Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-28
Who Rules lit

which are fountains and trees and beau
uful mowers. Such buildings you find in
the heart of the city As you walk the
streets You can look in through the front
doors and catch a glimpse of the gar
dens. The rooms are built around patIos
and nearly every one of them has beau
uful view. Many OF the patios are used
as the storehouses and stables for the
donkeys and llamas that bring IN the
crops and other things from the country
estates OF their owners. Many Of the
business buildings were once residences
and their patios are now lumber yards
filled with old boxes
Some of the older stores are not I'M
like those I described in Cuzco They
are little more than caves lighted only
from the front, the doors being set
Into the walls Many OF the people
live on the second floors over such
stores: the windows of which have
balconies extending out over the street.
There is one thing that adds to the
brightness and businesslike condition
or the Bolivian capital This is a law
house front at least once a year. The
annual painting season has not long
gone by. and Just now everything Is
sp1ck and span With bright colors An
other city provision is that every one
must sweep the streets in front OF the
building in which he lives, and that
every day.
And this brings me to the police and
the soldiers The government has
good army. which is organized and
off1cered like the army of Germany.
The soldiers are fine looking fellows
They are always on guard at the pal
ace and capital and I see them march
ing back and forth through the streets
The police force Is a good one. and the
ofncfals insist that each man shall give
evidence that he is always OF duty.
one or the provisions causes a per
petual whistling throughout the night
EVERY quarter Of an hour a shrill whistle
is heard on every block The noise comes
from the policeman of that special beat.
1t Is to warn the thieves of his presence.
and to show the authorities that he is
awake. 1t reminds me OF the cry Of the
policemen of Guayaquil which Is:
Ills II, sentinel aierto., or IN English The
similar custom in that the policemen
there have kind of a capper with which
they make loud noise as they go about
the streets. warning the burglars to keep
This country is in the singular position
of having two capitals. The legal cap
ital Is at Sucre. where the supreme court
holds its sessions and where is the seat
La Paz. 1t is here that the president
lives. here congress hold its sessions. and
the real work of the administration IL
done
The government of the republic is mod
eled much like that Of the United States
in that 1t has president and a 1egfsla-
ture who act as to federal matters: and
number of provinces and departments
that are administered by projects and
subprefects, or, as we might say, by gov
errors There are nine departments and
f1fty-ffve provinces. The capital OF each
department has its municipal council. and
lirrs-f St,sn hnoP Nc
The territories in the northeast OF the
republic and in the Gran Chaco. on the
border of Paraguay, are governed by
two delegates.
The President of Bolivia has his cabi-
net just like President Wilson, and the
legislature Is composed OF a senate and
house, nominally elected by the vote OF
the people. The president receives a sal
airy which at the current rate of ex-
change would be 200 year. The SEN
ators get about 500 a month during the
sessions, while the deputies or men OF
the lower house are paid SIS for each
day they attend. These salaries are low,
but 1 am told that some Of the officials,
like some we have in the United States.
actually grow rich during their terms.
AS to religion and education. Bolivia
is rapidly changing Roman Catholicism
is the recognized religion of the state. but
of late years religious liberty has been
freely permitted, and there are now Pro-
testant mission schools scattered here
and there over the country. The Catholics
receive from the state about sso.000
year, of which $500 is devoted to tho
spreading of the faith among the Indians.
The government gives some money to
the Protestant mission schools. II an
nually appropriates generously toward
the American Institute of La PaZ. and
also to similar school in Cochobamba.
/ am told that It will give more to
Protestant schools for girls as they are
established. All of these institutions are
under the American Methodist Episcopal
Church They are doing great good.
AS to the state schools, they are chiefly
managed by the municipalities. Attend
ance in them is nominally obligatory, but
practically only the whites and the
Cholos go. Last year these schools num-
bered only 1000, and they had only
about $4,000 pupils There are universi-
ties at Sucre and La Paz; and La Pas
has a commercial school that is said
to be good. 1t has an interesting museum
devoted almost entirely to the history.
archaeology. ethnology and resources OF
Bolivia. There are also meteorological
museums at Potosi and Oruro. =
FRANK G. CARPENTER