The Raymer enterprise., 1921-08-18

the country. Is approximately tue SD.
Of Harrisburg, 81 Paso, or San Diego.
San Louis Potosi Is the size Of South
Bend. Ind, while Vera Cruz, the great.
est port Of the republic and ffth city,
ID smaller than Tampa, Florida. or
Charleston. s. c. Salina Cruz and
the other Pacific ports are little more
than villages with extensive docks. As.
a rule the cities Of Mexico are not
manufacturing centers but derive what
Importance they possess from being
the markets for the surrounding agrl-
cultural country or mining regions.
While Mexico is largely agricultur-
al, and therefore rural, Its country life
Is striklngly different from that with
which farm-bred residents Of the Uni.
ted States are familiar. Seldom Is an
isolated farmhouse to be found ; many
Of the tillers Of the soil live in little
villages and 80 back and forth to their
work, usually on the land Of others.
These innumerable villages give one
the impression Of being standardized
and are dificult to tell apart. They
are made up Of low. rectangular fiat
topped huts Of mud bricks or adobe.
and are huddled closely together. Be-
tween the forbiddlng walls OF these
tomb.like dwellings. the tropic sun
beats down on narrow, dusty street.
Great Ranehss and Plantations
In addition to these more or less In
dependent villages Of the common peo-
pie there are to be found In parts Of
the country the haciendas or great
ranches Of the landed proprietors, on
which are other groups Of the newt.
able hat-ro0fed huts, the dwellings Of
the ranch's poems. In the hot country
Of the south are extensive plantations
Of bananas, rubber trees. cacao and
other special tropical products. These
plantations are often operated by for
eigners. and on them small armies Of
day laborers are employed. From the
forest Of southern and southeastern
Mexico comes most Of the chicle from
which the worlds chewing gum is
made; and from the plantations Of
Yucatan comes practically all the fiber
used In making the miles and miles
Of bundle Irvine with which the huge
wheat crops Of the United States are
tied Into bundles.
Aboriginal traits cling to the mass
Of the Mexicans who are such short
distance In time removed from the
strange mixture Of barbarian and civ.
ilizatlon that marked the empire Ct
the Aztecs found by Cortez when he
landed on the gulf coast In 15l8-a
civilization with it, human sacrifices
in city carefully polIced, and scrup.
ulously kept clean by corps Of trained
"whIte-wings:" with its refined can.
nibas.sm beside an astronomical nbil.
ity superior to that Of the scholars
who arranged the Julian calendar;
with its institution Of slavery the only
one known in the world which pro
vided that every child should be born
q freeman. They are an artistic PEG
pie, the Mexicans, apt musicians. mod.
elers, basket.makers. featherworkers.
weavers and metal-workers.
Burial Vaults Are Rented.
Poverty brings ito tragedy Into the
deaths a. well AZ into the lives Of
the masses Of the Mexicans. Few are
able to buy burial plots. and the Gus
tom Of merely renting vaults for q
short term Of years has become gen.
eral. The lease h often not renewed
and the bones are cast on Q heap OF
millions Of others to make room for
4 time for some other unfortunate.
Mexico abounds In holidays. Be-
aides Sunday there IL an equal num-
Der Of saints days and additional holy
and feast days to bring the total to
l81 Of the 866.
Mexico's large unassilnilated Indian
population and Its even larger popu-
lation 10 which Indian traits FREEDOM
mate makes q certain degree Of tur.
bulence Z natural condition IN the re-
public south Of the Bio 0rande. The
limited atafes had mot n ton9 aro On