The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-11


and not few arc engaged In the va
rious industries. Many OF them are
rich farmers, and II Is from them that
come the heads Of universities and the
chief doctors and lawyers. The most
OF the aristocrats are men OF fine edu-
cation. They are the progressive ele-
ment Of the country. They are proud
of Chile and are intensely patriotic
They are not afraid to fight for their
rights, and they will not submit to In
justice either as individuals or as u
/ nation.
The middle classes are merchants and
small landholders. Among them are
many pure whites, and many who have
more or less Indian blood mixed with
that which comes down from the
Spanish.
The lower class are known as the
lnquilinos, or, erroneously, as rotos.
The word roto is one of contempt. 1t
conveys the idea of drunken good
for-nothing loafer. allied to that Of
a quarrelsome. bad character. This is
not the nature of the Inquilino the
| Chilean peasant. He is good. hard
{! working man as rule, and anything
! but loafer. He Is descendant of
| the peasant class Of North Spain and
! OF the Araucanian Indians. He Is In
telligent, and quick to learn anything
that requires hardness and craft. He
can do all kinds Of work, and makes
an excellent mechanic, farmer or
orchardist. He Is born horseman,
and is skilled in tho handling OF stock.
He Is hardy and vigorous, and noted for
his endurance and patience. At the
same time. he Is brave, he is very
slight provocation. He seems to care
nothing for life, and very little for
pain.
Indeed. the Inquilino will do all sorts
OF foolish things rather than be de-
spised by his friends. The other day
with u crowd of their fellows, when one
man charged another with being q
| coward.
you think so?" was the reply.
Well. 1 will prove that 1 am not.
| Would coward do this?' And there
upon he pulled out his knife and
plunged 1t Into his bowels again and
again before the admiring eyes of tho
! crowd.
81 will show you that also am not
II coward" rejoined the first speaker,
and he began to stab himself The
two men would have committed suicide
had not a young priest rushed In and
torn the knives from their hands. and
called in the police to take the men
to the hospital. These men were drunk,
but even SO. no drunken man but q
Chilean would think Of providing his
courage in such way
| Speaking OF drunkenness, this is the
erying evil among the Chilean peasan-
try. The Inquilinos drink to excess in
both city and country. Their chief end
seems to be to get drunk. and the ma
| GRITTY have n spree once week, Mon
day Is called the roto's holiday, for he
s. often SO drunk Sunday that he has
TO take Monday to recover. The liquor
used Is the vilest OF alcohol, being Of
ten made of potatoes and rotten vege-
tables. 1t would. as one OF the employ
/ RS Hays, kill the ordinary man at
thousand yards. The stuff Is gulped
down in great quantities. not because II
IFS liked, but because it makes the drunk
come. There are many saloons and a
recent census showed 5000 places I'm
Santiago where liquor was sold. and In
Valparaiso the average was one saloon
for every twentyfour men. There are
drinking places in all the Chilean viii
lagos and every small town and hacien-
ds store keeps liquors for sale. OF late.
there have been some movements to-
ward temperance. but SO far but little
has boon accomplished.
AS result OF these excesses and of
! the poor food and unsanitary conditions
cf the houses, the mortality among the
1nquilinos Is great. They breed like
Australian rabbits, and their babies die
like fies. IT Is only the strong children
/ who live, and for this reason perhaps
the poems. as class. are as tough and
strong as any people Of the world.
lave seen them carrying nitrate bags
weighing 800 pounds each and tossing
I them about like bags OF feathers. -Four
; OF them will lit "A plano and carry Il
aicng the roadway, and in the mines
peon will tote a bag of ore Weighing
$50 pounds UP the notched stick that
serves a a ladder all day long.
| AS TO the homes of the poems, they
are often little better than pgpens.
Some OF the large haciendados have
recently been erecting model dwell
ings, but the most of the tenant houses
| are still shanties OF adobe brick or huts
| made OF reeds and sticks. woven to-
| gether and plastered with mud. They
| are thatched with straw The doors
are rude. and the windows are small.
The ground Is often the floor, and the
| furniture consist OF little more than
"a table covered with oilcloth. a few
rough chairs and bed. These people
have large families, and hut fifteen
or twenty feet square Is often the home
Of sir or eight people.
The lnquilfnos pay no rent for such
houses. and they have In addition small
tracts OF ground which they can cul-
uvate. as well as pasture for a certain
TO provide labor for the proprietor
whenever II is required, and that at
wages that are often half the current
rates of the nelghborhood. The hacien.
| dado has. the right to Discharge tho
1nauilino. and the Inquilino has the
|
rule the haciendados try to hold their
men. and the men. II at all weli treated,
are not likely to move. On some OF
the farms there is general store run
! by the landlord for his servants, and
there the 1nquiiino makes the most of
ms purchases He Is supposed to give
one mans work in exchange for his
rent. and this means that he gets his
house and garden for from 81 to S.
/ per week. i am told that the InquII-
/ mos love their masters. and know
that The masters arc fond of the men
VINO Work Tor them. The master oc,
cupiea somewhat the position of a
| feudal lord. and the men treat him
with Il great deal OF respect
The service In the army. which is
now universal. Is having civilizing In
nuence upon the lower classes. Every