The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-04-01
Copyright. 1873. by Frank g. car
penter.)

and see how our lively sister republlc
buys, sells and gets gains. 1t is now
D.. IN. and We are on the ANenida ue
san Francisco. in the heart OF the
capital. II is the busiest hour or the
!ay in Washington. Berlin. Paris and
London. Here the streets are DESERT
81, the stores are closed ana lhelr
show windows are covered with pilhoS
Of corrugated iron. The front doors
Of the chief business establishments
are locked with great bolts, and the
town makes one think of the dead city
Of Mini oygorod on the Nolga when
the fair is not on. F.,
What is the matter?
Has the revolution again broke
loose and have the people fled Tor
their lives?
Nothing OF the kind. These are the
business conditions at 2 o'clock every
week day all the year through. The
stores have been open from s until J.,
and they will open again from ) until
=. They are closed now for brea kfast.
and the whole city, merchants and
clerks, drummers and customers, nave
gone home for their breakfast or mid
day siests. The average Mexican
family has only coffee and bread upon
rising, and i"ts<tirst real meal OF the
day is now serving. The city will take
two hours to eat and start 1t on the
road to digestion, and will then go
back TO work.
Take your stand at the corner and
look up the street. An hour ago 1t
was black with people, and the auto
mobiles and carriages flew back and
forth so that you could not cross
without the risk of your life. Now
there is not a car nor horse to be seen
and the only men are the policemen
who stand and NOPE at the corners.
But let MS go down to the Plaza, and
wait till the street cars bring the
crowds back from their reakfast
The Plaza is the street car center TO
which nearly every electric line comes.
They run i'm trains, IA dozen often being
nose TO tail on the same track, and
the midday traffic forming q big part
Of the receipts of the road. our tram
way companies get only one trip out
of the business man every day, that is,
his fares. morning and evening. Here
there are two more fares at midday
for almost all go home to their meals.
The cars wait for the stores to knock
off and run in long professions when
bringing them back.
The service is good and the average
fare is equal to 3 cents of II money
or. IL you go second class, they are
cheaper. All kinds of traffic here are
lower than ours. Cabs cost 50 cent:
gold per hour, and you can have ar
automobile taxi at Is cents for thu
first three-quarters of a mile and at
cents for every additional quartz
thereafter. Waits are charged for a
$l.25 per our. This is so, nOtwith
standing the cabs are as good as GU
own and they go quite as fast.
Mems Hats Which Cost $40.
But it is now $3.50. The cars hav'
emptied the clerks and customers in
to the stores. and business is we'll un
der way. Let us cross the Plaza an,
Strnll thrn,,oh tha nreodao which r1ly
along its west side, with stores at tn
back. Between the pillars are booths
where peddlers are selling all sorts o
notions. The stores rave goods O
many descriptions ehind their old
fashioned glass windows. The mos
interesting of all are the hat store.
They contain headgear of all sort:
from the most modern mems shape
Of New York and London to the g
gantic sombreros of plush and fe
which the old-time Mexicans Wea
These sombreros are loaded With 81
Yer and gold in the shape of en-
hroidery and most Of them have heay
bands of gold braid round the
crowns.
Let us stop and look at some
them. Here is n hat as big around
the tire Of a limousine. 1t is of brigl
red, trimmed with silver. The en-
broidery runs round the crown. and
hoS eiSnl StTdHuS oI SILVER Wlle as
hatband. That hat which hangs abo,
above it is gray. IT Is embroidert
with leather, and at the right and IL
left are two soInbreros OF black. lac,
back and forth with great bands
silver. There are hats as green as Il
wing Of thai parrot which the peddl
has thrust into II eyes, and hats
blush as white as snow, with gold
embroidery woven about them.
take up one of these sombreros a,
put on a blanket TO make myself 10
hke a Mexican, and am photograph
10 show how they look. My h
weighs several pounds, and ii is wor
$40.
Other clothing costs almost as muS
! go into a tailoring establishments f,
ther on up the street, and look at sol
riding trousers of buckskin. with SO