Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1916-04-18
HUMANITY is THE SANE
EVERYWHERE ON EARTH
Smiles Bring Smiles in Return
Sorrow Drives the Soul to
Higher Power.
10Th CENTURY CIVILIZATION.
Not Such Glorious Thing As Some
Suppose -Newsy Notes From the
Border of Mexico.
Special othe Evening Capital. by Jean
Cebell O'Neill, Ciudad, Juarez, Mex



Special othe Evening Capital. by Jean
Cabell O'Neill, Ciudad Juarez, Mex
Part III.
For almost all the ,iays of its exist
ance this church has been the first
and last refuge of its sorrowful peo-
pie II was founded before the timber
Of the Mayfower was hewn, 1549. is
The date scratched in the plaster that
covers the Adobe walls There is not
nail in the building. the roof is per-
fectly fiat, and within the ceiling is
made of whole tree trunks OF dark
wood. deliberately hand-carved They
reach all across the nave, being all OF
one size and at least 80 feet long.
The cracked bells still call the peo-
pie to prayer. though they have hung
since coming here from Spain three
hundred years ago, way up in the tow
er A little Mexican lad let me climb
up 10 touch them, because "the Meri-
can lady knelt when she passed the
altar"
Wars have spared this oasis OF peace
1t still retains some plaster and wax
images of fine workmanship, and so
realistic as TO make ones nerves quiv-
er with the sign Of the thorn-torn brow
of the Saviour. These statures are
covered now with black pals. 1t is
tho Lenten season, but the sombre
draperies seems in keeping with the
heartbrOken women TN the floors
1t is said that under one of the pail
like draperies figure of the Mater
Dolorora has kept watch ever since
the days it came from the mother
country of Spain This effigy of the
Virgin stands at the right of the high
altar and is crowned with gold and
wears full-skirted black-brocaded
costume of the time of Velasque. the
face is finely chiselled, very pathetic
and the delicate hands hold a rich lace
handkerchi f.
The chief plaza of the city is called
with fine irony Plaza della Pace After
nightfall it is cheerful. for it is well
lightol. and old and young hang about
and gossip or conspire whichever is
most to their taste There are sol
diers of the de faCto government every
where in evidence, just rs six short
months ago the Villistas filed the
streets here. And such walking arse
nails they are Loaded to The muzzle.
they are, seemingly, ready to go OF
half cooked, Save one perfectly peace
ful person who was sleeping in the sun
with his gun on his knees and about
two hundred and fifty rounds girdal
about his sturdy, sleeping form.
All the soldiers grin, and every Mex
ican man one meets has perfect teeth.
and never closes his mouth so the teeth
are much in evidence. 1t looks like
the entire race was afflicted with the
trouble found among the children of
the public schools, which is said TO re-
tard their mental development-a,l
noids this may be a discovery equal
to the famous one of what makes the
Southern low-grade children lazy-the
hook worm
Verify believe | am the only Amer
ican in this city, and though our brown
clad boys are on their end of the
bridge. | could be quietly murdered
and slid into the swift flowing canal
without making any excitement. ! am
response to a friendly glance smiles
seem a safe conduct in waring coun-
tries, and the babies come toward me
with their dirty and friendly fists held
up to catch my hand Just a few mo-
ments ago door few open in wall l
was passing so suddenly ! had to jump
not to be Knocked over and the reason
of the haste was a bright faced boy
bounding through with two game
cocks in his arms, one got away. and
before | remembered / was not in old
Virginia. but in a warning country. |
was full chase after Mr.. Cock with
/ several little Mex lads and lassies
railing mel was successful in catch
ing the fowl just as several of the
party caught up with US, and as we got
untangled | was somewhat startled to
find the deeiless sprint had brought
me right into group of de facto
troops. they seemed to think the per-
/ iormsnce highly entertaining, and as
the children called some Spanish words
/ that seemed praiseful the men grinned
and lifted their caps EVIDENTLY a
gringo lady catching game cocks is not
a ,laily occurrence. Well it was easier
than writing news letter when / do
not know. but / may suddenly have
| something drop on my head-this is
being thumped out under a bush. and
it is some feat to look every way for a
possible ambush and at the type stimuli
taneously.
My day in Mexico seems to prove
| one thing, humanity is the same every
where. but smiles bring smiles in re-
turn, and sorrow drives a soul to a
higher power-for comfort-but 10th
| century civilization is not such a glo-
rious thing as some suppose who have
not been nine thousand miles in the
war zones of two continents in ten
months.
Marine Corus Sergeant