The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-04-27

deaths occur there liz more debt on
account OF the funerals. II Is now
over forty years since peonage or debt
slavery was abolished by law, but that
Law is n dead letter in many parts of
the republic There are back districts
such as mahogany camps, from which
now anu then come stories of logging
and there is undoubtedly forced labor
on certain of the hiS haciendas.
Worse Than Our Lonn Sharks.
heard the other night story OF
how the innocent Indian liz sometimes
kept on the job. 1t shows 81 condition
more corrupt than the worst practices
OF the American loan shark In this in
stance one of the poems thought he
would keep track OF his indebtedness
and had II marked down item by item
in book. He took this book to his
master. and asked him how II came
that the foreman had charged him SIS
when he had only received SIS. The
master called in the foreman, where
upon the foreman swore at the peon
saying:
You ignorant fellow, can't you see
YOU ONE SIS? First there WAS the So
YOU asked me for. second the So |
gave YOU. and third. the 50 which was
charged to your account. Now three
times five is fifteen. You owe SIS. and
YOU must get out OF here and go back
TO your work"
This is probably an overdrawn state
ment, but fraud could be easily perpe-
trated upon the peon by an unscrupu-
lous master.
Millions Who Cannot Read.
Indeed, II is hard TO describe the CON
ditions OF the Mexican masses There
are here about 100000 men. women
aud children. and OF these more than
three-fourths are Indians, OF as pure
| blood az that which flowed through the
veins of the Aztecs. There are several
millions of a mixed breed, and some
hundreds Of thousands who have come
down direct from the Spaniards OF
! the Indians there are something like
/ l2,000,000 who can neither read nor
( write. There have been number of
laws making education free and com :
/ pulsory, but they have been honored
! in the breach rather than in the OBJ
( scrvance, and to-day there are some
thing like 10000 schools for a popuIa
/ ton about e-sXth that Of the United
! States, and the school population is not
/ one twenty fifth that of ours. Right
here ut the Mexican capital you can
find the public letter-writer on the
streets AS in India, and there is one
/ such scribe near the cathedral who has
n typewriter and takes down dictation
| from the Indians by tapping the keys.
! Aztec Schools.
This condition seems all the worse
! when We remember the advanced civil
}
/ Corte" came. They had their own
records and picture writing, and they
| lived far better than they do now
Mexico City then had 10000 stone
/ houses, and Montezuma had other rich
cities and villages in his possession
He had the country better garrisoned
/ than il is to-day, and he kept better
| order. lie had a system OF postal sta
! lions, and his courier service was such
| that relays OF letter carriers brought
1 dispatches from Cortez at Vera Cruz
| over the mountains to the capital and
! back, distance or about 400 miles in
II little more than a week Fresh fish,
from the Gulf of Mexico were brought
to Montozuina's table within twenty
four hours from the time they were
! caught. Tho Indians of that day wore
clothes of woven cotton, and they were
far better clad than they are now.
The women had skirts and petticoat;
or different lengths. and these were
! of fine texture and prcttily cnibroid
cred. The people made beautiful toys
and were skillful in metals, makiI g
! hatchets OF copper alleged With tin and
| great plates of gold and silver, won
derfully carved. We do not know jus
how much gold CorteZ carried away
hut among the first presents he received
| from Montezuma was golden plate
as big as cart wheel, and it Is said
the Indian chiefs who met him wore
armor of gold and that they had col
! lars bracelets and earrings of the same
precious metal.
/ How the Poems Live.
! Such were the Indians who lived here
a bout 400 years ago. They were err
shaved by the .Spaniards, and a large
proportion Of them have been slave:
ever since. wish I could show yol
how they, are living in these days OF