The farmer and mechanic., 1915-06-15


the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS at Hun
\ deed Dollars a Day and Cab Fares |
/ .t SIS an HOur-A Look at the |
i Markets and the Woman Peddicrs. |
4 where Vegetables Are Sold by the |
/! piie and Beef by the St1'ip-The |
Telephones and the RarefOoted
Hello Girls-Something About
business and Banks.
(Copyrisht. 1915, by Frank c. Car
ASUNCION. Paraguay.
II was after dark when our steam
er on the Paraguay river came to the
y,barves of Asuncion. The custom
house was closed, and. as l did not
know the hotels, L staid on board over
night In the meantime my StenOg-
r.pher and myself took a walk
through the town. The carnival is now
On and we found it wide open. In
one place a string of electric lights
was stretched over the streets. and
when we came near we learned that
a masked ball was in progress. I
asked as to the price of admission.
and was told it was $40 a ticket.
turned to leave when L remembered
that Paraguay money is at discount
aud that dollar is worth less than
six cents. ThereupOn ! bought two
tickets and started in. l did not go
far for ] was seized by two soldiers
who went through my pickets to find
out II | had gun or knife that
might he used in case of revolution.
They did the same with my stenOg
rapher He was passed through all
right. | happened to have roll OF
photographic films in my pocket and
the soldiers thought this was gun
unit, 1 took it out and explained it to
them. There were four soldiers. with
swords at their sides and guns on
their shoulders. guarding the en-
trance. | shall not describe the mask
ed ball nor it's antics. The dances
were tangOes and other South Amer
lean creations and some of the girl!
were as giddy as those Of New York
] merely mention the incident to cal
attention to the revolutionary ten
dencies which now prevail in thi
part Of the world. Times are hard OF
account of the war, and the peopl
are dissatisfied to such an extent tina
they talk Of ousting the president an'
party in power to see if a new dea
will not bring prosperity.
And still Asuncion ought to be hap
Py 1t has Ga the seven league boot
OF modern municipal progress. 1t ha
trebied in size since l visited it seven
teen years ago. 1t had then thirt
Thousand and it is now fast approx
mating one hundred thousand. The
1t was lighted by coal oil, and its bot
tail tram cars were hauled by fly-bi
ten mules. Today it is lighted
electricity. and it's electric car line
traverse the principal streets and e.
tend tar out into the country. 1t h:
begun to have automobiles, and tt
score or moro. owned by the ricl
keep up q continual footing as the
go bouncing along over the broke
stone streets Most Of the roads a.
as rough as a washboard, and thel
Are many sharp corners which injul
the tires Nevertheless the chauffe
go flying along, jolting their maste
10 jelly. and eating up tires at Il
rate OF set once q month. The
will he no opening for autOmooil
here until the streets are improve
Paraguay has TO good roads to spes
of. and the only wheeled vehicles a
large carts drawn by four or fl
mules. One mule goes in the shat
two others are harnessed to each si
of the cart bed, and a fourth go
ahead as the leader. his tugs bel
fastened to the end o. the tongt
There arc also OK carts. pushed
the heads Of the animals, the yok
teiag tied to the horns. There q
sometimes four or more oxen to o
cart The driver uses a goad to pr
them along.
The OK cart and the automobile d
typical OF the Asuncion Of today. I
town IL one Of the old and the new.
was founded seventy years beft
John Smith started jamestown; q
Spanish, -Indian babies had grown
In IT and become gray haired men
Tore Boston sprang into being. 1t v
Tor years the capital Of the Cultu
civilization and wealth of this p
OF the world: and 1t was not vi
after the close Of our civil war Il
~ got into a death struggle with
heishbors something like that VIII
Germany now has with the all
Ihst war killed off all the men
Iarasaay and ruined the country.
nSnt was Paraguay against Bra
Uruguay and Argentina. Nearly ev
male over twelve years of age '
killed during the struggle and it
taken until now for the nation to