Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-14

1OmOFfOW IItsluChA AAiiiN DAee -
Mexico and President William Howard
Taft Of the United states will celebrate
their birthdays General Dsz will then be-
come an octegenarian. while President tart
will attain to his fifty-third year. 1t is
singular coincidence that General Diaz VINO
mas done so mucn to perpetuate tue no
erty of Mexico, should have been born on
the very eve of the Mexican Fourth OF
July. He was born on the day preceding
the passing OF the second decade of Next
can independence, for 1t was on the six
teenth OF September, 1910, that General
Hidalgu took steps that were destined to
become the equivalent of the American
Declaration OF Independence. Although for
eleven years the heads OF Hidalgo and
three OF his fellow patriots remained af-
fixed on the spikes and exposed above the
walls of the fortress at Guanajusta, the
spirit that led them to proclaim Mexicos
freedom from the Castilian yoke remained
with their followers until tho yorktown
Of Mexico was fought in 1921, nine years
before the birth Of General Diaz.
The celebrations in Mexico City will
cover practically the entire month of Sep
TENDER, but their climax will come on Fri
day, when every Mexican will join in the
fiesta of Centennial day. When the MeM-
cans have a holiday they do things up to
the queens taste. for they are an expert
enced people in the matter of holiday CIV
ing. There are 1s1 holidays in the Mexican
calendar, including Sundays, and 1t usu-
ally takes one day to get sobered down
for business after each holiday. The
United States will be represented by special
embassy at the Centennial day celebra-
tons and thousands of Americans will
be In Mexico City for that occasion.
The people of the United States well may
feel a deep interest in the affairs Of our
sister republic below the Rio Grande, since
1t Is there that American trade reaches its
high-water mark Of supremacy. The Mexi'
cans get 66 per cent of all their imports
from the United States, and send so per
cent of their exports to this country. Eng
land and Germany both have come to
realize that American interests are su-
preme in Mexican trade circles, and prac-
tically are conceding that field to the
United States. That the United States is
taking advantage OF this concession is
shown by the fact that nearly 800, 100000
Of American capital is invested in Next
can enterprises The rod of wealth from
north Of the Rio Grande is shifting the
rock of undeveloped resources in Mexico
and making a stream of golden treasure
to flow from it. There are more than
$1,000 Americans in Mexico today. and the
Mexican government seeing that they are
doing so much toward making that country
a land of present opportunity is extending
them a hearty welcome.
Few people realize that nearly one-half OF
the entire territory Of Mexico lies north of
the southernmost point of the United
States, and fewer still know that pracu-
calIy half OF this territory Is on table,
lands 30 high that the climate is as cool
as the most temperate part OF the United
States. The country has coast line almost
as long as that of the United States al
though RS area is only one-third as great
Its population amounts to approximately
Ii, 900 900, and although education is begin
ming to become general, more than 100000
of it's people can neither read nor write
Longevity is a characteristic of the Mexi-
can, the last census showing that there
were 5000 who were over 80 years Of age,
and 700 who were more than 100. In reli-
gion there are 100000 Roman Catholics,
under the pastoral care of 1900 priests.
Nine per cent of the population Is white
IS per cent mixed, and SS per cent Indians
No race is American today represents such
an admixture of blood as the Mexican, in
whose veins flows Iberian, Semitic, Hamite
Gothic, Vandal. Roman and Celtic blood
to say nothing of the parent stock OF
native Indian and it's Aztec and Toltec
origin.
1t is the wish of General Diaz that the
present centennial year should witness
great revival of education in his country
To that end he has recommended that
every state and municipality in the country
signalize the year by establishing schools
and other institutions for the enlightening
of the masses OF the people. We are prone
to forget that Mexico was the very cradle
OF American civilization, that the first uni
versity in the new world was founded In
Mexico almost 100 years before the PHI
grims landed at Cape Cod, and three-quar-
ters 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
present centennial year. The first college
on new world soil was a venerable insdtu-
ton when Harvard and William and Mary
were founded. A full 1000 years have
passed since Mexico's first cities were built,
and It had towns and villages and white