New-York tribune., 1910-06-26

The uictl9res which illustrate this article
hardly look as If they had been taken on
American soil. The graceful robes of these
women are more suggestive of the Orient
than Of the New World. and their sur
round.Tgs are even less suggestive of the
American continent Yet these people are
next-door neighbors. They are Mexicans.
and the pictures were taken by MI and
Mrs Frank s Chapman during Mr. Chap
mans recent ornithological expedition to
Mexico as the representative of the Mi
scum of Natural History Strange and in
teresting are these people. and their ways
are as different from those Of more north
ern Americans as are their clothes.
The dav before Easter was selected by
Mrs Chapman and her party as g good
time TO look quietly at the ancient Cathe-
dral of San Francisco at Tlaxcala. 1t was
This cathedral that Cortes built in the
early sixteenth century. and from Its pull
nit tie Christian religion was first preached
fn Mexico. while all kinds of unnamable
crimes and outrafnes were committed at the
instigation cf the invaders As the party
moved about examining the nave and the
elaborate altar and windows they noticed
small group of women gathered about
the figures of the Christ and the Holy
Virgin which had been lifted down from
their shrtnes. The strange actions of the
group proved to he al in the service of the
Church. in the form of Easter prepara-
tions The long and beautiful hair of the
Christ was being curled on regular Amerl-
can curling tongs. and the application of
'Inake-up.' pure and simple. TO the hps'
cheeks and brows Of Mary was shockingly
like the work done in New York beauty
parlors
''It sounds sacrilegious.' said Mrs Chap
man. in telling the story. but the spirit
in which the service was rendered was not
Acpointment TO these honored duties is
sought as eagerly nv Mexican women as
is the care of the fair linen by Amer
leans.
Lower down in Mexico City. the Indians
show the fanatic fervor of their religious
views by making a Judas 1scariot in ef-
fey and hanging il the day before GOOD
Friday They dance and circle about the
effiey all night, and lash themselves into q
passionate fury. The famous devil dance
always forms part of this observance BY
the time Good Friday dawns the dancers
are so enraged ard fnflaned that the re-
r,airder of the custom is finished in unsoN-
ernable ferocity. A large fire is kindled,
and che figure is burned TO ashes while ire
whiriing menacing, wild-eyed circle IN
the weird bldre OF cofnDlneu ua"H ANU hi
light hoarsely add their -superstitious cries
TO the vengeance. which ends in the holo-
caust And in all this the women take the
lead.
The children OF the more Intelligent resi-
dents of Mexico are kept carefully away
from harmful or common intercourse, and
II is difncult for travellers to get access TO
the lives of either the women or the chill
dren Of this GLASS; but the Indian women
and children literally live in the streets
The women generally have something TO
sell in their hands This is partly TO make
money and party to attract the attention
of the passerby- They are very sociaole IN
q half bold way, and love to be spoken TO-
Even the roughest and poorest respond
with elaborate politeness. Yet in contrast
10 this courtesy one sees nothing but per-
sonai uncleanliness and shiftlessness every
where II is said that hundreds Of years
ago the Spaniards tried to inculcate habits
Of cleanliness in the Mexican Indians, and
that Cortes issued a stern decree that every
peon should take q bath once a week.
There was panic among the Indians when
the messengers of Cortes appeared to en-
force the rule. Often they were borne
away by force. screaming and praying. "Ay,
ay, No tabon, No jabon," c'No soap.'D
Most of their descendants appear TO have
the same feeling. but il is only fair to
Tar1pico 20 add that here every one Is
clean.
The cooking utensils Of the common
people are stin very primitive Corn is.