Evening star., 1941-12-14

SldIlu IIlC. hllO NSAA eASN~
Latins "Why don't you people learn
English?" There are more Latins
who understand and speak English
today than there are North Amer
leans who speak Spanish. II they
were in your country you would
expect them to speak English; they
expect the same Of you under their
roof.
Don't refer to yourself as "Amer-
ican." The Latins are just as Amer
ican as you are. They are Latin
Americans. You are North Amer
ican.
Don't speak Of the Latin people
as natives" To the sensitive Latin
the word native" implies q lack OF
civilization. 1t sounds to him as
though you were looking down your
nose.
Beware of Preaching
About Indian Problem.
Don't preach about the Latin
American Indian problem" The
poverty and political impotence OF
the Indian majority of South Amer
icas population is bound to hit you
sooner or later if you see anything
but the outer shell Of the con-
tinent. It Is an explosive subject
because it is so difficult to solve.
Don't specialize on offensive pho
tographs. Taking pictures OF naked
babies and ragged people Is popu-
larly resented in Latin America In
ratio to the average tourists yen
for such pictures.
Don't be a complainer. In some
places in South America you won't
be able to drink natural water and
you won't get the same kind OF food
as YOU do at home. Nor will hous-
ing accommodations in many places
be as good. But they are good
enough. And if everything were
the same as home there would be
no point in leaving home. SO don't
complain about the food, the service
and the shelter.
Don't Throw Money
Around Lavishly.
This does not mean that all ac-
commodations in Latin America are
primitive. Far from it. There are
fair to fine hotels in most OF the
cities. But you may have trouble
in the little places.
Don't spend too lavishly. You
wouldn't do it at home so don't
upset the local economy by trying
| to show how much largesse we
fortunate North Americans can
throw around in Latin lands. Re-
| member, most of those among whom
you live on your trip must stay
there; they can't afford to hold
year round the pace you set for a
few weeks. Tip 10 per cent.
Don't try to change Latin America
overnight. Jawing the Latins on
what you think may be faults Of
their social and political system
will help no one. If you really
want to change their system settle
down and go to work there.
Don't laugh at their money. You
may feel like it when you see how
many Latin dollars your dollar can
buy. But in the Latin's eyes this is
a cheap form of boasting.
Don't laud or belabor neighbor
nations. There is a great deal Of
jealousy among the Latin countries,
much like that which existed be-
tween our States in the early days
Of the United States. To praise
Ecuador while in Peru, or Brazil
while in Argentina, or Bolivia while
in Paraguay, is to risk trouble and
almost certain to hurt feelings.
Don't run down neighboring coun-
tries, but limit your comments to
approval Of Latin comments on the
friendly side.
Making Date With . Girl
Is Serious Business.
Don't try to date all the girls you
meet. Woman's place in Latin Amer
lea is distinctly different one than
in North America. Her friendships
with men are carefully guarded, es-
pecially in the better families. Try
to make a date and you may find
yourself on the wrong side of the
social fence-the other side of the
railroad tracks, which in Latin
America are very wide.
Don't plan your itinerary too much
in detail. Leave little time at each
stopping place, and give your Latin
hosts a chance to suggest where you
should go to understand their coun-
try better. They know more about
1t than travel agencies, and will
feel friendlier toward you for asking.
You will see more of the real Latin
America than you would on your
own.
Don't talk like Latin American
expert
Don't let your trip to Latin Amer
lea go to your head, so that you
come back and present yourself as
an expert" Chances are you will
have seen but few places, briefly.
Stick to what you know.