The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-08
BY RALPH H. TURNER

Washington, Jan. People be-
come keenly philosophical in a coun-
try where revolutions have been fea-
tured turnout that countrys history
Everyday philosophy in Mexico,
therefore, philosophy which fire.
quently is expressed py no more than
a Shrug of the shoulder-has been
developed TO the highest point And
yet even the Mexican. despite his feel
ing OF indifference ard his sense of
the futility of everything. Is preparing
today to begin life over again He Is
going ahead IL anticipation of a new
DEAL" believing that he and his chill
dren have greater cause for hope than
at any time in the last ten years
That spirit, with its varied mani
festations, il the index to the social
condition of Mexico today. 1t repre-
sents the thought of Mr. Average Man
The whole population. with the ex-
eeption of q few disgruntIed politicians
and military men. is sick Of revolution
the country has been looted from one
end to the other
And SO the Mexican makes ready
! for another start People who flooded
into Mexico City from the provinces.
because the capital offered a greater
degree of shelter from amarauding
rebels, are beginning now to retrace
their steps. They are going back to
the farm or the store Exiles who
were expelled by one or the other of
! the various regimes since the fail or
Porfirio Diaz in 1910 are streaming
home from New York and London
Paris and Madrid
But the present Is still the period
Of transition Not until the new gov
eminent finds its stride and turns its
attention to a score of pressing do
nestle and International problems, at
the same time obtaining financial and
moral aid from abroad. will Mexican
national life approach state OF we'll
being. In the meantime the Mexican
offers further PROFIT such were
needed-that human nature remains
| the same, no matter how many inter
national boundary lines are crossed
! The Mexican goes TO the movies
/ (Americau movies1. grumbles about
the high cost of living. and loves his
children.
| capital, he attends the theater, stages
an exuberant party" with about the
same regularity as an American dId
! in the pre-amendment days. and goes
| to the bull fight on Sunday afternoon.
He is a devout Catholic, but has never
/ heard of a blue law" He probably
/ spends his money more lavishly than
an Anglo-Saxon person with similar
I income. The cost of living, for = Mex
/ lean with q comfortable income, need
! the United States. One thing just about
I balances another. He must pay more
[ for a great many articles. because they
! are imported, but he can maintain q
whole corps Of servants for the same
1 expenditure that one would involve
from the Rio Grande north
I Vegetables, fruit and some of the
meats Cine goat, especially the kid is
popuIar), cost less than in an Amerf-
can metropolis. Fuel is minor item
in Mexico City. because of the tenn
perate cline. If the Mexican lives at
Il hotel ne may pay anywhere from
| So TO IS United States currency a
I day for his room. tho he won't re-
eeive the modern accommodations
I that most Americans demand House
: rents are high. as practically no build
/ ing has been done during the revolu-
tionary days 1t is beginning now to
revive.
one difficulty with life in Mexico
City-the one that most Americans
/ encounters the social condition that
has overlooked any provision for the
| middle class. The high class Mex
ican-generalIy limits his business ac-
| tivity to either owning property, and
| deriving the income therefron. OIL
playing some part in the management
of the government Both have beer
paying propositions in the past The
mercha nd iSiug business and the opera
ton of mines. oil properties ard Other
resources is generally in the hs ndS oil
foreigners The poorer classes gei
their condition seems pitfful to ar
American. It is common for three oil
four people to live. sleep and eat II
one room The room doesn't have II
be a large one, either. Beans ans
corn are the chief articles of diet The
cotton garments a sombrero and a
pair Of sandals are the principal form.
of rairnenu worn by the people of tins
poorest class. How q Mexican clerA
can live on one hundred pesos ($50)
a month. and present a good appear
auce may seem beyond comprehea'
sion but it Is done. Almost the bes'
in Mexican servants may be obtained
for twenty or twenty-five pesos
monthly.
As q result of the social structure
an American may have difficulty Il
avoid the alternatives of living eithe'
as an oil magnate or a day laborer
For instance, there are no quicf