Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-07
all laid out in fittle heaps ready for ths

customer. a-fe F-fi - 49,
But the explanation Is quite feasible.
No one tiny measure would make
meal for an average man, but al COM
bined in a wonderful Mexican stew. Win
mere silver of meat thrown In Ior
favoring, forms a repast TO SUIT tne
taste of the most fastidious.
Another stall in the market-ano :
large one, tools devoted to the sale OF
tortillas, the national corn hap-1ack OF
Mexico. These. with beans constitnie =
large part OF the diet of the Mexican O..
the poorer classes. but are INDUCED IN
by all. And when crisp and hot are
deliciously appetizing.
They are the staff Of life of the Mexi-
can soldier. who has an advantage over
other soldiers in that he is privileged to
dine with his family every day while fol-
lowing the fortunes of war. for ms
women and children accompany the
army. carrying the cooking parapherna-
liza: and help him to forage.
While he is on the firing line ms WE
will take the corn from the hme water
where II has been soaking. grind II on
a stone, and. mixing It with water, have
1t ready in a Jiffy to bake on the hot
stones.
At orizaba the flower and fruit mar
kets are things OF beauty. with pic
turesQueness or arrangement and color
that would make the futurist and cubist
color could only be seen in tropical
country. Masses of flaming passion
flowers, iuxuriant oleanders. roses, ex-
quisitely delicate bay blossoms ana
magnolas-great punches of them for
more song-and the vender croons the
song while one waits
Everywhere the train stops in going
through this stretch Of country large
bouquets. as big as a half bushel basket
Of camelias are thrust into the car win
dows. and or 10 cents is the price ask
ed. Camelias. such as are bought here
for 30 cents a blossom. are put In
corsage bouquet of violets.
But Of all the Mexican antiquities ana
ancient customs there Is none that can
surpass a public laundry such as seen In
Mexico City. and In use today. Al JUST
what period the oldest one was puiit Is
not positively known. As the memory
of man runneth not to the contrary, a
voluble guide will say In the fourteenth
century; SO one must believe him ana
leave the rest to the archeologist
The large room with vaulted ceiling Is
more like a baroniai hall than place
for washing soiled linens. The rows Oh
laundry tubs have the appearance Oh
miniature Chinese wall. so solidly are
thew constructed, and from the water
side of the pool or lagoon around which
thew are built they have the appearance
of a Roman causeway.
The water Is conveyed into them ny
means Of q pan or earthen water jug IN
the hands of the laundress; and though
this would seem an endless TASK 10 one
accustomed to modern conveniences' the
Indian woman and all OF her ancestors
were used to this method and she knows
no other way. -,
These tubs have withstood the wear o.
centuries, and II Mrs. Montezuma could
return she would find them just as she
left them several hundred years ago.
Even the laundresses could speak to her
in the pure Aztec tongue. and their races
would have the hall mark OF the gen.
uine article. The same Intelligence. as
tuteness and passive dignity which years
OF subjugation have not been aoie 70
erase are visible on these faces lhey
are questioning and suspicious put theS
show an inexhaustible patience
There are steam laundries In Mexico.
run by American men-and patronlzeo py
American people, too, for their charges
for an average size wash does not APP
peal to the frugal Mexican, and excites
some surprise in their own countrymen'
"Sixteen dollars Mex" which is about
IS American money. for a dozen pieces.
none Of which are elaborate. seems very
high; but after visit to one OF the an
tioue laundries one is more reconclieo 70
the sixteen" For the big nat stones
sIanted in the tubs and used as washing
boards are not the best things in the
laundry line for dainty lingerie:
And IL one of these fine garments -
poked into the drain pipe as a stopper
and It is likely to be-there is not much
left of it