The Ordway new era., 1911-08-11

York city. Argentina Is the greatest
exporter Of meat In the world. but
North Americans living In Bucnos
Ayres seem to think that 1t costs them
as much at retail as in the United
States. II Is hard TO make exact com
parisons. becaus~ the method OF cut
ting Is different. and It is common
to buy not by weight. but by the
piece. Bread costs us much MS In the
United States and twice us much as
In England. although 1t Is from Argen
tina that England buys third OF her
total supply Of wheat and more than
half Of her corn.
When one hears OF Buenos Ayres
prices he naturally asks. Are salaries
and wages In comparison?' Salaries
are-wages are not. That is. using the
words In their usual sense. salaries
meaning payments 10 men who wear
collars at their work and wages the
returns OF those who labor In over.
alls. There are only two classes in
Buenos Ayres-upper and lower. The
self.respecting middle class-the back.
bone of the United States-does not
exist. Persons who would constitute
such body In one Of our communities
expend their efforts In Buenos Ayres
hanging on by the eyelids to the up
per fringe. or else give up the strug.
gle and sink down into the submerged
other half.
That the business and professional
classes OF Buenos Ayres have money to
spend. and occupy themselves in
spending It. one has every evidence.
Ten years ago In Paris" a Fren.h.
man remarked to me. when we spoke
Of wealthy people 1t was OF the North
Americans. the English and the Rus.
SLAMS. Now we include the Argen.
tines"
There Is no other nation in the
world with population OF 5000, ,00U
persons which is supporting metrop
oils Of one and quarter million in
habitants. and perhaps nowhere else
In the world In SO small a compass
are there go many stores filled with
costly merchandise rs on the Calle
Florida for the six squares from Riva
davia to Tucuman.
Buenos Ayres is a study In froth. I,
Is the apotheosis Of get.rich.quick sue
| cess-the rapidly matured fruit Of q
period Of unprecedented commercial
development. accompanied by soarins
land values. It Is as far removed from
the serene Spanish city which some
picture It rs the Rio de Ia Plata from
the Tagus. There Ia little Spanish
about 1t except the language Ital,
has supplied the most numerous ele
ment in the population. England thu
/ capital and France the architecture
The business section Of Buenos Ayre.
Is more crowded. almost as noisy. ecu
ally torn up and Just as much pervad
ed with nervous. futile haste as that O
New York. Racially the Argentin,
capital is Latin city. but in tn,
mingling Of peoples and the rush t,
get rich italian. Spaniard and French
man seem to have forgotten. or bee,
afraid to assert. those national charac
| teristics which make them mos: inter
esting at home Nor have they evolve,
anything as whole to take the place
Buenos Ayres is still too young, to,
driven by strident. insistent com
mercialism to have achieved an In
dividuality or an atmosphere.
The dominant commercial spirit |
sometimes trying even to one who ha
been brought UP In our cities. u
seeking to explain or laud their HON
to the stranger. the Bonaerenses a
ways dwell on the money side. Pros
perity with a big P is the burden @
their remarks.
ARTHUR H. WARNER.