davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

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Ored population of the United States. The
average height of the men is under five
feet and there are many women here
who could walk under my arm. They
look anemic. and / am told that some Of
them are clay eaters. They have a kind
of yellow earth mixed with sulphur which
they consider dainty, and when they go
upon pilgrimages they find images made
of this earth at the shrines and eat them.
thinking that they thereby ward off dis
ease.
The faces of the Indians are a little
lighter in color than those of the Sioux
or ChOctaws, and some of the men have
thin. struggling boards. l doubt whether
any one ever shaves. Both men and
women are very straight. and the WOm-
Ell even more so than the men. This
probably comes from their carrying bur-
dens on their heads. They will put fifty
or a hundred pounds there and go off
on a trOt. The women do not bend back
as they walk, and the movement is al
most altogether from the hips downward,
although most Of them swing the arms as
they go.
These Indians have never dressed like
ours, and today they wear clothes rather
than blankets. Both men and women de-
light in bright cOlOrs. and the gir's have
waists which are gayly embroidered in
red. yellow and blue. and some have
SaSheS of rainbow hueS. The dress of the
woman usually consists of three pieces
First she has a long cloth wound around
her waist and legs. reaching to below the
knees. Above this is the juipil. or shirt,
which is richly embroidered and of as
many colors as Joseph's coat. The shirt
comes down over the cloth, and a gaudy
belt or sash holds the two garments to-
gether. The women have luxuriant hair
and they wear it in two long braids down
their backs. It some places they tie up
the hair and in others they have head
bands which are wound around the head
several times and tied in knot over
the forehead.
All of the women are fond Of jewelry.
and woman often carries her savings In
the shape of silver and gold ornaments
with which she decorates her person.
Some have necklaces of silver coins and
others have bits of gold and nuggets OF
silver. Coral beads are common. and
many girls have heavy silver crosses
which they will not sell to strangers.
The men wear shirts. coats and trou-
sers Those on the road have queer over
coats with loose sleeves. The coats are
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

probably wouldn't think of buying a
humidor for himself, usually considering
the old china jar on his shelf plenty
good enough" nevertheless probably
would appreciate such a gift.
Bedroom slippers are still another good
gift. for any man will tell you they are
continually wearing out and that It's a
nuisance to buy new ones So also is
bathrobe, or smoking jacket, either
of which may be had at moderate cost.
OF all the gifts given to man there is one
that rarely is thought Of, and that more
frequently than otherwise is actually
needed 1t is a simple little article, which
every man carries, which usually is more
or less worn out, but which the carrier
rarely. If ever, thinks Of personally replac-
ing-and this article. small but neces-
sary, is merely an humble card case. OF
late there has come a vogue for metal
card cases. made of gold or silver and in
tended for cards alone. The average
man. however still prefers the old-fash-
Toned leather kind. which, in addition to
holding cards, is capable of holding bills
And nearly always he needs new one
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22
BY THE BoULEVARDIER.

