El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

to the goldsmiths, another to toy ped
dlers and others to pottery ana the
sellers OF copper and oosldlan, OF M VIE
the razOrs and mirrors were nale .
There were also drug shops, paper
shops and places selling blank DOCKS
and maps
A TOItec Marcus AureIius-
As it is now, there are perhaps Il
100000 of the descendants OF Jnese
people who cannot read or write 1ney
are mere heWers Of wood and drawers
Of water. and their future IS one OF
the big problems OF Mexico. IAeTe -
no doubt, however, but that they nave
natural ability. for Lne greatest men
o. modern Mexico have had more "
less indian blood in their veins PFeSl-
Gent Juarez was an indian, ana plEsI-
dent Diaz had indian ancestors 4 ne
records show that some OF the anclenl
indian emperOrs wrote poetry ana PM
osOphy. and there is one, NeNahu3Lco-
yatl- whose utterances make YOU tnlIlH
or Marcus AureIluS, Ant0nluS or the
proverbs OF Solomon This man was
IOitec He belonged 10 the nation
which preceded the Aztecs and he reNo-
lutionized the laws and government OF
Mexico during his reign. here Is q
quotation from one Of his poems when
has been translated into Spanish ana
then into English. II reminds one OF
the verse in Ecciesiastes, Willis, which
Then commended Mirth: because
a man hath no better thing under the
sun than to eat, drink and to be merry
This is the way the ancient Aztec
Danish careI If there are bounds to
pleasure. the saddest life must also
have an end. Then weave the cnapleI
OF flowers. sing thy songs in the praise
OF me aIl-PoWerIuL COO, LOT Ihe ,slOFty
OF the world soon fadethi Rejoice IN
the green freshness Of thy spring, Tor
the day viii come when thou shalt sign
for these joys in vain; when the scep-
ter shall pass from thy hand and the
sons of thy mobiles drink the dregs OF
distress Yet, the remembrance of the
Just shall not pass away from the ma
UOnS ana the GOOD thou mast done
shall ever be held in honor The goods
of this life. its glOrieS and riches. are
but lent to US Its substance Is but an
illusOry shadow, and the things of to-
day shall change on the morrow Then
gather the flowers from thy gardens
to bind round thy brOws and seize the
joys Of today"
This same man. like the Athenians OF
the time of st. Paul, erected a temple
to the unknown god He was a sort OF
David. and was like solomon
in that he loved beautiful women. With
other things he coveted the wife Of one
Of his officers, and, even as David did
to Uriah. he put this officer in the
front of the battle and thus took his
widow to wife. Is it not strange how
the lines of great lives. even though
they be divided by ages of time and
by thousands Of miles of water ana
and. and even by worlds which are
unknown on to the other, sometimes
-un side by side
Denfh comes TO All.
This same man. who came OF the
race which built many of the pyramids .
IF Mexico, had equally graphic ideas Of I
ieath- I shall let one of his express I
;iOns close this letter. It reads
The world is nothing but a sepul- 1
her. and there is nothing that lives on ]
is surface that shall not be entOmbed /
beneath it. The things of yesterday ]
are no more today, and the things Of :
today shall cease, perhaps. on the NOR
-OW. The glories that have been have
III passed away like the fearful smoke /
hat issues from the throat of POpO-
with no other existence Of a
record than the page of a chrOnicler.
The great the wise, the valiant and
the beautiful Alas where are they
lOw2 That which has befallen them
shall happen TO US and to those that /
come after US The horrors Of the
tomb are but the cradle Of the sun
and the dark shadows of death are
brilliant lights for the stars" .
Frank G. Carpenter.