The Washington times., 1921-08-28

cans. However humble house may
be. II there is room for one family
there IL always room for two. when
charaity or friendship calls for II.
And both are constantly calling In
Mexico, perhaps mroe than In any
other land in the western world.
WORK FOR ALL.
The Mexican government is also
doing a great deal to straighten out
the labor situation throughout the
country. 1t Is working on the as
sumption that there il work for all
In Mexico; and that the only serious
question is to be met Is one Of distri-
button Of laborers. Hence wherever
there Is reported an excess Of labor
ers, the government agent at once
visits the community, provides for
the transfer to other parts free Of
charge Of such laborers as care to
seek q new field. In this way there
Is a constant movement Of laborers
from overcrowded districts to places
where there is a demand for labor
at good wages.
The result is that, notwithstand-
ing the influx Of Mexicans from the
United States, labor Is paid fully
twice what it was some five years
ago, and more than three times the
prices obtaining at the outbreak Of
the revolution in 1910.
The eleven years Of revolution has
brought another most curious
change to Mexico. Ten years ago.
in travelling through certain Indian
sections Of Mexico. I had to change
my interpreter at almost every viii
lage, there we're so many dialects.
And very often 1t was impossible to
get along without an interpreter; for
1t was nc uncommon occurrence to
run into a village where not soul
could speak even Spanish.
revisited some OF these COM
munities this past month. and
did not find a single one Of them
in which there were not several
who spoke Spanish fluently; and
quite frequently I found young
men who had more than a smat-
tering of English. How had this
notable change come about? The
revolution had done 1t. Or they
were returning Mexicans whom the
revolution had driven out Of the
country. one, two or three years
previously.
For the revolution was no re-
specter Of persons. When men
were needed for the army the
neighborhood was secured and all
the likely young men impressed
into service. Many fled the coun-
try to escape the army. And these
are now returning, in constantly
increasing numbers. with new ideas
and with new views Of life. and
activities with these remote Indian
communities have not possessed
for the past 400 years at least.
The revolution has brought to
the peon, the down-trodaen Indian
and the mountain recluse a feeling
of the dignity of the individual
which, ten years ago, should not
have thought possible in such a
short space of time. And the
United States is sending to Mex
leo, by every train that crosses the
border, a conception of the broader
life possible for the peasant and
the laboring man lin general In
every free democratic country.
The greatest missionary in Mex
leo today is the returning Mexican;
and If the missionary societies Of
the United tates who are working
in Latin America would move bag
and baggage into Texas and the
other border States, where there
are at least one and one.half mil
lions Of Mexicans, and would bend
all their efforts to making good
Americans Of the Mexicans there.
they would effect more real mis-
sionary work In a year than they
are now doing in ten through
their missionaries stationed In
Latin American countries. -
THE MISSIONARIES.
This does not mean that the
missionaries are not doing good
work In Mexico. They probably
are doing all that II is possible for
them to do under the circum-
stances, so long as they place
such stress upon special creeds
and shut their eyes to the vast
social changes that are taking
place in the country, for the aver
age Mexican the church that
stresses one creed is in no way
different from the church that
has been impressing upon him for
400 years the super-importance OF
its own special creed.
Years ago IT," Catholic mission
aries left a strong impress upon
the life Of the native Indians of
Latin America. But they did II
by actually living the life OF the
Indian. No missionary in Mexico