The Press., 1916-09-07
Every Little Hamlet Has a Band
 Stand of It's Own.
A HELP IN THE GAME OF LOVE.

To the Strains of Melody the Youths and Maidens "Play Bear," a Peculiar
 National Diversion That Is the Cor rect Road to Matrimony.
 Music plays very prominent part in the social life of Mexico. not alone iii the capital and other larger cities, but
 all over that picturesque land. A Mex ican who can play no musical instru- ment is nothing less than a curiosity. There is no hamlet so insignificant that
 1t has no band. Eight or ten men get together and decide to form a band. Having reached that decision, they go to the jefe politico. or mayor.
 "AI right" he will tell them. You
 are to~play Wednesday, evenings from
 to 9 and Sunday mornings from 9 to 12," and a record is made.
 | And during these hours. rain or shine, hot or cold. through famine,
 war and pestilence. as long as those
 men are alive and in the town, the
 band is in the band stand playing for
 such as choose to finger in the plaza. or puDnc square!
 About the evening concerts much of
 the social and domestic life of Mexico centers. It is at the concerts that
 many a youth and maiden first meet and begin to play bear" d game in digenous and peculiar to Mexico, with out which no self respecting Mexican couple adventures on matrimony. The general plan of every plaza is much the same. In the center is the band stand. Immediately surrounding the band stand is an open paved space. Then there are flower bordered walks with plenty of benches.
 Round the edge of the plaza, outside the trees and flowers. is another broad paved walk. Upon this outer walk are grouped the poorer MeXicans, the peons. On the benches sit the fathers, the mothers. the older folk, of the bet ter classes. Round the walk that sur rounds the band stand saunter tireless- ly the youths and maidens of the same class.
 The women circle to the left on the
 outside. the men in the opposite direc tion, on the inside. Thus every one sees every one else innumerable times during the evening. And in this melo- dious circling a youth sets eyes on maiden who strikes his fancy-the game of playing bear" has begun. He looks steadily at his charmer ev- cry time they pass, and she, if she is pleased, glances at him in return. Aft CT they have passed each other ten or dozen times he is at the edge of the procession in which he walks, and she has moved to the edge of the column of young women.
 Then the young man, with friend. withdraws to some cantina. or cafe, and writes an ardent note. On the next round his friend in passing slips it into the hand of her companion. Then they continue their strolling un- til the concert is at an end.
 On the next concert evening the per
 formance is repeated, only this time
 the young lady is the one who presents
 the note, which she has written in her
 home. If she rejects her suitors ad- vances he persists or desists, according as he is faint hearted or not.
 If he meets with success he begins
 the next phase of the game. Each evening he will be seen opposite his lady's house, passing back and forth
 like sentry walking his post. Even during business hours he will rise sud
 denly from his stool, seize his hat,
 rush frantically to his accustomed beat and for several minutes walk up and down, gazing responsibility at the bar
 red windows across the way.
 As time goes on, after six weeks or two months, say, have passed, the girl
 is at last to be seen seated in the win
 dow. Then ensues another period of from two weeks to month. The young mans walks gradually shorten, and one evening he is to be seen under heath the window, gazing mournfully upward for hours, much to the discom-
 fort of passersby. But no one grum-
 bles. All the world loves a lover especially in Mexico.
 After this stage father and son call
 formally on the father of the young lady and make proposal of marriage.
 When all the arrangements have been made the young man for the first time calls at the home of his attianced
 wife and meets her face to face, but never except in the company of third person - mother. father or aunt Youths Companion.