The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-07-26
A Public Scribe In Mexico.


Of Harrisburg, FL 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 6fth city,
is smaller than Tampa, Florida, or
Charleston. s. c. Sallna 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 agri.
cultural country or mining regions.
While Mexico Is largely agricultur.
al, and therefore rural its country life
Is strlkingly 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 tlllers Of the soil live In little
villages and 90 back and forth TO their
work, usually on the land Of others.
These lnnumerable villages give one
the impression Of being standardized
and are difficult to tell apart. They
are made up Of low, rectangular fat
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 q narrow, dusty street
Great Ranches 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 fat-roofed huts, the dwellings Of
the raneh'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.
eisners, 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 twine 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 barbarism and civ.
ilization that marked the empire Of
the Aztecs found by Cortez when he
landed on the gulf coast In l5ls--a
civilization with Its human sacrifices
In city carefully policed. and scrup-
ulously kept clean by O corps Of trained
"white'wings;" with Its refined can.
nibalism beside an astronomical abll.
ity superior 10 that Of the scholars
who arranged the Julian calendar; :;
with It's Institution Of slavery the only
one known In the world which pro
vided that every child should be born
a freeman. They are al artistic peo
Pile, the Mexicans, apt musicians, mod.
elers, basket.makers. featherworkers,
weavers and me,al.workers.
Burial Vaults Are Rented.
Poverty brings Its tragedy into the
deaths as well as 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 O
short term Of years has become gen.
eral. The lease is often not renewed
and the bones ure cast on q heap Of
millions Of others TO make room for
a time for some other unfortunate.
Mexico abounds In holidays. Be
Sides Sunday there Is an equal mum.
Der of saints days and additional holy
nnd feast days TO bring the total to
l9l Of the s65
Mexico's large nnassimDated Indian
population and Its even larger popu.
latlon 10 which Indian traits predom.
inate makes q certain degree OF tur.
bulence natural condition In the re.
public south OF the Rio Grande. The
United States had not so long ago on
Its frontiers It's Indian nprisings, Its
stage'coach and train robberies, and
Its bad men" with penchant for
shooting up " towns Mexico is still
10 this stage Of development, and be.
cause Of the heavy Indian element
10 It's population. probably viii be