Evening star., 1939-05-26
Passing of Old Time Cowboys
Mourned in Argentina
Modern Goucho Phoney, Students Soy,
Pointing Out His Defects

the silver coins on his belt, or ban
quet on the fat of the land-the
cattle and sheep whose flesh he
consumed with such gusto. He drank
his wine and he had his fun in his
day.
That Day Is Gone.
But that day is gone now. The
trappings Of the old Gaucho are
museum pieces and his successors
fall short Of traditions which sur
vive only in story. Young people
here read about the Gaucho and
mourn his passing-even rather
cynical college students, bred to the
city.
Some of our friends, the students.
were good enough, on a trip to the
back country, to point out the de-
fects of the modern, "streamlined"
Gaucho-a "phoney," they called
him.
Look at his hat!" they said. at
has fiat brim. He never rode hard
enough against the wind to fold his
brim against his head! Look at
his boots! His toes are inclosed in
leather and he uses a modern STIR
rup. In the old days Gaucho boots
were cut off at the toes. The Gaucho
rode Indian fashion. gripping a
knotted rope between his toes!
He fought with boleadoras and
knife. Can you imagine a 1899
Gaucho challenging an enemy to
a duel for his life? Or roping a
steer, a horse or an ostrich with his
boleadoraS? He has sold all his
boleadoras to antique shops!"
Lived In Mud Huts.
The Gaucho of old spitted his
meat on iron rods dug into the
ground and leaned over a bed of
Goals. When he wasn't lying out
on the pampas he lived in mud huts
thatched with pampas grass. His
excess baggage was transported in
a covered wagon on two wheels. He
stitched into his belt the coins he
did not hammer into silver spurs,
bride trappings and saddle Access
sories.
His knife, with its heavy silver
handle, was made of Toledo steel,
or improvised from the bayonets of
invading armies The British at
tackled the Argentine during the
Napoleonic wars, and the liberator,
San Martin, fought off the legions
Of Ferdinand VII Of Spain. sent by
the mother country to subdue rebel
lious colonies in South America.
The Gaucho used his knife, among
other things, to slice his own cut
from the barbecued meat. The
college students told us he would
take piece of meat between his
teeth and chop it off with a keen
blade.
The old Gaucho ate beef and
mutton in prodigious quantities
modern Gauchos follow suit, accord
ing to a young resident of Buenos
Aires who employs them on his
estancia in the south.
Three of those boys" said the
ranch owner, can eat a sheep at
one sitting! I ought to know
they're my sheep!"
Hollywood Offer Refused.
One of the best selling books here
is classic treating with the life
Of old-time Gauchos on the pampas.
The widow of the author recently
refused fabulous offer from Holly
wood for the film rights on the
book. Her reason was that the film
HironfHrc r1o tN
after their own ideas. She insisted
that neither the letter or spirit of
the book be altered. She backed
her refusal with the contention that
even Hollywood could not duplicate
the Gauchos Of old.
Washington Zoo Director William
M. Mann is inclined to agree. A
friend of his with Ringing Bros.
Barnum & Bailey Circus asked
him at the opening in Madison
Square Garden to make inquiries in
the Argentine about hiring some
Gauchos for the Wild West spec
tacle.
If you can flnd any Gauchos who
will outride and outrope our rodeo
boys, the circus agent said, please
get in touch with me. I want to
hire them!"
DR.. Mann hasn't found any circus
Gauchos yet. The old-timers, like
the American COW punchers, have
left for unknown pastures.
One thing more about the ancient
Gaucho. He draped his lower ex-
tremities in a cloth that folded
something like a baby diaper, and,
believe it or not.
The hem of his trousers was en-
broidered!