Arizona republican., 1920-07-09
WHY AMERICANIZE?

If Felix and his ample family are fair sample of his countrymen, we trust that in the matter of their atti- tude toward work, at least, the Mexi- cans will refuse to become American ized. That is, mark you, if Felix and his brood are running true to type.
 You should see that Felix tribe go forth in the morning to stage a days fight with the Johnson grass on their 40 acres of cottoni It's like watching ar army of ants come out of their hill and fall upon dead beetle. First comes the uncle to the family, the gent we call "the sentimental looking guy" leading the big rawboned bay horse. He goes down the path singing or whist ling to the accompaniment of the clink- clank of the harness chains. Yes. the sentimental looking guy is a man of song.
 Then comes Papa, big burly fellow with a musical cough echoing from his chest. We can hear him coming block away-by his cough we know him. Sometimes he leads a couple of horses. mostly he doesn't. More often he carries only a big canteen of water. He is trailed by the oldest son, lad of twelve or thirteen with a mans capacity for work in the field. He has a canteen of water, too. Following are two younger brothers of about seven and eight years. A six months old calf always takes them out to the field One holds the rope and the other hangs on to her tail and they come racing down the path like a whiriwind. 1t is hard to tell which side enjoys the stunt the most.
 The mother soon puts in her appear ance. She wears white cloth on her head. She carries an infant in her arms and when she gets out in the ! field she lays the child in the shade 1 Now come a half dozen or so of as- sorted senoritas from about nine years of age down to three years. The oldest Carries a year-old youngster. The others carry hoes and small canteens. i The family pooch travels with this wing of the party, probably because he | finds that when consorting with them 1 he looses his fleas faster. Such chat l tering and babbling you never heard! What can they be talking about that
 creates such an excitment and flow of talk? Every day as the calvacade l passes this endless babbling is go- | ing on.
 In the field. this gang tears off the
 work like perpetual motion, except
 during their rest periods which they
 take in the shade of the trees two or three times a day. But it is the atti-
 tude of the children toward the work
 that is interesting. You never see
 them 1oafing on the job. Work. work.
 work. Chop, chop, chop. Unlike the American boys, these youngsters don't stop to quarrel over who has the hard
 est row to hoe. Nor after hoeing a row | do they start to whine about being l tired They seem to get fun out of
 their work. Suddenly they will break
 out with a song or a ballad and inter-
 mittentiy throughout the day you will hear fhese songs. From another part of the field comes the song from the
 sentimental individual. walking behind l the cultivator.
 These little kids seem to be tireless.
 After working all day in the hot sun
 they all come in for supper. You would l think that they would be ready to flop
 on the floor from weariness. But no.
 The quiet of the evening is broken by the strumming of the sentimental birds guitar. Then laughter. shrieks
 and screams of a dozen playing young sters break out. And you wonder you marvel at how, after the long days work in the field these kids can be that way.
 Americanize the Mexicans? Let's not-entirely.