New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-11
PICTURESQUE AMERICA.

Confessional Record OF Mexican Incl
dent. BY Hugh b. c. Pollard. WIN
illustrations from Photograph o'o'
Do. VII. 243. Duftield & co.
THE SOUTHLAND OF NORTH an, AMht a.
ICA Ramblcs and Observations IN
Central America during the Year lSlZ:
nv George Palmer Putnam. WIN 20
illustrations from photographs Oy , tne
author and a map. SVo' PIP XIV 80
G. =. Putnams sons.
THROUGH OUR UNKNOWN SOUTH
WEST The Wonderland OF the United
States-Iittle Known and Unappreci-
ated-The Home of the GIN DWel.eii
and the Hopi the Forest Ranger anu
Desert BY Agnes c. Laut. with IL
lustrations from photographs. Svo, PIP
xxx, 271. Mcbride. Mast & co
The very wide awake young English
man whose book heads our list is
CHEEKY soul, and his we'll made ana
well illustrated book Of alert impress
sions is lively reading. He was sent
out from a London office on business
but soon severed his connection with
his firm. and went in for busy time
in Central America on his own hook
The town Of Tapachula was where he
was first situated practically the most
southerly outpost Of the Mexican Re-
public, located close to the Guatemaiah
border. in the State OF Chiapas.
"Chiapas is still unknown Mexico
The picturesque character OF this
armed and elementary country he hits
off with much pleasant zest' here
zone Judges a mans social standing by
hts arms" Our author obtained com
mission for a dangerous mission which
enabled him TO see some OF the sur
rounding country. and later he turned
explorer and hunter. He recounts eX-
citing adventures in Alligator Land
and With "tigre grande" in jungle
hunt We like his description of his
horse:
NV horse was one with history He
was an iron-grey, with a very marual
spDearance This was a distinct dssst
in q Mexican horse. He haa oeen tlie
property of a local colonel whose liild ds,
nation was so fired by possessing nm
that he started revolution. The colonel
cot shot: so did the horse. But he was
still serviceable, and of peculiarly anna anna
Bile disposition. the chleI SURVIVING 49,
lous appetite and a pure, UNCONSCIOUS
disregard of firearms.
The author takes a railroad journey
in Southern Mexico on a train when
reminds him Of the Buffalo Bill
shows Of Europe. on the station veT-
anda he reads the placards of rewards
for wanted" men-murderers ana
train robbers-'little bills with a pict-
ure of the fugitive. nearly always taken
in his square cut, sombre Sunday
clothes and in big figures above his
head the blood money TO be paid to any
one delivering him, alive or dead, to the
Wells Fargo Express Company" on
this American line, whose stage Of
development and whose rolling stock
he describes as of the pattern common
in Western America forty years ago,
the writer reached San Geronimo,
where he changed into the eagerly well
coined luxury of Pullman car on the
Islhmus road running into Mexico City.
His piquant observations Of this color
full city pass in review the miscellane-
Gus architecture, an earthquake, the
cosmopolitan population, the fallacious
rubber industry, mining propositions,
the land" business, the social life
which he found deadly humorous
the cheerful funerals and universal
witchcraft Of the native Mexicans, the
labor system, Mexican law and the ser
want problem, the weird native drink
and the fantastic food the so-called
Aztec" remains. the Mexican army,
the hobo" element, the rare classic
art treasures there, and the inter-
esting Futurist-and-P neutrality-suspicious."
like art of the Indians, bullfghts and
bullhghters and Ell Foxchase." together
with many other things. The work OF
Mexican writer's he describes as fer
wildly patriotic" and adds that the
country is now producing excellent
poets and novelists, while journalism is
exceptionally brilliant and sincere"
Concerning the opportunities Of this
republic he has this to say:
To succeed in Mexico you need special
knowledge Of a trade or profession, good
knowledge OF Spanish, suffciency OF
capital for your enterprise, and at least
one years experience of the country be-
fore you invest penny OF 1t.
The fellow who will take any job
that he can get" is already represented
there.
At the dawn of the revolution which
drove out Diaz, elected Madero and
then killed him and his brother. our
author, 1.-THE man on the spot" turned
Journalist, and saw a good deal Of such
lively doings as skirmishes, rioting and
executions" His book tingles with
vivacity.
Mr.. Putnam's book is an amiable,
cosby account of tropical pleasure
jaunt. a trip which the author and his
wife made in 1912 along the coast and
though the interior Of the Central
American states. His argument is
See America first" The book con-
tains much random observation and
whole album full of pictures. The
jaunters became very enthusiastic: the
record OF their rambles ranges all tine
way from a conversation with Ricardo
Jiminez, President Of Costa Rica, TO
notes on small boys
In all Costa Rice we saw not a single
boy with short trousers. Account for