CHRISTMAS. Of course, is the merry
season, the time of year when joy
uncOnfined is supposed to be every
where. Certainly il is not fitting to talk
of sadness during the Yuletide. but at the
same time there certainly is nothing even
remotely resembling jollity in the mental
attitude of the poor bachelor, who all
this coming week VII be wandering
dazedly through the various shops of
the city wondering what on earth he
ought To buy in the line Of presents.
Such plight is double barreled, too.
The fact that there are ten thousand and
one things TO choose from ought to make
the selection more simple. but somehow
II usually doesn't. IL is difficult to de-
eide what 10 give that man cousin whom
one hasn't seen for two or three years,
and it's still more difficult to imagine
what 10 give 10 that girl whom one met
just few months ago. the girl who at
present Is Just a friend. but who may
some time he persuaded TO accept a ring
set with brilliant. and then later to ac-
cept one perfectly plain. And then there
are other girls and other men, TO all of
whom presents must be sent, and usually
the tastes OF every one are deeply mys-
ferrous at least to the unhappy man who
il seeking what to buy.
: !:
Sometimes it's "A whole lot more difficult
10 decide what TO give girl than il is TO
pick a mans gift. Stroll through the
city shops, and on all sides you'll hear
men explaining TO the clerks very conf
dentially. that You see. she has just
about everything on earth she can pos
sibly use already. OF course l don't
know. but that's the way il seems And
I'd hate TO give her something that she
already has. And / can't very well ask
her To make out list of her posses
sions. can T.
So IL goes with the unhappy solitary
male, continuing to wander mserably
around. mayhap, until the very night be-
fore Christmas. when, in hopeless de-
spair, he will likely as not dash in TO the
first jewelers. and buy a bracelet or
something like that, reasoning no doubt
that no girl ever thinks she has too much
jewelry.
And right there. with the best of inten-
tions. the poor male commits a grievous
error against the propreties. The rea-
soning that no girl ever thinks she has
too much jewelry is faultess. Unhap-
PLY for the girl. however. the stern pro-
prieties have issued an irrevocable de-
that no man shall give "A girl jewelry I'M
less she be relative or his fiancee And
even I'm the latter instance there are limi-
tations. The theory is that a gift of jew
elry, always expensive unless it happens
to be SO cheap An imitation of the real
thing that II cannot riShtfuly he called
anything hut junk. jointly implies an
intimacy that does not exist and savors
too much of the mundane
The same edict of Dame Propriety pre-
walls I'm greater or less extent i'm regard
30 many gifts OF more or less personal
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

tigua, the ruined capital Which was
founded by Alvarado and was great
city when Boston was still little more
than COW paths.
Mizco is altogether Indian. 1t has. per-
haps. thousand inhabitants who I'VE
in low one-storied buildings made Of brick
and stone. covered with stucco and paint
ed in all the colors of the rainbow. The
main houses are around plaza. on
which the stores face and where there Is
a big church. city hall and fountain
which is painted bright blue On the
porch of the city hall are piles OF Indian
packs. which the porters have left there
for the night. and on the stones of the
plaza scores of Indians have squatted
around little fires and are cooking their
suppers. Each man has a pot or pan
resting over the Goals. and when he has
finished his cooking he will join one OF
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

sorority. All the better known club
and sorority monograms. incidentally,
are kept in stock. And in the same
line with stationery any sort OF con-
ceptable. Again, il one knows an ath-
letic girl he may give her the i'm
plements of the sport she likes best
golf clubs, for instance. or ice skates
yet impersonal things. The one thing
to be remembered in making the Sc
lection is that the gift positively must
not have the faintest intimate sug-
gestion Of her boudOir.
But while the selection Of gifts for
girls is probably the worst bugbear
of the bachelors Christmas, the selec-
ton Of gifts for his man friends is
troublesome enough There . are OF
which Immediately pop into every ones
head-cigars. for instance. or cigar
cites. And these can always be used.
and likely enough will be gratefully
received. But the trouble with such
probability that IS per cent OF the
other acqua.ntances Of the recipient in
question are planning to give him
identically the same thing. and one
naturally dislkes to have his gift help
make his friends room seem like an
embryonic tobacco store.
A pipe is another gift that naturally
occurs to man. but this. too has its
the selection Of pipe is like the buying
of Il hat: a man wants to do 1t for him.
sell. When some one else does 1t FOR
him the odds are just about three to one
that the result won't suit. A pipe has
to hang just right, or 1t is worse than. no
smoke at all, and. except when the man
chooses for himself. getting one with that
desired hang is purely a matter of luck.
or course, this disadvantage can be OBJ
waited by arranging with the tobaccohist
that the pine he exchanged hut
the fact remains that a man hesitates to
exchange what has been given him.
So the best advice is, don't give him
a pipe or cigars. Rather. indeed, give
him a neckte although this is just about
the last word in utter non-orignality
Like a girl with gloves, no man can
have too many ties-at least. he doesn't
think SO. And a really good tie Of
bright quiet coloring. according to
the taste of the recipient. Is always most
acceptable. Indeed. If the tie be a very
good one there is much to be said in it's
favor as a gift. The average man doesn't
pay much for his neckwear, probably 90
or 10 cents at the outside. He always
looks at the more expensive scarfs-fre-
quently looks at them longingly. But
usually. in the end. he decides that
there S no sense IN investing Inat much
money''--and so buys the cheaper article
But the fact remains that when one of
the more costly scarfS comes to him as
a gift he wears it in preference to the
less expensive ones of his own buying.
But there is no reason why any of
these more or less hackneyed gifts should
he decided on. Silk hose, though rather
hackneyed of itself. is far and away better
and the average man loves silk hose.
Or muffler to go with his evening dress
is usually acceptable. for the very simple
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22
His Modern Entrance.

