The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1913-07-03

borders PHEASANT With the NUN -Oi
industry, and to till her storehouses
with its products, but the same sa-
gacity and energy which has built
our own modern cities and trans
formed our broad domains into the
greatest nation the world has ever
known? Was it surprising, then,
that 70 years ago men were dream
ing great things of Mexico?
When we look at this picture,
drawn by hope and fancy, and then
turn to the reality, when we see
Mexico has she is, the blacklist fail
ure of the past two centuries
when we run over her 20 years OF
anarchy with its numerous constitu
tons and thirty odd forms of gov
eminent, with it's bew ildering ar
ray of dictators and presidents that
come and go until the eye is wear
led and memory fails to preserve
even their names,-when we behold
her the helpless victim of any pow
er that might choose to assail her.
when. in short, we compare the
Mexico that is with the Mexico that
was to be,-we ask ourselves, What
is the cause that has made so many
advantages worse than futile?
What fate ordained that SO much
sacrifice and so much blood should
be lavished, and in vain?
1t is a question hard to answer for
so many circumstances enter into
the analysis. No doubt the chief
point for consideration is the char
acter and social relations of the
people. Some writer has made the
profound remark that you can
create no national spirit where no
nation is" and that seems to be the
root of all Mexico's troubles. She
is not in any proper sense a nation.
All her sufferings have not as yet
moulded her diverse elements into
anything approaching unity
Modern Mexico, dated from the
Conquest, was founded, not upon
social unity, but upon the widest
social separation. At one end of
the scale high up in luxury and
pride, was the Spanish conqueror
and oppressor. At the other, deep
down as degradation could co.. the
crushed and covering descendants
of the native races. Between them
the half breeds, with the vices of
both and the virtues of neither.
The Spaniard did all he could to
dig deep and broad this gulf of sep
Grafton between the classes and to
make it perpetual. And as if to
stamp even inequality upon mans
speech, he called the whites people
with reason, and the Indians peo-
pie without reason.
Another cause to be advanced is
the popular ignorance. The aver
age Mexican is sluggish of mind,
absolutely indifferent as to ques-
tons of national or personal honor,
as we'll as to his mode of living,
and he is without feelings either of
hope or fear. He is vastly illit-
crate.
The result of this ignoraace is
that the conduct of national affairs
has virtually passed out of the
hands Of the people, IF, in truth,
it can be said to have ever rested
there To a considerable extent
the quarrels which divide and DESC
late Mexico do not rise to the dig
nifty of civil wars. They are not so
much the conflicts of a divided
people as the disgraceful brawls of
ambitious officeseekers and their adj
herents. Every traveller in Mex
leo, says Elton, notes with aston
ishment how little these great
changes, which ought to stir to its
depth the national heart, rnffie even
the surface of society, how the
great mass sit undisturbed, while
events big with Importance are
transacted before their eyes,-how
few ambitious leaders, or a few
military chieftans, with their mer-
cinary bands, are permitted to up
hold or betray. to advance or tram
pie under foot great principles
which with us excite every mind
and arouse every heart.
And there are other causes of
Mexico's SORROWS. but why innu-
merate them? The fact remains
that she, as nation, is an utter
failure, totally unfit for self-gover-
p,oot Ga aftor oil tho uuastiOn IF