Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
From A Traveler's
Note Book.
an appropriate one. South of Mexico City,
however, will be found a different country.
There is the Mexico which one expects.
There is a real cosmos of vegetation; an
Striking Contrasts—South of flexico—The immense, bewildering botanical garden, so
Land for the Artist—Traces of a Prehis-
to speak. I can imagine no greater con-
toric Race—European Costumes of the
trast between the scenes which I saw south
riiddle Ages—Undergoing a Subtle
of the City of Mexico, and the snow clad
Change—Hexico Commercially will
and frozen North which I left so recently.
Belong to the United States Will
The kaleidoscopic views seen there are of a
be a Permanent Annex—The
character which well repays a visit. The
President Favors Ameri-
mighty mountains towering over idyllic
cans—The Possibilities
valleys lend to the part of Mexico to which
of War with Gautema-
I refer, a charm for the artist as well as the
la—The Natives of a
traveler. There is truly the golden land of
Sanguinary Tem-
the Aztecs, the land which charmed the
perament.
intrepid Spanish adventurer, Cortez, nearly
Soldiers Omnipresent — Hanufactures of four centuries ago. The iron heel of the
Spaniard has left an indelible impress upon
flexico—Small Goods are Made in flanu-
the
fair land, yet to-day you may behold
factories—The Duties Favor the Fin=
traces
of a civilization which existed here
ished Instruments—Singular Condi-
long
before
the winds wafted Cortez to the
tion of Inter-State Affairs—Duties
bay
of
Vera
Cruz. You may wander
of Pianos Range from One Hun-
amazed
and
infatuated
from the variety of
dred and Fifty to Two Hundred
flora
and
fauna,
to
revel
in
the antiquities of
Dollars in Hexican Honey.
a
prehistoric
race,
a
race
which
was in all
Hexico City is the "Hub"
its
glory
before
the
mail-clad
warriors
of
of flexico—An Oppor-
Spain
had
invaded
the
land.
You
may
tunity for Ameri-
wander everywhere and behold evidences
cans—Should
of
a strange race—the mounds, castles,
Speak Spanish George P. Bent has flade
strange
tongues, remind one of the an-
the Right Beginning—Agents Ap-
cient
sun
worshipers. Through all this you
pointed—A United States
note
how
curiously the influence of the
Dollar is Worth Two
Spaniard
may
be traced. European cus-
'.;••
of the Mexican
toms of the middle ages still exist here.
Mintage.
These, combined with Mexican paganism,
make a strange blending. But a subtle
/
change is steadily going on, so quietly that
^ -"*" HE longer one tarries in th e it is scarcely noticeable. To-day the City of
land of the Montezumas the Mexico is Americanized to a large degree.
more the interest is intensi- An English speaking visitor feels at home
fied. Mexico is the land of here, although the Mexican customs still
striking contrasts, which are predominate.
particularly demonstrated in
The marvelous strides which the Re-
its vegetation. Within short distances lux-
public has made during the past ten or
uriant growth varies with alkali deserts,
fifteen years are phenomenal, and can in
where nothing but the cactus and agaves
no way be traced to the native race. It is
grow. The cactus which is found in Mexico
that change caused by a dominating race.
is not of the stunted kind seen on the plains
The Americans drove the Spanish Dons out
of Arizona and Texas. In Mexico there are
of power in California, and they will rele-
endless # varietiesof this plant, ranging from
gate them to a dependent position in
the small stunted series to plants as large as
Mexico within the next ten years. This
trees, bearing fruit which is very palatable
country, from the Rio Grande to the now
indeed. The traveler who enters the Repub-
disputed boundary, will belong to the
lic from the North is usually disappointed
United States. Understand, I do not mean
and will think the emblem of the eagle on the
to say that the Stars and Stripes will float
cactus, which is seen on the Mexican dollar,
from the towers of the palace in the plaza,
but commercially the Republic of Mexico
will belong to our country as much as
though it lay north of the Rio Grande.
