The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-07-26

little more than SaNaSeS They have
churches but their religion is n COM
bination of supcrStitiOns interviewer
with the customs of medieval Chris
tianity The government has schools.
but the Indians do not attend them.
and not one In a hundred can read ana
write Thousands of them are IN
state or debt slavery. and tens OF thou
sands are so sodden with alcohol and
rcCainc that for the most of the time
the1 are little better than beasts. The
government has established compul-
Sorv system Of education. and il has
thrown the schools open 10 all 80
livian children. Nevertheless. hut few
Of the Indians go TO school. aud not
one i'm hundred has amy ambition to
rise above his present condition.
ono of tho new movements for the
elevation of the indians has To 10 with
the REORGANIZATION OF the ticlivian army.
Military service has hecu made COM
pulsory TO- all between tire ages Uf
nineteen and twenty-"ne. The se'rc-
tio:i OF the troop is made without ro-
gard TO race. and in this WAY thousands
OF Indians are being brought I" the
military barracks aud schools from
every part of III" republic. Here they
are drilled by German officers aud in
structors. ThcN are tauGh; 20 obey.
and they learn 10 read and write and
do primary sums in arithmetic. They
are kept from drinking. and they ac-
ouire such civilized tastes and wants
that when their military service is over
they are not cOuteuted to 40 back 10
tho semisavare lire of their villages.
Those who do 60 carry the seeds of
utilization with thcm. and u crop of
neW ideas and new customs j. begin
ming TO sproui
! have Sceu great many of these
Indian soldiers during MY stay. They
are -iookiu.s fellows. and are sa i'll
ti.,, i,.r
haVe great powers OF endurance. and
are noted for their frupality aud pa
thence. The only trouble is that the
army is not large enough to take in
more men. aud there has 10 he some
wedding out OF thos" who volunteer
20 20 into tho service. Al nrs, the
Indians were afraid OF The army, but
they are nov keen "a serve
All the above statements relate to
the Aymaras They arc the chief ma
tion OF red men upon the plateau Of
Bolivia. They are numbered by hun
dreds of thousands. aud altogether arc
twice as many as The Indians of the
United states. They belong Ia race
that is said 10 autedatc the iucaS, and
10 have been 50 powerful that the In
cas- were never able To Subiucatc them
as they did the other indian nations
that populated the western part OF the
South American continent. Attn the
try. The ANmaraS were cnslavci. and
They are in what might he called u
condition of debt slavery to-day. II is Il
state Of peonagc not unlike that which
prevailed in the days Of fcudalism.
Much Of Bolivia is still !, fcudal coun-
Try. and the men ana women are prac-
tically bought and sold with the farms
on which they live. The fact that the
law permits them 10 leave upon the
payment or transfer Of their debts does
not alter the matter: for il i known
that their attachment to their homes
Is such that they will not do so. Many
OF the Indians on tho industrial farm
near Lake riticaca, whom our mis-
sionaries are now trying I" civili2c.
have belonged To that farm Tor gem
erations, and they hav. always done
q certain number OF days work every
week for the right 10 stay there aud
cultivate the lands allotted !" them.
The same conditions OF tenure pre-
vail upon most of the large Bolivian
farms. The Indians give two or three
DAYS Of each week to III" owner Of
the land. and they are allowed the re-
naming days for themselves. IA ~
receive no pay for their work cXccrt ,
the ground rent Of the places where
their hutS stand and of the little
patches which thcN are allowed to
farm. II their master needs only II
part Of the time he has the right to
hire them out TO others. and IL they
do not obey them he can iu1ict certain
punishment upon them. II is against
the law 10 strike AN Indian. hut. as one
bn@hshW GUAM tells nc such strI;-
ing is perfectly safe If il is done WHEN
there arc no white witnesses present.
IS 1hc courts VIII never accent the
statement of an Indian as against that
Of a white This woman has been liV-
iug i'm different parts OF Bolivia. She
SAY that = system Of child slavery is
common in the highlands and out-of-
the WAY districts of both rcrU and
Bolivia, ana understand that IT pre-
walls in Some parts OF Ecuador As We'll.
said she
There is no doub, but tha, Indian
children are bought ana SOFA to hc
used as servants. Indeed. myself
have bought girls ana boys ranging
in axe from two to twelve Years At
times have taken them in out OF pity
10 1--WE them Il home. and AT other
times because wished to use them
rs servants Such buying is more af-
ter the form or 4 lease than in the way
OF rcgular bargain ANA sale. II is like
me binding out OF children TO work for
iheif board and clothes. as was once
common IN some parts of our United
states
comes, the indian fathers oi. mothers
Viii often bring ~ their boNs ana
giris and ask YOU 10 rals. ines ns
servants. They viii expect from ten
10 twenty Boliviaros for ,nciu. % 81
." $40 in gold There are regular
contracts made for this purpose ana
. part Of the contract rer1s th.i Ihrv
shalt have The right to tai,.. 'U. ,htlI
back upon the payment TO YOU of 10
cents p'i day Tor every Dr.. you have
mad il. This repayment is "a sheer
iWpossibiiiiv. and tho purchas. OF The
child means that YOU have the night
10 u Intil II grows up The Law pro-
vides that you must train the child and
teach II Ia read and write. II also
provides that il must be wei treated
hut this depends upon tho caprice Of
the purchaser. Many Of the servants
are gotten that way"
Practically All the domestic labor Of
La paz and other cities Of Bolivia is