Show THE MEXICAN CENTENNIAL V By Frederic J. J Haskin Th RESIDENT PORFIRIO DIAZ of M Mexico and President nt William How P ard and Taft of the United States 1 celebrated celebrated celebrated cele- cele their birthdays September 15 Gen General tal Diaz became an octogenarian ian while President Taft attained d his third fifty year year- It f Is a a. singular coincident coin coin- dd nr-e nr that General Ot Diaz who has done dono doneso donoso so much to perpetuate the liberty of v Mexico should have ha bc been n born on the v vry r ry evo eve of the Mexican Fourth of ot 4 July He was as born V. V on the tho day precedIng preceding in ing the passing of the ee second ond decade of Mexican Ie Independence t 4 dence for It was onas on k the of Septem m 4 ber ben 1810 that General General General Gen Gen- eral Hidalgo took tool t V. V t the h st steps that were V si destined to become the equivalent of tIe the American declaration dec declaration dec dec- of dence Although for forel V 2 el eleven ven years ears the tho h heads ads of Hidalgo Frederic 4 LI Haskin I I and three or of his fellow patriots remained affixed on the spikes and exposed above the walls walts of the fortress at tho spirit that led them to proclaim Mexico's freedom from tho the Castilian yoke remained with their followers until the tho Yorktown of Mexico was fou fought ht in 1821 nine years ears before the birth of or General Diaz The celebrations In Mexico Mf City cover practically the entire month of ot September Septem Septem- ber but their climax came on Friday Frida when e every Mexican Joined In the fiesta of c centennial da day When the tho Mexicans have a holiday they do things up to the queens queen's taste for tor they are an experienced expert expert- people In the matter of holiday giving There are holidays In the Mexican calendar including Sundays Sunda's and It usually takes one ono day to get so sobered sobered so- so bored down for business after ea each h holi boll day The United States was represented d by special embassy at the Centennial day celebrations and thousands of A ns na were In Mexico City for that occasion The Thc people of the United States Statts wellmay well wellmay wellmay may feel a deep ep interest In the affairs of our sister republic below the tho Rio Grande Grand since It Is there that Am American rl an trade reach reaches s Its high water mark of acy The Mexicans get 66 68 per cent of ot all their Imports from toni the United States and send SO 80 per cent of their exports to this country England and Germany both have come to realize that American In Interests Interests interests In- In are supreme In Mexican trade circles cirdes cir cir- cir cir- cles des and practically ar conceding that field to the United States THat the United d Stat States s is taking advantage of this concession is shown by the fact that nearly nearly near near- ly Iy of American capital is in invested invested In- In vested ested In Mexican enterprises The rod of wealth waIth from north of tho the Rio Grande Is smiting the rock of undeveloped re resources resources resources re- re sources in Mexico and id making a stream of golden treasure to flow from it There are more than Americans in Mexico Mex Mex- ico Leo today and the Mexican government seeing that th they y are doing so eo much toward malting making that country a land of i present opportunity is extending them a hearty welcome Few people realize that nearly one half of the entire territory of Mexico lies north of the tho southernmost point of the United d States and fewer still know that practically half of this territory is on table lands so high that the tho climate Is fa AS RS cool as the most temperate part of the United States The country has a coast coastline coastline coastline line almost as long as that of or the United States although its area is only about third one-third as S great groat Its population amounts to approximately and although h education Is beginning to become general more than of Its people can ean an neither read nor write Longevity Isa is isa a a. characteristic of the Mexican an the last census g that there thoro were who were over V over oye 90 00 yari years e ers rs of fV ago age a and nd who were more than In religion there are Roman Catholics under the pastoral care of priests Nineteen per cent of ot the population is white 45 per pr percent percent cent mixed and 38 SS per cent Indians No Norace Norace Norace race in America today represents such an admixture of blood as the Mexican in whose veins flows Iberian Semite Ham- Ham ite Itc Gothic Vandal Roman and Collie Celtic blood to M say ay nothing of the parent stock o of Indian and its Aztec and Toltec origin It Is the wish of General Diaz that the present centennial year ear should witness a areat great reat revival of education In his country To that end ho he has recommended that every state and municipality In the country country coun coun- try signalize tho year yeat by establishing schools and other institutions for the enlightening of the tho masses of tho the people We Vo are prone to forget that Mexico was the ver very cradle of American ci civilization za that the first university In tho new now world was wa founded In Mexico almost a hundred years ears before the Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod and quarters three of a century before before be be- fore foro Jamestown was settled That un university university uni uni- 1 had an unbroken existence of three centuries la lacking two years and Isto Isto is isto to be reopened during the present cent centennial cen cen- t tennial year ear The first college on new world soil was a It venerable Institution when Harvard and William and Mary Iary were founded A full thousand year have passed since Mexico's first cities were built bunt and she had towns and villa vil VII la lages Es E's and white walled temples and palaces palaces palaces pal pal- aces before the Norsemen skirted the tho shore of