The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-07-11


fortunate in that by Or
binary travel. without chang
" ing the flag and even with
out changing cars, we may
1T our scenery and our people almost
to our passing desires. We may sub
stitute coast for prairie, mountains
for plains, wilderness for city. desert
for valley. palms for pines. summer
for winter. cloud land for sea level,
virtually at the within of the moment.
And 10! what range Of type from
the ghettos of New York and Chicago
to the French Of Louisiana, the Mex.
leans Of the southwest. the noun
taineers of Tennessee. the negroes Of
Georgia, the Dutch Of Pennsylvania.
the Chinese of the coast, the Indians
of the reservation!
Half-reclining along the ruined wall
surrounding the ancient pueblo Of
Taos, N. NJ, thought upon these
things, while before me weaved the
busy daily life Of this strange people
"a life, unaltered like their mystical
speech, through the centuries. indie
pendent, careless of the recently-ac-
quired statehood In which as citizens
they were entitled to take pride. they
pursued their even, picturesque ways
writes f. l.. Labin in the Los An
gelos Times.
For this pueblo of Taos Is the rival.
in It's clannishness, of the far-famed
Zuni, and In its type is more perfect
than Zuni. Its twain casas grandes
or great houses, the domiciles Of the
500 people, rise In six and five ter
races or stories, respectively. and are
the best examples intact Of the curl
GUS pyramidal construction. Virtually
as described by the Spanish Of Coro
nado's expedition in 1910; the "Braba'
Of the natives, the "Valladolid" Of
Captain Alvarado, the Taos" Of mod
ern date, stand these two casai
| grandes; and their dark-skinned fold
tread the same routine. The pueblo
was old in, Captain Alvarado's time
and Is built beside the ruins of still
| q previous pueblo. What place In Flu
rope can show life of longer dura
ton, and unchanged?
Decidedly Moorish.
| In common with other pueblos-ant
there are many Of them throughout
New Mexico and Arizona-the Tao!
buildings are entered from the grount
by means OF ladders, which lead to the
first terraces. Formerly the grount
floor of the pyramids presented onl!
blank walls, windowless and doorless
and the ladders and entrance through
the ceilings constituted the sole mean:
of incoming and forthgoing. But II
these peaceful days there are door!
and windows, and the ladders. instead
OF being drawn up for the night, re
main in place night and day. Thu
tiniest tots, and even the dogs, are ex
pert in ascending and descending theil
rounds.
From terrace to terrace are othe
ladders, and in places are merel!
crooked boughs-they and the adobe
threshold worn smooth and deep b,
generations Of moccasined feet.
There is something decidedly Moor
ish In these terraced. castellated walls
Joined by ladders: the windows pane
less and narrow and thick OF case
ment: the figures passing up ant
down. squatting In the sun, or carry
ing buckets Of water upoa thei
heads, and shrouded in many huet
shawls, and white-booted.
For this Is the pueblo garb: Shawls
black. red. gray, for the women; ant
blankets, shawl-like. for the men; 9,
that one must look to the feet t
designate thA sexes. The men veal
the moccasin and the legsins; but tn,
women wear soft bootee, extending
above the knee, Of the whitest, fines
doeskin.
There is something Moorish, and de
cidedly foreign, In the gentle chat,
murmur Of the Taos tongue. as men
women and children move hither ant
thither This is the official language
OF the pueblo-the Taos dialect. jeal
eusly guarded. contided so rarely t.
strangers. far separated. But Taos 4!
somewhat polyglct: 1t speaks Indian
It speaks Spanish, and it speaks. to 8
degree. English. Many of the boys
are sent to the school at Santa Fe
where they learn English and where
they don coats and trousers. How