El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-14

nroxir,a+aIv IL 900 600. and although
education is beginning to become gen
eraI. more than 100000 or its people
can neither read nor write Longevity
is a characteristic of the Mexican, the
last census showing that there were
5000 who were over ninety years OF
age. and 700 who were more than Zoe.
In religion there are 10000, 900 Roman
Catholics. under the pastoral care OF
5000 priests Nineteen percent OF the
population is white, As percent mixed,
and 80 percent indians. No race IN
America today represents such an ad-
mixture of blood as the Mexican, IN
whose veins flows Iberian, Semitic, Ha-
mite. Gothic Vandal, Roman and Gel
tic blood, TO say nothing of the parent
stock of native indian and its Aztec and
TOltec origin
An Educational Revival.
1t is the wish of Gen Diaz that the
present centennial year should witness
a great revival of education in his
country. To that end he has recon-
mended that every state and municipal
fty in the country signalize the year by
establishing schools and other insti-
tutions for the enlightenment Of the
masses of the people. We are prone to
forget that Mexico was the very cradle
of American civilization, that the first
university in the new world was found
ed in Mexico almost a hundred years
before the Pilgrims landed at Cape
Cod and three quarters of a century
before Jamestown was settled. That
university had an unbroken existence
of three centuries, lacking two years,
and is to be reopened during the pres
ent centennial year The first college
on new world soil was a venerable in
rx-ba Ia I'd and William
and Mary were founded. A full thou
sand years have passed since Mexico's
first cities were built, and she had
towns and villages and white walled
temples and palaces before the Morse
men skirted the shore Of NewfOund-
land and Massachusetts, General Diaz
is in thorough accord with the Ameri-
can belief in universal education, and
declares that lit IS our foremost in
terest We regard it as the foundation
OF our prosperity and the basis Of our
very existence" There is nothing that
makes the Americans who have inter
ests there more hopeful of Mexico's
future than this awakening spirit Of
universal education.
No other nation on earth has such a
wide range of interest for the traveller
as the republic of Mexico. With its
mountains reaching to the realms OF
perpetual snow and it's lowlands lying
in the region Of greatest heat in the
torrid zone, one may at one view be-
hold all the diversity OF climate he
would find in going from the equator
to the north pole, and all the range Of
vegetation from polar 20 tropic seas.
There are 90 varieties Of mammal
quadrupeds in the republic, 203 kinds
Of fowls, so species of humming birds,
353 other kinds OF birds, II, 900 varieties
of insects, 40 species Of reptiles and a
variety Of plant life so great that the
scientists have not yet catalogued them
all
Many Miles Of Railroad.
There are now about 10000 miles OF
railroad in Mexico, q large portion OF
which was built by capital from the
United States The mineral wealth OF
the republic is estimated to run far
into the billions, and nearly every i'm
portant mineral known to the ninerolo-
gist is to be found in quantities that
will meet the demand Of the miner for
centuries to come. AS yet the problems