The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1912-06-13
CHILE A COUNTRY
OF QUEER IDEALS
PEN PICTURE OF CHILEANs AND
THEIR COUNTRY AS DE
SCRIBED BY MITCHELL
MISSIONARY GIRL
LIVING THERE.
To the Editor OF the Mitchell Re,
publican:

For many years | have been most
interested reader of your paper and
upon my arrival in Chile, more than
two years ago, one of the most well
come friends | have met was the
Mitchell Capital, which was then and
still is being sent to Mr. Carhart
1T seemed indeed like part of the
homeland and even yet every other
Wednesday, when our United States
mail came, | can scarcely wait to
tear the wrapper from this paper to
read about all the interests at home.
depend upon it very largely to fur
nish information concerning the
Mitchell people and all that pertains
to their life, and l wondered if a
little message from here might be of
interest to the readers of the Capital.
One thing that may be of interest
1t was held on the first Sunday in
March. Sunday is the day on which
lelections are held, school entertain
ments are given. games indulged in,
social affairs take lace, is the great
day for marketing and feasting and
for a general good time. The day of
election was very exciting. | will
not presume to say how myny We're
killed or wounded for one cannot give
credence to all the reports that he
hears. There was so much irregularity
and bibery that great fight has been
made to have the election declared
null. One thing of interest to me
was that the saloons were ordered
closed during election day. | am
glad to believe that there has been
a mighty stride forward in cleaning
up" the politics of our country. For
the more | see and know of the world,
the more | am impressed with our
greatness, yet at the same time the
more | am impressed with tire fact
that the Americans can learn many
things from the other nations of the
earth.
There are very few Americans in
Chile. in fact in this great city of
sixty or seventy thousasd we have
no American consul or anyone TO rep
resent our country, and we have often
i blushed for shame that on some great
occasion in which all the nations of
the world are interested there has
been no one here to fly the Stars and
lStripes or to represent in any official
way )le gedtest nation on the face
of the globe.We have appealed for
a consul or vice-consul, but because
this is not commercial center, or
}, rather because the United States
has no commerce here, our appeal
HIS been refused. Most of the great
busines houses here are owned by
the English or Germans. Great
areas have been colonized by the Ger
mans and as rule they are very
desirable citizens.
The Chileans are not progressive.
They are not like hustling, bustling
western Americans, but they are the
very embodiment of polteness. and
am sure that a foreigner in our
country would not meet more cour-
tesy than we do here. ] have never
known "a atorekeeper or elerk to
. laugh at us for our broken speech.
/, lWhen | first came here | went into
the stores with my dictionary to
find the things wanted, and al
ways met the utmost courtesy and
5 patience. Of course, they like to
trade with green foreigner, for ~
could not, if we would, beat them
down in their prices. In only the
targest ..stores do they have fixed
!. prices. In all the smaller stores
they ask what they think they car
get. went into a store one day
. and not finding wat | wanted, start
ed to leave The storekeeper was
: greatly exercised that l, foreign
t e should leave without buying.
/ suppose the Chileans have {
' Worldwide reputation for lying ant
c+n thpn N
d steal for the very delight of stealing
g warm hearted. Sometimes it seem
characters are very paradoXical
They are so cruel, yet so kind. 1t il
IS heart sickening the way the animal
O are treated, but neither is humal
life held dear While we have man,
u efficient doctors they do not have th
q dlconscience of the doctors at home
Y, 1t is next to impossible to get
h doctor at night or on Sunday, unles
i, he is personal friend. was toll
10 of woman who was taken very Sc
N riously i'll on holiday. Her hus
band visited eleven doctors, pleadin
n with each one to come, b,l had to re
turn alone to his wife, who 500
died. Due to the unsanitary condl
20 tions of the cities and the ignoranc
of the people there is a vast amour
stlof work for the doctors to do. S
,a also it is with the dentists. Las
year one of the girls of our scho'
~ made over two hundred visits to tn
Id dentist You will make trip, wa
rs an hour Or so, and the dentist wi
r. merely change the cotton in yor
=, tooth, or say, Come tomorrow, {
u you will find him dressed to go on
o. Though we have dentists here WI
e. are educated in the United State
as they seem to have fallen into tt
same customs, yet they are capapb
and do good work, though the late
methods are not employed.
seemed strange to me to have go
n filings hammered in in the old ws
d. after having DR.. Dix merely take {
ed impression and make the filling.
=. dentist aaid Immediately when
10 looked at my teeth, You must ha'
[e- had an excellent, up-to-date denti
ty in the States" Their prices a