSineSs Every day they play under the orange trees of the plaza and 2 cosmopolitan crowd listens and applauds. It is Il crowd. too, that knows n Beethoven sym phony from ragtime and that is cultured in music and demands the best. Robed Indians with serapes over their shoulders. ladies in Paris costumes, men on gaily caparisoned horses, all are there. listen ing with intentness and appreciation.
 In tradition and civilization the country is more like European country than like the United States It forms con ficting and composite picture. It is adopting the latest ideas in municipal governments and at the same time is re- taining feudalism. It will take many, many years to entirely do away with this last. There are 40 different tribes of h. dans, each speaking different language. The peons form seyen-eighths of the pop ulation. It cannot be expected that all this will change in few years.
 Mexico owes most of her success today to the protracted rule of Diaz. He may have been autocratic, but he has estab- lished firm foundation and done away with strife Another condition that has furthered progress is the extension of railroads. A liberal policy toward out
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04

much like a child and Is treated accord ingly. What education will do for the next generation remains yet to be seen.
 It is remarkable how this country has changed in the past two decades. There are nearly 11,0OO miles of railroads which network the land and lead to i'm mense harbors, like those at Tampico, Vera Cruz and Manzanillo, on the west ern coast. These have Mexico City as central depot. Many of these roads have wonderful scenery, like Tamasopo Canyon, on the way to Tampico, and the Mall trata Cumbres, on the way to Vera Cruz, where descent of 4,000 feet Is made in two hours. There are almost perpendicu- lar descents which give views of rush ing cataracts, caverns and luxuriant vege- tation, and to make these the roads use great Fairlie engines with smokestacks at each end and brakes in the middle. New lines of railroads are opening up the west coast and going to towns, some of which are 400 years old and where many people have never seen an engine. In an other direction the Pan-American road is being built and many millions are being expended on wharves at Tampico and Vera Cruz.
 Americans are employed in railroad building. in banking. newspapers and ranches--in fact Hhort every occupation that calls for brains and they are wei coned In Mexico. Sclne are engaged in mining Many are in Guanajuato, the largest silver district in the world, which in 35O years has given three trillion dol lars of silver. Gold has never been dis covered in Mexico as in California. but
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04

their destination before our government began to regret It's failure to secure them. Canada was asked to sell 30 of the anil mals, but the request was quite reason ably declined Then Senator Dixon, of Montana. put through a bill for the creation of q new buffalo park on the Flathead reservation. The government must now depend upon private owners for the nucleus of the herd
 It Is quite generally supposed that the buffaloes of North America were hunted out of existence. Large numbers were needessly killed by hunters but the greatest destruction was wrought in deliberate effort to exterminate the noble beasts Half a century ago, when the movement of our people across the great plains was beginning to assume eonsid- erable proportions, herds of bison were commonly encountered upon the prairies. The reservation system was then in its infancy. and q great deal of trouble was experienced in keeping the Indians within the boundaries prescribed for them Par ties of them frequently rode forth to tbe newly settled districts molesting OF alarming the white pioneers. When these rowing bands were rounded up and returned to their reservations, they in- variably advanced the excuse that they had been on a buffalo hunt. It was 10 deprive them of this temptation and pre- text that the soldiers of the frontier posts and the neighboring settlers organ ized parties that went out with the ex- press purpose of slaughtering as many of the animals as possible In this way many more bison were slain than ever fell to the rifles of hunters.
 It is difficult to understand why the Flatheads are so named. Their crani- ums are quite normal in shape and there is no evidence that they ever practiced any method of deforming themselves When the whites first came into contact with them the tribe was remarkable for the fine physique and vigor of its mem bers. While probably never numbering more than 2,5OO souls, of whom not more than 600 at any one time could have been active braves the Flatheads were courageous and warlike. In the old days they had many bloody encounter with the powerful tribes of Backfeet ana Crows, but, although the Flatheads were generally outnumpered in these fights, they never failed to give good account of themselves.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04

no country can compare with 1t in silver. The largest piece of virgin silver In the world was found in Sonora. It weighed over 1000 pounds and was contiscated by Spain. Beautiful silver Is found at Zacatecas, which Is in the great mineral belt that extends from northwest to south east It has produced one-third the silver of the world and has been yielding for over 300 years.
 Americans have introduced new ma chinery instead of the patio process. In the latter the amalgam was thrown on the floor In court treated with quick sileer and water and trodden for several days by mules who walk around In circle on the mass. This precipitates the ore. but Is hard on the animals, whose feet are so badly eaten that they often die from the effects. Strange to say, though n machine has been invented to do this work, the Mexicans do not like it. It is the Americans who have introduced the cyanide and other processes and done away with the inhuman and insufficient patio process, though, as many mines are some distance from the railroads, 1t is not easy to get machinery to them.
 Of necessity, Mexico is a land in tran sition. In sections where railroads and foreigners have not penetrated there are the primitive habits of hundreds of years ago. Even in parts where outsiders have entered into business there are old-fash- toned methods side by side with new ideas. For instance, the peon may blow with a stick attached to two oxen and his wife may use q modern sewing ma chine. Mexico City is a magnificent capi- tai. It has streets that compare with those of Paris. 1t has an electric light plant which enables it to boast that no city on this Continent is so well lighted, 1t has office buildings, it has a magnif- cent group of municipal buildings, thea ter. postofllce etc.--yet all these are side by side with customs and old adobe structures that date back centuries. The electric-lighted, asphalt-paved boulevards are swept by white-robed peons. who use short whisk brooms and bend over with every stroke.
 One thing Mexico has to perfection.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04

