The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-07-09

of news He says:
Through the district we are being
urged to take over the direction OF
the public schools that they know
they can not run. This is today pre-
senting one of our most pressing and
attractive opportunities.
Already one village has given me
the deeds of its local endowed Bud
dhist monastery, and the proceeds are
to be used perpetually for the sup
port of Christian school. The school
is already organized and fiourishing.
Our monastery" will be one of our
problems, for 1t is likely to be the
fore-runner of many other similar
projects. The government is helpless
in the face of its educational prob
lens, and as was reported of the
Shansi missionaries, so here they are
seeking our aid in supervising their
schools.
We are desperately working out
plans for educational committees of
the local communities, with the
preachers as presidents and princi-
pals of the schools.
l am also insisting that the schools
must be held in our chapels, where
they can be properly supervised, and
be subject to our course of study and
examination. We call them cooper
ating schools, but in reality we insist
we must have full authority over
teachers pupils, and Curriculum.
Irish in Latin America.
While the wealthy consume the
same expensive liquors the world
over, the poor have in every country
cheap national beverage.
The following facts, gathered from
Hubert w. Browns Latin America"
Pierre Denis Brazil" and William
A. Cooks Through the Wilderness of
Brazil" by the Missionary Voice, are
exceedingly interesting:
The great natioal beverage of Bra
iii is sugar cane rum, called pinga,
cachaca, or aguardiente. 1t is very
strong, forty to eighty per cent alco
hol, and its use is almost universal.
In every rural community in Brazil
exists one or more rude distillery
laboring industriously to produce the
stupendous drink offering to ST. Bac
chus.
Intemperance is particularly the
vice of the black people. Alcohol is
their first and almost their only need.
The negro works only to buy spirits
tsays Denis), and it is by generous
distributions of spirits that the faz-
endioro maintains the fidelity of the
workers. The quantity of alcohol abb
sorbod by adults and even by children
is appalling Sugar spirit is sold in
Brazil at very low price. A days |
wages will buy a weeks drunken
ness.
In many parts of South America !
the Indians and mixed races (mesti- |
zos) use drink called chicha, and |
chew COCO leaves. The former intox-
icates: the latter destroys the sense |
of taste, and vitiates the whole being |
when used to excess.
Pulque, the fermented juice of the
maguey plant, ropy ill-smelling
whitish liquor, is the national drink
of Mexico. The railroads, which help |
in tho dissemination of vices, as well
as tie virtues, now carry pulque in
quantities to points where formerly it
was used but little. if at all. Mr.. e. c.
Butler stated at temperance meet
ing in Mexico City that thousands of
men are such habitual drinkers that
they never do a days work; others
are idle much of the time on account
of drink. From obtainable statistics,
he estimated that one-third of the peo-
pie of Mexico City eat little or no
meat, while the pulque drunk in one
year amounted to 100000. Many
persons even children, drink it for
breakfast, instead of coffee. Pulque
lies at the base of the worthlessness
and unreliability of large proportion
OF Mexican labor The labor element
of Mexico spends more for pulque
than do the better classes for meat.
The $5,000.000 yearly spent on this
white curse" represented the centa-
yos Of the poor. Had they bought
meat instead, they would have
brought up the average of their poor
and unknown lives. They consumed
Mr. Butler tells us, 100000 litres.
or lake of pulque thirty-five feet
wide and nearly mile in length-a
lake big enough to carry half dozen
battle ships like the Olympia.
The liquor problem in Latin Ameri-
ca is sad one. Sunday is the great
day for intoxication, and San Lunes,
or st. Monday. Is the saint most hon {
cred by the laboring men, who are un- {
able or disinclined TO work after the
spree of the day before.
Debates and Athletics inChiua.
The first annual debate between
and ST Johns universities
took place In our chapel last Friday
afternoon In The presence of a select