TVyILL IRWIN, the humorist. said at Q
w dinner in New York:
Children no longer associate Santa
Claus with chimneys. in these days of
steam heat, you see, there are no Chin
neys
Il was taking tea the other afternoon
at house i'm Washington square. The
little daughter of the house burst into
tears over something or other. and her
mother said to her i'm warning voice:
Now, Minnie, don't be naughty, or
perhaps Santa won't bring YOU any
thing
Well whispered Minnie reproach-
fully. you needn't say it SO near the
radiator
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

the parties of his fellows who are eating
here out in the open. The men cook their
own meals and all eat together. On the
other side of the plaza I can seee women
cooking in the same way. They will eat
by themselves, although some. l am
told. are the wives of the men opposite
These people belong to the class of
Indian porters which is to be found
everywhere in Guatemala. and of whom
l met hundreds on my way up to MiXco.
But first let me tell you something of
the Indians of this part of General Amer
lea. The bulk of the red men have always
lived south of our boundaries. The most
of the inhabitants of Mexico are made
up of them, and they there number mil
lions. There are now at least L. 800, 600 pure
Indians in Guatemala, and this Is five
or six times as many as We have in our
country. Some authorities say that the
territory covered by the United States
never had more than 300, abort gines
while parts of these south lands were
more thickly populated than any part of
Europe at the time of the discovery of
America.
The Indians of Guatemala have always
been many. The climate is fine, the soil
is fertile and it is far easier to get liv
ing here than in the colder parts of the
Union. ! have already written of the
ruins of Quirigua, which are now being
uncovered by our American psychologists.
There are other ruined cities in other
parts of Guatemala, and the evidences
are that we once had a great civilization
here made up of the ancient To tees or
Mayans. who were the great race of
Mexico about thousand years after
Christ. but who were driven south by
the Aztecs into Guatemala and the re-
publicS nearer the Isthmus of Panama
These people have never been fighters
like our Indians. They have been rather
farmers than hunters. and today they are
engaged in filling the soil and in laboring
for the whites
l am told there are eighteen different
tribes of them in this country. and there
are at least six tribes to be found among
the inhabitants of this town of Mizco.
These the Itzas. Mopans, Pokomans,
Chols. Pokonchi and the Lacandons.
These tribes all come from Maya stock,
and they are the descendants of those
who lived in Mexico long before Cortez
came.
The Guatemalan Indians seem to be
smaller and weaker than the copper-col-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22
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1t must have weighed more than $50
and he was trotting along. il is said that
the Indians are obliged to carry loads for
travelling upon demand If they are paid
for their services. The local officials
supply them. but they can force them to
go only a two-day journey from home.
and the load must not be more than 100
pounds.
AS to speed, these porters will make
five or six miles an hour In coming here We
pushed along as rapidly as we could upon
mules, but some loaded porters who We're
on the same~road kept up with us, not
We went on the trot.
l wish you could see the country scenes
of Guatemala. Those on the main roads
which lead into the capital remind one of
the Tokaido of Japan. They are thronged
with traffic which moves along like so
many caravans Of queerly dressed people.
quaint carts and wagons and beasts OF
burden of various kinds. There are
many carts drawn by oven which pull
them along by yokes tied by straps to
in going up hill and pull back in going
down. The yoke is so tightly fastened to
the head that the animal cannot move it,
and the flies eat away unmoleSted
And then there are donkeyS with packs
on their backs, and this never-ending
procession of Indians loaded with freight.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