This time we will gain it without the firing
A high-grade piano costs more of a gun; it will be a bloodless victory.
than an instrument which is in This time it will be a permanent annex.
that class known as "medium," To illustrate: the Spanish element, although
but what a satisfaction to sell a they have given to the country a language
high-grade piano, and how pleasant
to meet the customer and friends _ af- and customs, are not really the governing
ter the sale is made, particularly if it is a power. Since the execution of Maximilian,
the natives have assumed control. Benito
Juarez was a full-blooded Indian who came
from an obscure tribe and governed like
the Indian kings of old. He favored
modern ideas. The present president, Por-
fiorio Diaz, is also an Indian. He has given
Just make a minute right here to write
to 215 Tremont Street, Boston, and find more to Americans than any president the
Republic has ever had; in fact he has even
out about it.
Of Course...
BOURNE
made pets of the Americans. He has given
valuable franchises of every kind, and the
history of the developers of our country
shows that the American speculator only
needs a foothold to gain supremacy. He has
the foothold here and the rest will come
within a few years, too. Another president
of the Diaz type will help things along
wonderfully. This country, had it been
conquered by the Anglo-Saxon instead of
by the Spaniard, would have been much
different to-day. The Spaniards were
never developers; they may have been
tempted by gold, never by industry; hence
the vast undeveloped fields. Precious
stones and ore will form an inviting spot
for speculators.
Regarding the possibility of war with
Guatemala, the president will say absolutely
nothing about it; the deliberations are
secret. The general opinion in official
circles, however, seems to be that a pacific
settlement will be reached.
Mercantile
and financial circles oppose war, but all
unite in saying that there must be war un-
less Guatemala accedes to the demands of
Mexico, which consist in not asking an in-
demnity, as had been stated, but to recog-
nize the rights of Mexico to the disputed
lands; also to extend an apology. The
army and the public really favor war, and
as these people are of a sanguinary temper-
ament, there is no telling, with any degree
of certainty, when the controversy will end.
You see soldiers everywhere. I really be-
lieve that even to bury a dog the presence
of a squad of soldiers is necessary to see
that the dog is properly laid out. At each
of the depots south of the capital, may be
seen about a dozen soldiers. Their equip-
ment consists of a repeating rifle, calibre
forty-four, a huge cavalry sword which
clatters on the boards, a large pistol, while
around their short jackets is worn a full
belt of cartridges. This alone will illustrate
the warlike character of the people. The
lower classes have, concealed beneath the
folds of their omnipresent blanket, a knife
capable of doing much blood-letting, when
properly manipulated. The knife and the
pistol must go. Even now they are pro-
hibited in the City of Mexico.
The manufacturing industries of the Re-
public have not as yet reached an advanced
state, although there are now quite a num-
ber of cotton and furniture factories. These
are, in the main, run by Americans and
Winter Tours
^
In Elegant Pullman Trains
*
With Dining Cars
Four Days to California
^J^
Five Days to the City of Mexico
*'**
The "SUNSET LIMITED" leaves New York and
other Eastern Cities on Tuesdays, New Orleans on
Thursdays and arrives Los Angeles on Saturdays, and
San Francisco Sunday mornings.
For further information, free illustrated pamphlets,
maps and time tables, also lowest freight and passage
rates to all points in Texas, New and Old Mexico,
Arizona, California, Japan, China, India, Australia,
New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands and Round theWorld,
Apply to E. HAWLEY
„_ L. H. NUTTING
or
A. Q. T. Mgr.
E. P. Agt.
Southern Pacific Co.'s Sunset, Ogden and Shasta Routes
Also Representing the Pacific Mail S. S. Co.; Occidental
& Oriental S. S. Co.; Houston & Texas Central R. R.;
Mexican International R. R. and San Antonio & Arkansas
Pass. Ry.
343 BROADWAY, or
Washington Building
1 BATTERY PLACE
New York