The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-05-13
Contrasts
Are Z he Rule
In Mexico
VISITOR CAN SEE MOST VARIED
SPECTACLES IN SOUTH
ERN CLINE.
INTERESTING SKETCH FURNISH.
ED BY GEOGRAPHIC so.
Getty.

I
with a university established be-
fore John Harvard, Elihu Yale, or
William 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 of the most backward
rcgions of the earth In medical way.
With natural riches greater than
those of thousand Midas's. its mass
cs are just as poor as the proycrbial
church mouse. With constitution
as perfect as any organic law in the
civilized world. It is n nation whose
rulers always have been law unto
themselves.
Here you will see Mexican half
breed. barcfootcd, wearing dollar
pair of trousers, fifty-scnt shirt,
and ten-dollar sombrero. There.
at single glance and within the
length OF single city block, you may
see an Indian. carga1or, a donkey. an
oS-cart.a carriage. a railroad train.
a strcet-car, and an automobile-al-
most every type of locomotion since
adam. You may tread the burning
sands of tropical desert with the
wet of the perpetual snow OF tower
ing mountains still upon your shoes.
You may take single railway Jour-
ncy Of &c hours in which the people
YOU see at the railroad STATEN will be
dressed In four different weights Of
clothing. Everywhere you turn there
is contrast, high lights and deep
Shadows.
Mexico probably has a greater
range of remarkable vegetation than
any other country In the world. The
tparrot fruit tree produces an odd
shaped fruit. bearing close rcsem-
hlance to green parakccts. When
the parakeet is frightened 1t makes a
dash for the parrot tree, where 1t as
sumes position which makes It look
like the fruit itself. So close is the
resemblance that their enemies. the
hawks. occasionally fly by tree on
which dozen or more Of these birds
are sitting. apparently unaware of
their presence. Another remarkable
tree is the 'Arbol dc Dinamite-dy-
mantle trcc-wiose fruit, II kept In
4 warm place. bursts with considera-
bic force and loud report, scatter
ing its flat seeds to surprising dis.
lance. One Of the most interesting
fruits in Mexico is known as the mel
! en- zapote. Or papaya. 1t contains
considerable pepsin, and 1t is said
fiat diet which includes papaya
rrccludes dyspepsia. Both the fruit
end the leaves. possess the singular
property Of rendering tough meat
tender. When tho pulp of the fruit
Is rubbed over piece Of tough meat
he juice attacks the fiber and soft
ems It.
mo other country south OF the Rio
Grandc is SO well supplied with rail
roads. Prior TO the Madcro rcvolu-
tion II had 10000 miles of up-to-datc
American railroad, which carried
! 100000 passengers annually and
handled about 100000 tons of
freight. Their total revenues amount
cd to about $4,000, 900. Tic gov
trnmcnt owns Il controlling interest
In the major portions OF the mileage
&c the railroads.
Mexico produces onC.third Of tho
worlds silver. considerable per
ccntagc Of its gold, 0nc-ninth of It's
lead. and one-twcnticth Of its copper.
The country's mineral production.
exclusive of iron, coal and petroleum,
amounted to S15S.O00.O00 In 1910.
Tho famous iron mountain at Duran
70 Is eliminated to contain coo mil
hon tons of iron ore, which is worth
seven times the value Of all the gold
and silver mined In Mexico in twol
centuries. The Santa Maria graphite
mines are the largest and most I'M
portant in the Western World. The
region around the Gulf of Mexico Is
very ricl, In petroleum. One company
at Poteri del Llano struckta gushcr
which flowed 100000 barrels of oil
u day.
'"Thc drawn-work of the Mexican
Indian is Justly famed throughout
the world, and deserves to rank with
the finest of Spanish and Italian,
laces. The Indians make all sorts OF
small objects to attract the centayos
Of the tourist. The little dolls OF
Cuernayaca, a half-inch tall and
dressed in finely embroidered raj
ment. are the admiration OF every
one who sees them. The small clay
animals, perfectly fashioned and
ranging from the peaceful dog to the
bull and the bucking mule, would do
credit to the genius of many sculp-
tor whose name figures In the art
publications of the world. But per-
haps the most wonderful of all are
the tiny dressed fleas. which, may be
bought in Mexico City. Anotherl
wonderful work OF the Indians is the
making of feather pictures from the
riumage OF humming-birds. now al
most lost art.
1.-THE Indians Of Mexico eat many
curious foods. One of the most 10