The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1916-06-08
CONTRASTS IN MEXICO.
AsLand Where Extremes Msst Evsn IN.
lie Weather Conditions.

a Land Whsrs Extrsmss Meet Even In
lie Weather Conditions.
Mexico is the land Of contrasts, Of
great riches and extreme poverty, a.
lew Of its people. massing millions.
while myriads are' starving; a place
where the most modern machinery may
bo found In operation at the very side
Of the most primitive method Of ac-
complishfhlS mesend,,wh beans,
itiful safchitsectute ID in tedantirsasts with
adobe hints and where, shining autoduaos
sbfes 'sof tha. laitest sdses,sIanaI Ms6ir1. paae!
sleepy OK teams hauling carts with
solid wooden slabs for wheels identical
Nth yig the design whieh-wast used Ct the
e. geeesel4etAe+spantsh CONQUEST 49,, :.
81
6ltnoet any Of tho iakt1gsef Mexican dctf4kf
G may be seen fashionably dressed
Bt!e41nen who hook very :mdchs,ms
gSHSeanngRR they were just, as much at
Home on PtccadiiIy, the TGhampesf
s1Elysees. or Fifth. avenue. Eonpwansa
Dr lRseceding them, however, viii be q
tsandaled P9dh: Clad ID linen fropseffS1
EandssA blouse, with his 'serape' thrown
oyer bis shoulder and his head protect
ed by q wide brimmed sombrero and
his entire worldly possessions upon his
back :" :
In the next block one may meet ant
Indian woman, barefoot and with IN.
covered head, a child slung in the ire
bosa" ' her shoulder. About her
there is a suggestion Of garlic, onions
and pulque, while passing along the
same street, comfortably ensconced in
her victoria. dressed in a latest Pari-
sian creation, rolls milady. also of the
same nation.
A gorgeously appointed funeral car
bearing. the remains Of one whose fam
lily can afford this expense may arrive
at the burial place simultaneously with
three or four poems, packing on their
shoulders the body Of a comrade in u
plainly painted coffin. the use of which
is rented and which will be returned
after the body is given interment.
One story and possibly single room
adobe houses plastered in colors adjoia
large structures Of elaborate architec-
ture, and the poor peon passing along
to his humble abode may catch a:
glimpse through a spacious doorway Of
a beautiful patio adorned with flowers
and fountains. Later when he sits
down to his tortillas and ~frijoles his
next door neighbor is probably being
served with the richest viands and the
ra!est wines.
Back in the country districts the
whirr OF a sewing machine may be
heard coming from a cane or a mud
hut. while the head of the house may
be seen scratching the ground with a
crude plow of essentially the same de-
sign as those used in Mesopotamia in
the time of Nebuchadnezzar or thrash
ing his grain by driving animals over it.
The climate. too, has its extremes.
and in the highlands the nights are
cold. while the sunny side of the street
at noon is too warm for comfort. The
lowlands have days of intense .torrid
heat, preceding others when a. strong
''norther" chills to the bone. Months
Of drought. during which little if any
rain falls, are succeeded by intervals
when rain may be expected for a part
of every day. OF such contrasts is
Mexico, once called the treasure house
of the wOrld.'-Geographic Society Bull
letin.