The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-11-03
Chances For Those Who Have
The Right Stuff In EN-
OPENINGS FOR AMBITIOUS
Hundreds of Letters Received
By Americans There Seek
ing Information
H. B. ROBERTSON.

Rio De JaneirO, October l5.-lBy
Mail. THAT young America is cast
ing a speculative eye on Brazil is evil
dent from the hundreds of letters re-
ceived by Americans already estab-
lished here.
"What are the chances for a young
man, with large ambition but small
small bank account, in Brazil" he
writes.
The answer is, ''the chances in Bra
zil are very good if-(and it is an inn
portant 'if0-if you can speak the
language" The language of Brazil
is Portuguese Incidenuy it is ser
ious mistake to suppose that one can
'get by" by speaking Spanish. Span
ish is no better understood than Eng
lish in Brazil.
The United States puts on consider
able chest over it's size and natural re-
sources, but in neither one has it
anything on" Brazil. 1t is the fourth
largest country in the world, its nat
ural resources are unlimited and it
has a population of about twenty five
millions which has not yet driven its
frontier more than third of the way
to the western boundary.
Agriculture Is important.
Agriculture is by far the most i'm
portant occupation, with commerce,
construction, transportation, mining,
numbering and manufacturing follow
ing in order Of Importance. All are in
about the same stage of development
as they were in the United States in
Van Buren's administration. In only
a few of the industries are the meth
DDS modern. American up-to-d date
methods and ingenuity are eagerly
welcome however, as BraZilianS are
progressive, after a late start.
The climate ranges from torrid heat
of the tropical Amazon to occasional
frost in the southermost states. Agri-
culture takes it's harvest from two to
five times a year. Coffee, rubber,
sugar, tobacco, cotton. grains, fruits
and live stock products are the chief
sources of agricultural riches.
In the export of the agricultural
products and the import of practical
ly all the Brazilian uses in manufac-
tured goods commerce prospers-in
the hands of foreigners who carry on
practically all the commercial activi-
ties of the country.
Many Are the Opportunities.
A new country whose chief thought
is it's own development gives the engi-
neer, the contractor and the builder
the opportunity he seeks and there is
no limit to the range of his work. Rail-
roads are penetrating the jungled val
leys following the westward moving
farmer Electric power is sought in
the thousands of rivers that tumble
from the mountain ranges. Villages
and towns are being built in farming
centers, at the mouth of mines and
where trails cross.
Gold, precious stones, coal, iron
copper and rarer metals make il
worth while to mine in practically
every state in Brazil. Manufacturing
is still very much an infant industry
Seventy-five million people will be
added to the present population before
Brazil accomplishes the development
that was worked in the United States
from Van Buren, to Wilson and just
as many fortunes will be made here
as were made there in the interval
These fortunes will be made in about
the same way and by the same kind
of men-pioneers.