Newfoundland and setta General Diaz Is in thorough a aCcord ac accord aC- aC cord with the American belief In universal sal fal education and declares that It Jt is our foremost Interest We Ve regard It as the foundation of our prosperity and the basis of our very ery existence There Is nothing that makes the Americans who have havo In interests terest there thorn more hopeful of 1 Mexico's future than this awakening spirit of universal universal uni wit versa versal education No other nation on earth has such a wide range of Interest for tho the traveler tra as the republic of Mexico With its mountains mountains moun moun- reaching to the realms of perpetual perpetual perpetual per per- snow and Its lowlands 1 lying ln Inthe in the tho region of greatest heat in the torrid zone one ono ma may at nt one vie view h behold hol all the dIversity It 0 of climate he would find in ingoing ingoing going from froni UIe ten ten-a tor r to the north pole and all an the rang range of venation from polar to tropic Ft seas Th There ra are aro two varieties vane varie tit ties of mammal qU quadrupeds in the r ru re 20 kinds kind of ef It fo fo Is 50 60 species of humming bird 15 1 other kinds of birds Varieties of insects 43 of or reptiles and anti a of or plant life hI fco o grat gnat that the scientists have not zot yet ct catalogued them nl at tl Th ro nn ar nov about miles of in Mexico Mt a 8 lau large Iare e portion of or which was built hunt b by capital from th the United United Unit Unit- ed td States State Tie Tle mill mineral wealth of the fh republic Is 15 estimated to run far into the billions and nt nearly every Important mineral min mm- eral known to the mineralogist Is to bo ho found In quantities that will meet the demand of the miner for or centuries to come As yet et the problem of or R tion is Js not engaging the tho attention of th the Mexican authorities It is still sUI a question of plon pioneering and unlocking the great t storehouses of treasure that remain all allbut allbut but unopened It would be he unsafe for anyone to be carried away b by the literature of ot promotion promotion promo promo- tion concerning Mexican rubber plantations plantations planta planta- and other r agricultural opportunities ties tips as at astry try stry few o of them that arc are a ad advertised ad- ad are arc ly to h he productive of dividends in the near future 1 Yet t. t for forthe forthe or orthe the pioneer In the farming rt regions lons of Mexico 1001 co there is abundant opportunity Th The table I lands nd of offer a climate that for uniformity and n delightfulness Is excelled n nowhere and there are arc millions of ot fertile acres that ar ant available fL for cultivation It ha been shown that oranges may be grown in Mexico l and azid sent to New York r reaching there t two lull full months month ahead of th the California ux i i arid and that lemons lemon nourish the whole year round It will willlie he lie recalled that at the end of the tho Boar war ar Mexico offered the Boors Boers a sr great at stretch of territory U m in n the state of or Chi Chi- Many 1 accepted the offer and the tho Boer colony in Chihuahua Is now one no noot of ot the most Interesting farming communities ti ties s of the hole chole I Among Amon those who came camo over was as General and anda a sturdy race of Is growing up Only lately Senor Enrique Creel late to the United States stood godfather for tho the arrival In the tho family One of or tho the influences retarding M Mv M. v can growth I lit Is the tc j eon and his e condition lie Ho lives In dirt squalor and nd Ignorance hut s PS ready to assist a a. friend as ho is 15 to resent a wrong or avenge an insult He HI h works like a a. Trojan Trojan Tro Tro- jan It If encouraged d but shirks like a Hot Hot- If It bullied He hR has no ambition to h be rich or to climb the the- ladder er of in In- In As lon long Ions as s he has hal his tortillas well bak baked and plenty of or pulque to drink he cares little for pro progress r or the betterment betterment better bUer ment Of his own condition Pulque I Is hi the na national lIonal drink of the Mexican It is made from a plant known us the American aloe or sometimes A as Rf the century plant from the fact tact that It blooms so rarely The plant Isa Isa is isa a species of the maguey plant which supplies the Mexican with his paper his vinegar his molasses his rope his house roof root and his drink to say nothing of tho the fat worms that are f extracted d from the tho stock and eaten b by the Indians as aft the piece de resistance of 01 their meals When the old pulque plant withers r a multitude of suckers spring up These are set out and aud in from seven Reven to t ten n years reach the blooming stage The large blooming stock stockis is cut ut off oft and a hollow formed in the stem from which is gathered from ten to fifteen pints of unfermented juice every day for two or three months month This juice is mixed with Ith mother pulque to hasten fermentation after which It is 18 ready for for drinking As Aft It is neither pleasing to the smell nor to the taste and is prepared under conditions that are far from sanitary as anything w well can b be few Americans drink it No l land nd in ira the new world offers great great- fr tr attractions for tor the tourist better advantages advantages ad ad- vantages for or the health se seeker ker safer conditions conditions con con- for the intelligent investor or more promise for a rich future than Mex Mex- ico leo The Tho greatest feeling of International comity exists between it and our republic tic lic le and in celebrating its Is centennial year ear earI It I is the hope o of the government at Washington ton that together the they may so direct te trend of national international events in direct pan America that by the time of the second Mexican centennial the new nw world may mey lead tead the tho old in all al lines of human progress Tomorrow Tomorrow President President Tafts Taft's Birthday |