News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1915-08-04

Concluded from last week)
Daddy dearest, there are few build
ings here which seem to be pathetic.
Apparently less blessed than their con-
ciercies, cover Their regrets with smile,
aud offer their very best for the contem-
plation of the visitor. Do not allow
yourself to tell me that this may be to
call attention to their agricultural or
commercial advantages; l prefer to be-
leve that it is due to generous effort to
be loyal to their respective countries.
Bolivia is one of these. She has sent
here elaborate exhibits of her school
needlework and books, because she
has many schools or school children, or
inhabitants of any kind. for that matter,
but because she believes in education
and is trying to spread it's benefits as
| rapidly as possible. l understand that
Bolivia has about half as many people as
the City of New York, and that the great
er number of these are Indians; more
over, that her Typography is tip-tited
affair, nearly all the surface being too
high or two low for comfort and agri-
is very limited. At this point begin to
feel sorry for Bolivia, and then l am re-
minded that she is enormously rich in re-
sources of various kinds, that she has ex-
| %n,~ cs,1 vi IL hnI i @1,ok nlx
produces a third of the worlds tin. If
someone would only give her bit of sea.
coast, fancy she might do very nicely
indeed.
In one room there are hundreds of
specimens of woods, arranged in cases
on tables, and they aren't prepared the
least bit as we would have done it.
They are in blocks, almost like firewood,
part of them polished and part of them
merely hewn. Nearby is the largest as
sortment of corn | ever saw: corn of
every conceivable color and combination
of colors, like spring showing of dress
goods-corn of every size, from the
smallest cobs and kernels to those of in
credible length and plumpness.
We found bag of coca leaves. These
are what the Indians chew, sometimes
with little clay. to ward off hunger and
supposedly also as stimulant in high
attitudes.
Lets try 'em," whispered Joe, hav-
ing stealthiIy made sure that no one was
watching.
This nefarious plan was suggested by
small hole in the bag, made by investi-
gators before us. 1t is astonishing how
that hols and it's meaning broke down
my defense against temptation. l have
been making an effort to hold myself to
unnatural rectitude for the sake of Joe,
but all at once 1 realized that 1 never
could be model for anybody. Involun-
tarly looked around, too. with the in
stnct that rises in all thieves; and then
we helped ourselves to fragments of a
leaf, took refuge in another corner of the
room, and began chewing with vigor.
DO you feel any different?" asked Joe
presently.
mot in the least" 1 acknowledged,
as much disappointed as he was.
II don't b'lieve it pays to STEAL" he
commented with shrug of his small
shoulders, and 1 meekly endorsed the re-
buke. I didn't voice the rest of my
thought, which was that we probably
hadn't taken enough coca to test it. 1t
is from the coca shrub that cocaine is ex
tracted, so there must be something in
the leaves, but perhaps it was not for us
to find it.
We consoled ourselves with unappe-
tizing products or those enclosed safely
in glass jars. had some difficulty with
the explanatory notes, because there are
holes in my Spanish. About the time l
get to the most important word, it fails
me. The Boliyians, foreseeing this pos
sibility, have translated some of the in-
scriptions. For instance, a strange black
mass on one of the tables boasted this:
para rubber, too, which has coagulated
the air without smoking) having dropped
out the milk from the stem, because
there has broken down branch or for
other reason" Ofcourse when you come
to thing like that, understanding
awakens and everything becomes clear.
Another room contained variety of
natural and cultivated products, such as
sugar, starch. fruits, beans, coffee, wheat.
cocoa, rice, barley, peanuts, tamarinds,
wine, dyestuffs. vegetable silk and ivory,
crude oil, and dried potatoes.
couldn't blame Joe for Tipping aside
the schoolbooks printed in Spanish or
for marching indifferently past cases of
needlework and fabrics woven by the In
dians; and certainly was not surprised
to find him entranced before huge skins
hung all about the walls of one of the |
rooms. was entranced too. of course
the skin of an animal is rather thin, I'M
satisfactory presentment, but Joe and l |
didn't stop at that. In no time at all we
had that room seething with a lively as
semblage of jaguars and wildcats.
As soon as we had read a few inscrip- |
tons, we added the viscacha, which we