to St. Louis nearly 5000 miles distant, begging that "black robe" might be sent to them. Failing of response, they dispatched another party, and yet two more. on the same errand. At length Father De Smet, of the Order of Jesus
 was sent to the Flathead country. De Smet was fine specimen of the muscu- lar Christian typea pious priest with the soul of a medieval knight. He was a natural commander of men. In a wider sphere of action he might have won worldwide renown. A comparatively short time sufficed this forceful Jesuit to con.
 vert the entire tribe to the Roman
 Catholic religion, which they have pro- fessed ever since. Indeed, the Flatheads were unusually faithful and obedient chil- dren of the church until recent years, when the "boot-leggers" and saloon- keepers on the borders of the reservation began to supply them with contraband whisky. Now drunkenness is common among them and leads to a variety of crimes. During the festival of the annual dance, which is held in July, liquor flows more freely than usual and bloody fights, with occasional fatal consequences are part of the regular order of things The
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04

They have been consistently friendly 10 the whites from the time that the footsore and hungry members of the Lewis and Clark expedition sought succor from them. In 1855 they readily entered into a friendly treaty with the United States and induced two other tribes 10 Join them in n cession of what IS now Western Montana to our government. Twenty years later, when Chief Joseph and his Nez Perces made their famous raid through the Bitter Root Valley. the Flatheads were urged to join them. Chief Charlos not only refused to do so, but he assured Chief Joseph that If white settler in the Flathead country should be injured in person or property by the intruders he would let his war riors loose upon them.
 From the earliest period of the migra- tion westward of our people. settlers have located in the Bitter Root Valley with the utmost safety and with encour- agement from the Indian occupants. Even when the greed of the newcomers for the best lands resulted in the removal of the 'rightful owners to the reserva- tion farther north, the friendship of the Flatheads wns not impaired. And now the reservation Is opened to settlement and one of the irrigation projects of the Reclamation Service is being carried out upon it. It is beautiful country of picturesque mountains and broad valleys, through which innumerable streams thread their way. It has been called the Switzerland of America, and the numer- ous lakes lend themselves to the com parison The largest of these, the Flat head, is 30 miles in length and from to IS miles In width. Surrounded by mountains and forest and dotted with verdant islands 1t is one of the most lovely sheets of water In the world, it's neighbors, Lake Mcdonald and Lake St. Mary's, wing with it in grandeur and beauty.
 Experts in mineralogy believe that the Flathead country Is destined to become a great mining region. Many specimens of hlgh-grade ore have been taken from its mountain ranges, but the government prohibition against prospecting on tho reservation has restrained treasure hunt CTS. The Indians have always actively aided in the enforcement of this order realizing that with the discovery of ex tensive gold deposits the land would soon be taken out of their possession.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04

men. It is all of little avail. Father De Smet would have resorted to the practical argument of a stout stick. But the au- thority of the church has waned and the length of her arm has shrunk. The h. dian agent Is the only man who can exer- else effective control nowadays. He has always had a hard task in the repression of the liquor traffic, and with the opening of the reservations it will be doubly diff cult.
 For ages the Flatheads lived in this se- cluded mountain region, having little in- tercourse with other tribes and making only short excursions from their homes into the nearby buffalo country. They in termarried among themselves and seldom admitted strange strain of blood. Now they are so mixed that it is said there is not T thoroughbred Flathead on the reservation. Halfbreeds are numerous and form the worst element. They ac- count for an excessive proportion of the drinking immortality and crime.
 Great changes are taking place in the country of the Flatheads. Like other reservations, theirs Is being thrown open to settlers. Each member of the tribe has received an allotment of land, and,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04
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The Science of GrolOth.

