The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1914-07-29
THE WOMEN
They Have Lovely Faces and Are
Intensely Patriotic. but Take No
Part In Public Affairs In the
Country Over the Border.
.HE women of Mexico resemble
those Of Spain more nearly
than those Of any other MI.

~HE women of Mexico resemble
| those Of Spain more nearly
| than those Of any other M.
| tiuna!ity The blood Of the
many races that have invaded Mexico
Is united In their veins. while In many
rases there Is II touch Of Indian. The
women of the upper class are more
thoroughly Spanisi, than their middle
class sisters. IKE poems or peasants
nave n large mixture Of Indian blood.
They are beautiful and charming In
youth. At this time 1t may be inter
psting to know that they are intensely
patriotic and more quick than the men
to resent what they may imagine to be
slight on the honor Of their country.
The senorita. the young girl who
comes home from her convert ut sew
enteen. is quite rs important In her
family circle rs her American contem-
porary. albeit she has much less lib
erty. She looks much the same except
tor her darker skin. for the lace man,
tilla disappeared almost generation
ago. She wears Paris hats and gowns.
But where the American girl Is still
thinking OF parties and travels the
senorita turns her attention to the
business Of finding husband. Unless
she has the entree to the foreign dances
or the occasional Sunday balls given
by the Mexican aristocracy she has
rather n difficult time Of 1t. She has
neither the help Of her parents. like the
French girl whose marriage Is arrang-
ed according to dover, nor the oppor'
tunities to meet men and make her
own choice 50 freely accorded to the
American girl.
She Is therefore reduced to display
Ing herself like wax figure In shop.
With hair carefully dressed and face
powdered to much desired fairness she
sits In the barred window Of her one
story adobe home, which is built, level
with the street, OF sun dried bricks.
about a flower filed open court. Some
times she. works. at the drawn work,
which she does so beautifully. and
sometimes she. gazes shyly ut the pass
Ing cabaIleros.-. Eventually one Of
them may stop, struck by the demure
face with its big, dark eyes. He walks
up and down the opposite side Of the
street Next day he returns. II she
Is pleased with him she is Mt the win.
dow again.
After week or two Of this long dis.
lance wooing he comes In the moon.
light with his mandolin. A soft clap
ping OF. a flower rewards his serenade.
The second time his lady love slips on
a dressing gown and comes to the win:
dow. There Is room to hold hands
through the bars and time to whisper
all the things they have been thinking
about each other. An evening walk
of a dozen blocks through any Mexi-
can town will show half dozen cOu.
pies.
After six months or so Of such inter-
views. which are by no means kept Sc
cret from the rest Of the family. the
young man IL invited to call by the
girls father or brother. provided his
prospects upon Investigation have prov.
ed satisfactory. His calls are made in
the presence Of the whole family. even
after his offer has been made and
formally accepted. IL he takes his
fancee to the theater they are accom-
panied by her mother, father and SIS
ters.
When the time for the marriage
draws near the bridegroom provides
the trOusseau for his bride. She has
much embroidered linen. which she has
been preparing ever since childhood.
are his gift. There Is no dowry. nor il
there marriage settlement upon the
wife BY her husband. English fashion.
But any properly she may chance to
own remains hers after marriage. so
she Is better OF than the American
girl.
As married woman she does not u.s.
sumo her husbands name In social 10.
tercourse. The wife adds her hus-
bands name with the proposition de"
to her own. and her children are known
by her name as well as his.
As a mntron she drives about the
park on Sundays. but she no longer
looks at the passing caballeros She
never walks. and she seldom goes upon
the streets alone. She has two or three
maids. since their wages are but s.
per month.
The peon girl has fur more liberty
than her more fortunate sister. whose
class she never dreams OF entering
She wears no hat and covers her head
with her long wool scarf, or reboso.
only when she enters the church.
When the band plays In the Alameda
and no hamlet is too humble to have
its little sq,are-she walks about on
the outside OF the walk. Next to her
Is line Of young men promenading in
the opposite direction. Within are the
girls Of the better class with their
chnpcrons. But rs the lines pass there