The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1914-05-27
Mexico---A Land of Con-
traStS.

Perhaps nowhere else In the world is
there a country so full of contrasts as
Mexico. With university established
before John Harvard, Elihu Yaleor Will
liam and Mary were born. the masses OF
its people are hopelessly ignorant. With
a hospital founded before jamestown
was even dreamed of. it is one oil the
most backward regions of the earth In a
medical way With natural riches great
er than those of a thousand Midases, It's
masses are just as poor as the proverolal
church mou e. With its constitution as
perfect as any organic law in the civil
lied world, it is nation whosernlers al
WAYS have been a law unto themselves.
Here you will see Mexican half-breed
barefooled, wearing a 81 pair of trous-
ers, a 80 cent shirt and a $40 somorero.
There, at single glance and within the
length of single city block, you may
see an Indian cargador, donkey cart,
an OK cart. a carriage, railroad train,
street car and a motor car-almost every
type of locomotion since Adam. You
may tread the burning sands OF trop-
ical desert with the wet of perpetual
snow of towering mountains still upon
your shoes. You may take single rail-
way journey of SO hours in which the
people YOU see at the railroad stations
will be dressed in four different weights
of clothing. Everywhere you turn there
is contrast, high lights and deep shad-
ows.
Mexico probably has a greater range OF
remarkable vegetation than any other
country in the world. The parrot fruit
tree produces an odd-shaped fruit, bear
ing a close resem blance TO green para
keets. When the parakeet is frightened
it makes a dash for the parrot tree,
where il assumes position which makes
10 look like the fruit itself. So close is
the resemblance that their enemies, the
hawks, occasionally fly by tree or
which a dozen or more of these birds are
sitting, apparently unaware of theil
presence.
Another remarkable tree is the Arbo
de Oman ite-dynamite tree-whose frui
if kept in a warm place bursts with con
siderable force and loud report, scat
terinp lis fat seeds in the air TO sur
prising distance.
One of the most interesting fruits Il
Mexico is known as the melon apote, o
papaya. 1t contains considerable pepsln
which reacts against both acid and aka
, line conditions of the stomach, and 1t
said that a diet which includes papay
precludes dyspepsia. Both the fruit an
5 the leaves possess the singular propert
/ of rendering tough meat tender. Whe
, the pulp of the fruit is rubbed over
D piece of tough meat, the juice attack
the fiber and softens it.
S No other country south of the III
Grande is so well supplied with railway
. Prior to the Madero revolution it ha
ZU,UUU ulleS Vi up-bO-uoeO IAhiSA -.
road, which carried 1000, 900 passeI
gers annually and about ll,OOO,OO0 tor
of freight Their total revenues amour
o ed 10 about $40, 600, 600. The Cover
!. ment owns a controlling interest 10 IL
T. major part of the mileage of the raj
roads.
= Mexico produces one-third of the 81
e YER of the world, a considerable peicel
S tage of its gold, one-ninth of its lea
4 and one-twentieth of its copper. II
country's mineral production, exclusi'
y of iron, coal and petroleum. amounted
S S15S, 600, 900 in 1910.
The famous iron mountain at Durant
: is estimated to contain 600, 900, QUO tol
;, of iron ore. which is worth seven tim
d the value of all the gold and silver mi
y ed in Mexico in two centuries. The Sa
d Ia Maria graphite mines are the large
e and most important in the western worl
The region around the Gulf of Mexico
g very rich in petroleum. One compal
y at Poteri del Llano struck gusher tn
+ flowed 100, 0O0 barrels of coal oil da
National Geographic Magazine.