{" MONO the oddities of nature dwarfs
 and giants have always figured as most interesting. Science, having in- vestigated what curious physical condi- tions could bring about healthy white men that measured less than two feet or over ten feet in height, speedily discov cred that dwarfism and giantism were actually the results of the same disease.
 The trouble is caused by a diseased con dition of the cartilage, which at each end of every bone connects said bone with the rest of the skeleton. This cartilage in the newborn child forms practically all of the skeleton, and 1t is not until after birth that the cartilage breaks out into little points of opaque, osseous mat ter that dries out into the real bone.
 When this has become hardened the frame of the body becomes stiffer and stronger and enables the child to walk upright Where this bone-making process is not well done the skeleton remains soft and weak and the legs become much bent and may even refuse to carry tbe weight of the body altogether.
 But the point at issue here Is not ordi- nary diseases of the bones, but the real origin of excessive lack of bone growth making the dwarfs shown at theaters and In the circus, and also the excessive sup ply of bone making that produces the giants that can be seen In the same shows.
 The soft cartilage at the end of each bone secretes the hard, bony material, and this happens inside the bone and out and along its whole length evenly and equally, so that the healthy bones grow at all parts at the same rate and the same time In dwarfs this bone-making cartilage loses It's healthy condition and fails to secrete
 The result Is no more bone material and dwarfs are turned out by Nature. Usual ly this condition is uneven so that dwarfs have almost natural-sized bodies and very short legs. Also with giants, the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04

as they are allowed free selection before the whites are admitted, they should be in possession of the choicest tracts. It does not by any means follow that they have generally availed themselves of the opportunity. The Indian is prone to be whimsical and impractical. His choice of piece of land may be influenced by sentiment or some condition of trivial consequence. The halfbreeds, however, may be counted on to take good care O. themselves even though 1t be at the ex- pense of fellow tribesmen.
 It is doubtful whether any considerable number of the Indians will work their holdings to advantage. In general, they are averse to farming, and the Flatheads have always been disposed to neglect their fertile valleys, preferring to calcu- late wealth by heads of horses, regardless of quality. The owner of one hundred cayuses Is deemed richer than if he had the same number of acres under cultiva- tion. The country is extremely well adapted to raising, but nothing ef- fective can be done in that direction until the ill-bred ponies, that are very de- structive to the range and impair the quality of the stock, are disposed of. The land is unusually productive and easily titled. At least one-half of it is sufficient ly watered by nature and a project of the government will bring the remainder under irrigation. In all probability, the Flatheads will follow the example of the Umatillas and others by leasing their lands td energetic white men and loafing on the proceeds.
 Something like S30,0o0 will be paid to Indian owners of land lying to the north of Kavalli in the acquisition of the New National Bison Range which has been authorized by Congress. It is q curious fact that the United States government allowed the largest herd of huffaloes In existence, numbering more than 650, to be shipped out of the United States from this very range q short while before the act of Congress referred to. The ani- malls were bought by the Canadian au- thorities, but they had hardly reached
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04
CHZHeZ<aRZ ~
 AGx1co UZT

EF ONE would witness one Of the most
 spectacular of pageants go to Mexico
 this September and witness the fetes
 that will be held all over the country
 Co commemorate that day, 100 years Ago when Father Hidalgo, a priest in the little village of Dolores, rang the bell to his church and summoned his people to arms against the Spanish yoke. Many changes have taken place since then, Mexico is now republic in name if not n actuaiity, conditions are constantly bet tering, and this Is why Mexico, which Is today taking its place among the coun- tries of the world. is holding elaborate fetes. Some of the special features of these are processions of Indians dressed in Aztec and Toltec costumes, warriors at tired in Spanish dress of centuries ago. tournaments, native games, expositions showing agricultural, mineral and manu- factured productions and the native flora and fauna of the country.
 When Cortez, largely through making the Aztecs think he was the long-expected fair god, conquered Mexico and the Monte yuma Empire ended and Spanish rule began 63 viceroys followed in quick sue CcSSlOn. AL iuSt III ioiV, ciA ehe hie's NA September 15, Father Hidalgo struck the first blow for freedom. This cure has been called the Washington of his- coun- try. He organized a club, ostensibly lit erary, but in reality patriotic, and he and the other members stood ready to re- volt from Spanish tyranny. He rang the bell of his church as signal and his people followed him to war. After vari- ous victories and defeats he was captured and beheaded and his head and that of his followers exposed on bikes as a warn ing to all revolutionists Today he lies in state in the Altar of Kings in Mexico Cathedral, the handsomest cathedral on this Continent. and statues to him have been erected all over the country he started to save. Hidalgo began the move ment that led to the prosperity of today in Mexico
 This is a country rich in tradition. pic turesque beyond compare with prehistoric temples. adobe pyramids and unread hierogyphics. Tn the past 50 years it has been changing to unified nation. The land has been transformed from Il country where people warred against each other, where brigands robbed and mur- dered and where there were no modern Improvements into safe country. Life and property are respected. Many mil Hons are annually expended for the edu-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04

siders and the existing monetary stand ard are also factors toward success. It is surprising but true how little Ameri- cans know about Mexico. As rule the traveller goes to Italy or Egypt, yet here at our doors are scenes and pyramids that equal those abroad. It Is land which has been storm tossed ship. but 1t is reaching good harbor.
 Mexico is proud old republic, and 1t has cause to be proud, both of It's past civilization that built pyramids and cities. and of its growing modernity.