The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-03-14

To the Editor of The Age-Herald
 The traveller who has made his journey around the world and overlooked the Yueatan country has travelled in vain He should spend a part of one winter in tfis unique, charming and wonderful country. To come here does not neces- sarily mean a trip through the highlands of Mexico, still 1t is much better to make 1t that way While Yucatan is one or the states of Mexico it is essentially Central American country. Its people, it's customs and it's products are entirely different from that Of Mexico proper We are now in Merida, the capital Of ! uea- tan a thriving city of 5o.0o0 population On landing at Progresso, the seaport of Yucatan, s ki1ometers away, we saw for the first time the typical Yucatan coach or carriage Description is useless. One has to see and ride in 1t to enjoy IFS comforts and discomforts. The charge IS s1 (50 cents American money) per hour for all the carriage will hold Merida much to my surprise, enjoys the reputa- ' ton, and rightfully so, of being the clean- est and best paved city in the world. ct 1t has not dollar of indebtedness. In all my travels I have yet to see oity, either in the United States or any foreign coun- try, with such pavements. It is said to have cost $10000, ,0O0 Mexican money.
 It is called a city of windmlls. From the balcony of my room at the hotel l counted 1S. The countless numbers of them, peeping over the housetops amid the spires of cathedrals, form a most picturesque scene. It seems the country, which is flat and only about 20 feet above the sea level, is situated over an under ground lake of fresh water. and as the winds are strong and frequent, every house has it's own windmill and water works.
 The city abounds in pazas, which are filled with shade trees and beautiful How CTS. At night the gentle and pleasure loving natives spend the time listening to the music furnished by the city bands. As we read of the February blizzards which ho1 the United States in their embrace, we sit out In the park late in the even irg. enjoying the breezes and soft balmy Lights. No arrangements are ever made for heating the houses as it is never cold. Fuel is only needed for cooking and man ulacIurlng plants.
 The chief product of Yucatan is the '.Her equen." sometimes called the green gold, of the Yucafan. This plant Is known in our country, in a limited way, as the Yucca" From it's sharp blades is ob- tained a fibre which is shipped all over the world and made into rope binding twine and other products. Cotton here Is an unknown plant and as I saw the thousands of natives who wear nothing but cotton, I wondered that our southern people should allow the cotton exchanges and Liverpool to set their price on a product so universally used, and which can only he produced successfully in the southern states.
 The climate here is hot but healthy. At midday the stores and shops close and all go home for two or three hours and take their ease in their hammocks. This reminds me that the making of hammocks of the Henequen is a great industry here and beds as we have them are not used in Yucatan. At the tourists hotel he does not find a mattress on his bed-nothing but quilt folded over woven wire spring. He needs no cove ring The natives are born and die in hammocks The hammocks made here are sold all over the world and vary much fin price, Some of them bring fabulous prices. I was shown some today that are used by the bridal couples.
 The natives are mixture of the Span- fish who conquered the country 400 years ago and the Indian tribes they found there. The union of these races produced a race of people noted for their clean Illness and personal modesty and rank oasiiy as the handsomest and most agree oh1 in Maxir a Un . rule, are good looking. Their little feet and well-turned ankles, their shape ly arms, with small hands and tapering fingers, their black hair and eyes. with rich olive complexons, make them the envy of our fair sisters in the states. They invariably dress in linens and lawns white as the driven snow, and the only difference in the style of the dress Is in the highly and varigated embroidery that adorns the lower part of the top skirt. This top skirt is about four inches short or than the underskirt. Usually they wear no sleeves and the waist of the dress is cut very low, both in front and back. It is said there has been change in the style of this dress since Columbus made his last voyage to the country in 1902. They wear no eorsets and no hats. A few wear sandals and slippers without stockings, but the great majority go barefoot I saw many young girls with babies and I asked an intelligent native who spoke broken English If their wom- en as rule were virtuous. When he finally absorbed the meaning of the in quiry he said emphatically. Yes; why rot? The priest-he marry them for noth- ing Some time. they give him chicken. Sometime turkey and if rich they give him donkey-but he charge them no money.''
 From him learned of their remarkable fidelity in their married relations and their love of children I then thought of the cruel and slanderous attack made in the American Magazine these people. was glad to see Creelman. the american