nature. 1t is bad form, for instance, for
a man to give any girl, even though they
be engaged. almost any article Of wear
ing apparel even though it be so slight
ception is gloves. One may give any girl
pair of gloves. or, if he SO desires.
whole box of gloves. And happily enough
for the male, the attitude of the average
girl toward gloves is similar in one par
ticular to her attitude toward jewelry.
So there are men who make practice
of giving gloves to all their feminine ac-
q1iaintances. In SO doing they are at least
on the right side, although ii must be
admitted that the practice seems rather
strained. 1t is unnecessary. too. for there
are always flowers and flowers are al
ways appreciated
a book is acceptable as gift to any
one. and an additional beauty of it lies
in the fact that ii may be made as elab-
crate and expensive as desired. One, for
instance. may send plain copy of the
very latest best seller. at cost of dol
lar and a half. or one may send book
of POEMS, especially bound in vellum. calf,
Russia leather or in just about anything
he desires. Nor is it absolutely neces-
sary to have an expensive book made to
order Beautiful little volumes are kept
in stock at this Season-volumes on all
sorts and varieties of subjects from the
love poems of Aucasin and Nicolette to
a hundred pages so of modern Wit
ticisms. And the bookseller will gladly
see to- il that the name of the INTENDED
recipient is printed on the cover in gold.
which adds a most distinctive and attract
i've touch One may dig into his pocket
almost as deeply as he likes in buying a
book. There are single volumes in some
of the Washington stalls selling for as
high as $5O-wonderful hand-illumined
things that are real works of art. And In
buying a book the price having been de-
cided on, but one thing remains-to know
the taste of the recipient.
In fact on the face of it. it is rather
difficult to decide just what sort OF Il
book would be suitable to certain
girl, but there need be no such guam
Diary in the case of candy There may
be girls who do not like candy. but
as yet they have been undiscovered.
And in buying candy, too, one may be
as economical or lavish as one
wishes Ii is possible, and perfectly
proper, to send only one or two pounds,
or II is equally possible and proper
to send five or even ten pounds, done
up in special box or basket. One
that box or basket. 1t may be covered
or entwined with hand-painted silk.
ribbons real lace, Or with expensive
embroidery. or in any one or num-
Der of elaborate and costly methods.
Boxes are to be preferred rather than
baskets, for the reason that after the
candy has been eaten the box is kept
as receptacle for gloves or handker-
chiefs.
hon a nln Or
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

A<ANSt ~ do ~ ma To-
AM writing this in
the little Indian
town of Mixco, sit
uated on one of the
foothills of I h e
Volcano de Aqua,
in the heart of the
Guatemalan repub-
lie. / have come
here from Guate-
mala City on mule
back, and l am on
my way to- An
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

TN three more days Christmas will be
here again with its good cheer and
rest from work, it's circle Of happy
faces gathered about the family table
with the head of the house brandishing
the cleaning carver over the juicy turkey
or the huge roast. All over the District
folks are laying elaborate plans for the
celebration of the great festival and wax
ing enthusiastic over the good times to
come But there is one class Of men
who, for the good of the people. are go
ing to give up their holiday. For them
Christmas as a time Of rest and domestic
felicity does not exist; they anticipate
no festive board. no gay distributing Of
gifts, no merry exchange Of greetings
with the family, for they are the men
who must spend their Christmas on the
Job, their noses to the grindstone, their
whole energy bent upon the task of serv-
ing the public. Christmas contributes lit
tie to their happiness; it is rather they
who contribute to the happiness Of
Christmas.
or those who must work on Christmas
the postman is perhaps the one who will
contribute the most to the public hap
piness On this day the post office will
handle the largest consignment of pack
ages and letters received during the year
The officials of the department anticipate
that the mails will be taxed to such an
extent that in many cases the carriers
will consume their whole working day Of
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

