Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-06

of feature that belong to neither of 49,
parent races He has something Of the cav
agery of the one, and the romance Of d.
other; yet he Is quite unlike Spaniard or
Indian, and when these have disappeare1
from the mountain republic the peon WIN
take their place. Today he lacks the energy
needed for self-assertion. There have been
occasions, however. when this peasant 0k
the Andes has taken the lead in a popular
uprising and, although he has usually failed
TO win what he was aft r. his reserve Of
power promises well for the future OF hi6
race. f
1t was the politically awakened peon who
was In evidence certain morning in
Bogota, not so very long ago at the upper
END OF the Gale de Las Montaras. The
sign OF his awakening was to be seen in an
unusual commotion among the good-natured
paisanos" of the street, from which an on
'ooker might reach the astonishing conclu-
sion that some sort of demonstration" was
under way. Revolutionary or otherwise.
there are people. 1T would seem. who engage
In these affairs simply through desire for
sociability. Their warlike declarations are
really not unamiable. An Andean revoiu-
ton indeed, may not be more terrifying than
a fiesta and is never so noisy. In either
case, these people make common cause OF
their joys or their grievances and It was
unquestionably sudden burst of neighbor.
illness that brought the Inhabitants of the
Gale de Las Montanas together on this par
ticular morning.
An army of bootblacks was assembled In
the middle of the street. Bogota, ancient
seat Of the Muyscas, City of the Mountains,
Is, for some unknown reason rich in boot
blacks. Hence. 1t was not surprising to
find hundred or more knights of the brush
and bottle mustered here.
They were of varying age and size, clad
In nondescript rags, over which protectingly
tapped the ruana, or poncho, a garment In
herited from the Indians, and uni
Gn1 1xr Ia Snan ntrt, rt4 yn.tA
ordinary weapons were lacking in this tat
tered regiment. Instead of sword and
musket each youngster carried in front of
him, hanging from his neck. rude box con-
tanning the bottles and brushes needed in his
calling. Ordinarily these weapons are harm
less enough but these volunteer soldiers felt
that they were adequately armed for what
ever adventure might be in the wind.
Patriotism-and ruana-can start any
revolution. In expert hands, the vicious
twirl of a ruana should bring terror to the
most stalwart of foes-and of patriotism
| there was a generous supply this morning
| in the Gale de Las Montanas.
Pedro Cavallo, a wiry youth, taller than
| his fellows, gifted with shrill eloquence, aero
batic gestures, and hence acclaimed the King
| of the Bootblacks, was the leading spicit Of
| the throng surrounding him.
viva Pedro Por la Patria Por la Patria
| Raja los puercos!" shouted first one and then
another i'm answer to his orders given with
all the assurance of royalty.
| "Compadres !" he addressed them, switch.
| ing his cumbersome box of backing to one
| side with oratorical cunning; I'VE will lead
the way! We will march to the palace
| We will march to the coast, and then we will
| sweep out the Yankees!
| "Si! ST." they shrilled in eager response.
| "Por la Patria Por la Patria Mata Loo
| Yankees Puercos!'
| A quizzical spectator, a. true Bogotano,
| robust and red-cheeked, swathed in an
| ample ruana, echoed the enthusiasm.
| 1T is an army of emboladores !" he shouted
| sonorously. Let the Yankee bull beware !"
Now, "embolador," although it is word
| familiarly used in Bogota to designate =
| bootblaCk, has for its first meaning "one
| who puts balls the tips of bulls HORNS"
| thing not easy to accomplish, requiring.
| as 1t does, the conquest of traditionally
| warlike animal. Applied to this Falstafflan
| army of bootblacks. the irony of the term
| was broad enough to delight the bystanders.
! at the same time that 1t f1attered the vanity
| of those for whom II was intended.
| Distances meant little to the emboadores.
| No matter how far they had to travel, they
| vowed they would keep going until they met
| "los Yankees" And, when they did meet
| them, they had no doubt of what would hap
| pen. Confident in their own ability to put
| the "usurpers" to fight, they had the sym
pathy of the poems surrounding them.
| CONTINUED TOMORROW