The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1921-11-10
Primitive Water Carts on Mexican Dor der.


ciety. Washington. d. c.
No region In all North America 10
more frequently mentioned or more
widely misunderstood, perhaps, as re-
CARDS places, routes, distances, and
the customs of the people, than the
Mexican border. The name itself
brings to mind a blending of modern
Americanism and the romance Of the
old frontiers II hints at turmoil and
intrigue, at wild night rides by cavalry
patrols, ut gun-runners and smugglers'
II suggests, too, brown faced, snappy-
eyed senoritas in red skirts and man.
tillas. peddling tongue-blistering Ia
males and mild dulces; of Mexican
women washing clothes, babies and
dishes In irregular bitches; Of burros,
hens and pigs foraging about the door
ways Of fat-topped. squatty adobe
huts.
In many ways the social cleavage OF
this border is sharp and startling. 1t
cuts us off abruptly from another peo-
! pie. showing an odd, interesting cross
section Of diverse civilizations.
Nor are all the people along this
| line either Yankees or Mexicans. Thou
sands of Chinese are settled there on
the Mexican side; and beside them
are Turks and japanese, and 20 Indian
tribes speaking 20 Of the babel OF
tongues heard in Mexico.
Thousands Of settlers migrate to this
borderland each year, losing them
selves In the vast, haZy-blue stretches
of its open country; but they are
Americans all, mostly from the Middle
West and the South. The hordes o.
Films, Slavs and Neapolitans that poul
into our Atlantic ports never get thl'
far: they stop In the manufacturing
centers of the East. In Texas ant
California, Of course, native-born gen
erations are found; In the newer state
OF Arizona and New Mexico most o
the residents (barring children) hav
come from other states.
ROUGH and Difficult Trip.
Adventurous, colorful and full o
contrasts as it is. the 1,8OOmile ri
along this crooked historic line
rough and difficult and has been mad
/ by few people.
II Some of the widest and least know
II regions of our country are piled u
II against this border. Ask any dough
boy, of the many. many thousands VIII
Il have done a "hitch" on the Mexica
border, what he thinks, for instance
II of Ajo or the Yuma sector.
III From the gulf up to Ell Paso, alon
III the Texas frontier, the Rio Grand
HI forms the boundary between III
HI United States and Mexico; thence
HI the Pacific the line is marked by stor
III or iron monuments (save short brea
II at the Colorado), so set that one
II supposed to be visible from the othe
III The Rio Grande part Of this bord'
III has caused both Uncle Sam and Me
III leo much work and mental angus
HI During bad foods the line as form'
by the river sQuirms around In 30
III tonishing and lively q manner III
III what is Mexican soil one day may
II IN Texas the next, and vice versa.
III Then, too, there is the ever-recurrii
II problem Of dividing the waters OF Z
II river for irrigating purposes Aroul
i such places az Laredo. Tex, this SIT
alton affords many an acrimonious
III ternational argument.
No SPOT on the whole border amor
III more Of impressive grandeur than
region about the mouth Of the PEG
III This yellow, turbulent stream ros
Ill into the Rio Grande near the town
III Del Rio. foaming along the bottom
a steep walled canyon worn hundre
Of feet deep in the solid rock.
HI Relic Of Camel Experiment
III At the old fort at Camp Verde. mol
OF Uvalde, In q relic Of one Of the
iii est experiments ever made by our g
eminent. 1t IL an Arab khan, In NJ
now. but in its time an exact rspl
III of the rectangular adobe caravansar
built along such caravan trails as q
from Bagdad to Teheran. This XII
was built back In 1856, when Jefferi
Davis was secretary Of war and
famous experiment was made
camels for army transport use betw
Texas and California.
As you follow the border west, os
pines and underbrush decrease, arit
Increases, and cacti lift their tho
heads. Cattle, goats and sheep
pastured In large numbers; but, exc
for irrigated areas along the river,
country is thinly settled and unde
oped. Border counties like Brews
Preside and FL Paso are Of amai
area-larper than some of our 81