The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-03-30
Il--The Womensof Iehauntepec.
~ Frederio .. Hnskin.

- 4 4 Z d
Stately and graceful are these young
women: 1.-the and spirited are the
young men.
81. When this dance is over the visitor
is much surprised that this native
band should break into tune vast
~, familiar back home. It is that
most excellent two-step. Whist1ingI
Rufus, the One Man Band N But the
end is ont vet. The native beau2I
of the jungle take their partners and
soon are whirling about this strange
ball room in a two-step that would
grace any floor back home. The Wis
itors see an opportunity for an unu-
sual experience. They bow in the,
most formal manner and ask the
native bellies. for the pleasure OF
dance Feminine instinct guides
those young ladies to IN understands 4
ing or the situation and they accept.
Soon the emn from the great beyond
and the women who dominate this
lost corner OF the world are " hiring
about in complete accord
But there are q number of pecu-
liar features TO this dance. In the
first place, it goes forward on dirt
Elephants are unable TO say an under
,standable word TO each other, Butt
particularly is the costume of the ma
tive dancer peculiar. She is barefoot
ed. to begin with. her foot never hav-I
ing felt the pinch Of a shoe. Her
dancing costume consists of but two
garments skirt and a tyestido.''i
This latter is 4 little. sleeveless vest
that comes but to the waist When
the wearer raises her arms TO begin
the dance. the tyestido'' fails to meetI
the skirt and there IS a band of four
inches OF copper skin exposed about
the waist. But the bellies OF Te-
ihauntepec dance as only those peo-
pie can who are full of the thrill OF
music and 1mbued with d touch of
the barbaric. The tourist is likely toI
pronounce this the most enioyab1eI
dancing party he ever attended.
Another feature Of this woman
dominated town is its elaborate sys-
tenn of bathing. 1t is the universal
practice OF the natives to arise with
the sun and begin the day with al
plunge into the clear and ripping
river that runs through the town. It'll
would be hard to find cleaner peo-
pie. Aside from this, there is sys-l
tenn Of baths for which the town is
famous. A stream OF water gushes
from the mountainside above the
town and this is guided through a
patio OF tropical luxuriance This is
surrounded by a row Of booths. into
each of which is built great. brick
bathtub. And into these booths may
go whoever feels oppressed by theE
heat Of tropic day. and here go all /
tourists who visit the town.
The tourists in Mexico, who give
much attention to study of its peo-
pie, soon meets with one disappoint-
ment. The sombreros are as large.
the sarapes as brilliant. the sashes as
artistic, on the persons OF the cigar
iette-smoking male population as in i
any light opera that ne has ever witt
messed. It would be impossible to
exaggerate them. But there is pc
culiar absence of the vivacious,
sparkling, jealous, Mexican beauty as
she lends herself to romance. The
tourist sees among the masses almost
no pretty women He sets about
finding the cause He observes that
every woman he sees. who is OF the
portable age of eighteen or twenty.
is the mother of three or four chill
dren and is poor. These burdens US
ually make it impossible for her to
appear as a romantic fancy would
picture her Only in Tehauntepec
are the women of the masses equal to
the regulations they have gained
abroad. Here the burdens or very
early matrimony have been denied
them, ami they have been allowed to
which is their normal heritage.
Is 'ftsf T. \ Il ! u ~