OF all the Christmas toilers the police
man will work the hardest and the long
est. Not even the superintendent. Maj.
Sylvester, will get any respite. Ordinarily
the average member Of the police force
puts in eight hours every day patrolling
his beat and six hours more at the sta
ton house on reserve" Christmas. far
from being given special consideration
and an hour or two extra leave to spend
with his wife and children, he will pound
the beat as always. then he will be re-
quired to spend his usual six hours of re-
serve duty patrolling and in addition he
may be forced to work several hours
more overtime
Maj. Sylvester says: 1T will be d
mighty tired force the day after Christ
mas. The hours of the men. always long
and hard, will be longer and harder than
ever SO Inadequate is the number of po-
licemen detailed to keep the peace in the
downtown district that IL will be neces-
sary to put out all the reserves and in
addition to cali in men needed to protect
outlying districts. in order to handle the
downtown crowds. The upper portion of
the city Will be practically stripped of
policemen Christmas eve and Christmas
day.
THE amount of disorder prevailing at
this time Of the year is prOverbial. More
liquor is consumed than at any other sea-
son. and consequently the police are
forced to cope with very difficult situa-
ton Records of Christmas drunkards.
Christmas brawls. Christmas thefts.
police courts.
mo. We have no Christmas. The po-
liceman eats his Christmas dinner when
and where he can-out of a paper sack
lunch counter. The holiday season is
harder on us than on any other class of
workers that l know of.
While the policeman is guarding Wash
ington against disorder and riot, the fire
man will keep watch to save it from de-
struction. His lot is not as hard as
that Of the man on the beat, but he, too,
must give up much that the average per-
son associates with the idea OF Christ
mas. Instead of going home early the
might before" and telling the children
stories about old Saint Nicholas and
then later helping to fill the stockings
and add the finishing touches to the high
spots on the respondent tree. he must re-
main at his post in the engine house. al
ways ready to obey the summons of the
big gong.
On Christmas morning there will be for
him no exclaiming over the toys of the
children as each excited one tears away
the wrapping from some mysterious OBJ
ject and brings to light a new treasure.
He must help clean up. care for the
horses ana perform the multtudlnouS
duties about the engine house. But when
everything is shipshape. if he can be
spared. he will be permitted to go home
to dinner and preside for a short time at
the head OF the table. He may even be
allowed a little extra time If the captain
can see his way clear to it, but two hours
for dinner is the most that a man can
expect and when his time is up he must
hurry back to take the place of some one
else who has gone home to visit with his
family.
The car conductors and motormen are
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

EIGHTEEN Tribes of Red
- Men Who Are Practically
Slaves-They Work for IL
Cents a Day and Are Loaded
With Debt-How the Men
and Women Look-The Girls
and Their Costumes The
Porters and Their Enormous
Loads-Some Queer Relig-
ious Customs-The Toltec
Bible and the Roses of He'll
"A Savage Tribe of Tree
Dwellers in Central America.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

There are groups of women with bags
and trays on their heads, all trotting
along through the dust Now and then
you see a party resting by the wayside.
and at nightfall You may see their little
fires where they have struck camp till
daybreak.
These Indians are religious. I find them
in every church and see them kneeling at
every shrine. They give more of their
earnings to the Lord than do the whites.
and they are the chief support Of the
churches. Every one of their towns has
its church, and it is often bigger than all
the other houses combined. They are
superstitious. They carry waxen i'm
ages around upon saint days, the whole
population kneelng as the procession
goes by.
They believe to a certain extent in
witch doctors. and when they get any
disease they do not understand. they
straightway think themselves bewitched
and get a medicine man to cure them.
The latter mutters some mysterious
words over the patient and usually
searches the bed upon which he lies, find
ing an image he has put there. He shows
this to the patient and tells him 1t is the
cause of his sickness, demanding his fee,
which he gets.