The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-10-22

us tHedltI It. Ihdf Secretary
hnox was given i great dinner. and
this was followed by a dance in the
orchestra.
Iaxin" a Nation for the Few.
IL was Nero who set Rome ahre that
ne night see a big CONFEDERATION. and.
as the story goes, he fddled during
the burning. 1t was for the few rich
ana Well-to-do of this town of San
Jose that Costa lticA was loaded with
a theatrical debt, and they amused
themselves here while the people toll
de to pay bills. Not more than one
tenth OF the population live in the
capital. n Of these few, not more
tnan one-tenth can afford to go to the
tneater. There are no railroad facili-
tles which make it possible to run in
ana out to attend shows, and the cost
or bringing troupes here from Europe
is such that comparatively few can
De mad. Nevertheless, the theater
was paid for and is kept up by d
government subsidy. All the money
has come from a tax. which, until
inns spring, has been Il cents Costa
1ilcan per kilogram upon all goods
imported. 1t has amounted, in round
numbers. TO about % cents Of our
money on every 100 pounds Of goods
which have been bv the
people, and the tax has included such
things as sugar, salt, grain, -four and
IN short. everything that came into
Costa Pica. Being an indirect tax,
every one has had to pay it, and this
IS so Of the bare-footed peasant and
the leather-shod rich, wherever they
live.
Why the Insane Asylum.
In my talk with the president Of the
republic | referred to this beautiful
theater and also to the fine insane
asylum
He replied: s"They are both grand,
but 1T seems to me that the remark
Of an American tourist who came here
this year was not far out of the way.
The man said: After seeing your
Rica needs an insane asylum. 1t
should be to contain the men who
persuaded the people to build the
,theater.'
AS to the insane asylum, it looks
alike the palace Of some tropical
prince. 1t is MAGNIFICENT and is wei,
! equipped with all modern appliances
for the treatment Of the mentally
weak. 1t is we'll managed and is sale
to be one Of the best Of its kind or
the continent.
Another institution of which the
country IS proud is the nationa
museum. This contains a good repre-
7 sentatiOn of the natural history ant
archaeology Of Costa RIGA and of its
/ resources. and some OF its industrial
features as well. It has a collection
L of axes and hatchets made out Of the
; hardest of flint and Of rude Ston'
4 knives which are polished like mir
rOrs. These show something of tn
I stone age down here in Contra
. America.
And then the animals and birds
There are monkeys ranging IN siz'
from rats almost to gorillas. Their
are armadillOS with coats Of mail an
iU,o q q cOrf of lizard aS hjS 9S
e cat. This animal has a skin like
r snake and fins like a fish. the latte
running along its back from the heat
f to the tail. There are also stuffe'
tapirs as big as ~good-sized ponies
It which have bodies and shouts nue.
r like a hog. but with ears and hoof
e like a horse. There are sloths, dee!
o leopards and uga and hundred
Of varieties of birds. There is no en-
of the objects which represent tn
e civilization which was here at tn
q time Columbus discovered America
4 and the collection Of pottery probabl
q antedates that period by some hun
q dreds Of years. This museum show
4 the wide interest of the Costa Kican
in history and science, and 1T is an
J. other example of the c~ontradlcton
everywhere to be seen. 1t shows tina
the nation if it were really rich Woul
spend q large part of its means upo
N culture. But alas, it is poor.
,s 4 Big Debt and High Taxes.
r The national debt is q little Owe
in sl3,OOO,O 900. This is according to
recent refunding agreement Whlc
,e makes the obligations pay + or . pc
is cent interest, but which-as the bono
were sold at much below par make
y the actual interest rate considerabl
~ eat This debt would not {
is large for a big country. Indeed hit
- C,-olap aEaS more tN1n ten tunes Z
much. But it is enormous Tor Cost
Plea he bulk Of whose ropulatlo
$. is miserably poor, and the oun
has no public improvements 70 spea
n of to show for it.
m AS it is now the taxes are out
n all reason; and, as they are most
90 indirect. the burden falls on the poo
"a T1,ara are no land taxes w~hateVer,~nt
ar any taxes on incomes, but eNerythln
&c olse NAYS ME prices are hlgk ar