The sun., 1919-03-10
BRAZILIAN
CORRESPONDENCE
The United States as Seen
Through Other Eyes - More
Ships and Advertising Needed.

mine Is SINCE set foot on the Beira
Mar and In Catumby.
After leaving New York in a cold.
drizzling winter storm 1t was unmixed
delight to steam into tho dazzling wa
ters of Rio Bay with It's green en-
circlins hills, its towering Pao rAssu-
car. Its thousand disporting in the
waters and on the sandy beaches of
Ntctheroy and realize I was home again.
shall never forget the pleasant days
/ spent In your country and the great
admiration I feel for your wonderful
people. but as your song says, There
Is no place like home"
My friends were all anxious to hear
my Impressions of North America and
could scarcely understand my enthu-
siasm for the many noble qualities OF
your countrymen. You and l have Of
ten discussed frankly the rough cor
ners OF your daily intercourse with
your fellow men and I must say ad-
mire beyond everything the good humor
and tolerance you show to our crit
cisms. To mo II indicates a broad.
strong nature TO hear patiently your
pcculiarities discussed as faults with
out resentinE It. am afraid we are
not quite - strong and broad minded
ourselves.
"AbSoIute MatcrIaIists."
But those North Americans are 80
cold and so commercially inclined" was
tho continuous refrain. They think OF
nothing but business even in their pleas
ureS How much does this cost, and
can't II be- acquired more cheaplyT'
You know, dear friend. that was one
of the standard discussions at first
why, you rarely ever considered the OBJ
ject of thing and whether 1t really
accomplished the end you desired in
the best possible way. You always
wanted TO calculate the cost or how
YOU could lessen that cost, you absolute
materialist,
Here I am again arguing with you.
dear friend. instead OF being grateful
for what learned in your society: but
all the same, II your people did not
make it appear so evident that every
thing appealed to you as a means OF
making money we would be much more
sympathetic and listen to you with
greater confidence. For myself. I know
by personal experience that at bottom
the desire of making mono is not your
sole or even your dearest aim.
You asked me to let you know what
chances your people have OF increasing
their trade with Brazil. Frankly, think
YOU have the best chance OF any foreign
nation in the whole world. You can sup
ply us with everything DIR civilization
needs as cheaply IL not cheaper than
anybody else, due to your great inventive
genius and the general use of machinery.
But you must adapt your methods more
to our idiosyncrasies and especially, II
seems to me, you should be able to talk
to us in our own language and grasp our
point OF view. We may be backward in
great many things. but we are as
pF Nc
being citizens OF your great country.
Urges More Advertising.
You know you often explained to me
how your people believe in advertising
even TO the extent OF defacing their most
picturesque scenery with lurid posters
Why, then. don't you advertise your
wares in our Brazilian newspapers and
persuade US TO exploit our resources in
your own? We hardly know each other
as nation, We ought to have more
intimate intercourse with each other
through your papers and ours. We have
numbers OF good dalles, edited by men
Of great talent. and so have you, OF the
best Can't they cooperate 10 bring both
our nations in touch with one another in
every way. on the commercial, intellec-
tual and spiritual side?
We would gain a great deal. feel
=
ing some OF your business energy and
push. and you may derive some littls
benefit from our moro idealistic and
poetical views OF life and nature. You
have often Joked with me upon our ma
tional love of poetry and poetical ef-
fusions. But We think a poetical mag
nation does not necessarily detract from
a sound, common sense, practical view
to things. 1t merely beauties them and
dresses them up.
Our business men have been complain
ing very much about deliveries OF your
products. They say they never know
when their orders can be executed. In
many cases they have been obliged TO
cancel orders because OF the unprece-
dented delay.
Hint to Automobile Makers.
When I was in New York bought lots
of things 1 never thought needed, be-
cause after ! got used to them I could
replace them at once II anything hap
pened to those had. We love automo-
biles and Ne are improving our roads all
the time so that we can use them more
and more. But IL your automobile manu-
facturerg want to sell us their machines
they must establish here their own sup
ply stations and repair garages. We can
use and in fact we absolutely need lots
or your machinery, but we should also
have repair shops where they could be
promptly put in order in case OF break
down. and competent, experienced men,
knowing well our language. TO help our
workers I'm their use. In fine, believe
that wo can and should DO with Won
twice as much business as We do with
the rest OF the world combined.
One thing know we need very much
and that is the development OF our water
power by the use of electricity. In al
most all OF Brazil. especially along the
coast where the population and wealth
Is greatest we have an unlimited number
Of small waterfalls, which with turbines
or other mach-ssry could produce a vsssk
amount OF power available for every use
Tell some of your big electrical concerns
and water power engineers to send some
good men TO look over the possibilities in
this field. Nearly every fazenda, and
there are hundreds in Sac Paulo, Arinas
Geraes and Rio. would be glad to estab-
lsh an electric plant. small or large &C
cordlng to its needs. each for its own
use. These men, however. must "falar
Brasileiro," or at least French. Com
paratively few, even OF our wealthiest
BraZilians. have had the inestimable ad-
vantage which fell to my lot OF learning
the language of Washington. Lincoln and
Wilson, OF Longfellow. Lowell and Whit
tier. on their native heath.
Most affectionately and obediently, &c,
o. CAIPIRA.