Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-07-12

out changing cars, we may
fit 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 or
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 recentiy-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 its clannishness. OF the far-famed
Zuni. and in its type is more perfect
than Zuni It's 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 casas
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
a previous pueblo. What place in Eu-
rope can show life of longer dura-
ton. and unchanged?
Decidedly Moorish.
In common with other pueblos-and
there are many Of them throughout
New Mexico and Arizona-the Taos
buildings are entered from the ground
by means Of ladders, which lead to the
first terraces. Formerly the ground
floor of the pyramids presented only
blank walls, windowless and doorless,
and the ladders and entrance through
| the ceilings constituted the sole means
OF incoming and forthgoing. But in
these peaceful days there are doors
and windows, and the ladders, instead
of being drawn up for the night, re-
main in place night and day. The
| tiniest tots, and even the dogs, are ex-
pert in ascending and descending their
rounds.
From terrace to terrace are other
ladders. and in places are merely
crooked boughs-they and the adobe
threshold worn smooth and deep by
generations Of moccasined feet.
There Is something decidedly Moor
| ish in these terraced, castel1ated walls.
Joined by ladders; the windows pane
less and narrow and thick of case
ment: the figures passing up and
down. squatting In the sun, or carry
ing buckets OF water upon their
heads, and shrouded in many hued
shawls. and white-booted.
For this is the pueblo garb: Shawls,
black, red. gray, for the women: and
blankets, shawl-like. for the men; sc
that one must look to the feet to
designate the sexes. The men wear
the moccasin and the leggins; but the
women wear a soft bootee, extending
above the knee. of the whitest. finest
| doeskin.