South America to-day; a study of conditions, social, political and commercial in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil

SOUTH AMERICA
TO-DAY

A STUDY OF CONDITIONS, SOCIAL

POLITICAL, AND COMMERCIAL

IN ARGENTINA, URUGUAY

AND BRAZIL

BY

GEORGES CLEMENCEAU

FORMERLY PRIME MINISTER OF FRANCE

G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS

NEW YORK AND LONDON

Huifcfccrbocfccr press
1911

COPYRIGHT, 1911

BV
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS

TTbe fmicfcerbocfcer press, flew

INTRODUCTION

HAVE been asked for my impres-
sions as a traveller in South
America. I had no sooner pro-
mised them than a difficulty pre-
sented itself. I have no notes of my journey,
and I should be sorry to have them, for it is
annoying to record impressions in black and
white at the precise moment when one feels
them most vividly. And I pass over in silence
the hour when it is wisdom to remain quiet.

The task of Christopher Columbus was light-
ened by one fact. America was there, station-
ary, in the middle of the sea, only waiting for
some one to knock against it. I even found in
Brazil an eminent Senator for the State of &UuL
B*»i, Senor Almeida Nogueira, who declared
that the principal event of that Friday, October
12th, was the discovery — by the original Ameri-
cans— of Europe in the person of the great
Genoese. They had this advantage over him —
they had not left their homes.

iii

228512

iv INTRODUCTION

What was I going to discover in my turn, at
the risk of being myself discovered? — unknown
countries? — unheard-of peoples? — virgin civilisa-
tions?— or simply points of comparisons for new
judgments on myself and on my country?

Our self-satisfaction will not allow us readily
to admit that we have anything to learn from
young communities, though we are too ready
to talk in generalities about them. "We cannot
deny, however, that their effort is fine, and tends
continually toward success.

In such a result the least quick-sighted of us
must be interested. Facility of communication
has multiplied the points of contact between
the men of every country. One of our first
needs is to correct the vague or false concep-
tions of the different human societies borne by
this globe in a tumult of joy and misery towards
destinies unknown.

Because there was no one to contradict them,
travellers of ancient times were able to give full
play to their wildest imaginings. A proverb
even sanctions their lack of veracity. When
our good Herodotus related that the army of
Xerxes dried up the rivers on its passage, the

INTRODUCTION

Athenians, perhaps, were not astonished. Chris-
topher Columbus himself died in ignorance of
the continent on which he had landed, convinced
that he had reached the east coast of Asia.
To-day it is another matter. From the Poles
to the torrid zone are at work innumerable ex-
plorers who only succeed painfully in discover-
ing the new at the price of being verified by
their rivals. The incidents which accompanied
the probable discovery of the North Pole by
Commander Peary showed the danger of rash
assertions, even when denial seemed only pos-
sible from seals and white bears.

I enjoy, happily, the great advantage of hav-
ing discovered nothing. And, as I am less am-
bitious of astonishing my contemporaries than
of suggesting reflections by the way, I shall
perhaps escape offending the susceptibilities of
those formidable savants who, having theorised
upon everything, can only see everything from
the standpoint of their studies. Statisticians
had better avoid me; I have nothing to tell
them. Having no preconceived notions, I shall
not attempt to make facts square with them.
Having in mind Voltaire's expression that the

vi INTRODUCTION

most mischievous ignorance is^that of the critic,
I confess that my own criticism of old civilisa-
tions makes me indulgent towards new experi-
ments outside Europe.

I am of my time and my country, and at the
end of a long career I submit with equanimity
to the public the opinions and judgments I have
gained. I do not share the prejudices current
in Paris against the suburban dwellers of Villers-
sur-Marne or St. Cloud. Our comic journals
and our plays have inflicted the same kind of
torture upon the South Americans. Having
ridiculed them for so long, has not the moment
come when we should study them, not merely
to flatter ourselves at their expense, but as a
people who, more than any other, are our intel-
lectual children, and to ask ourselves whether
we cannot sometimes learn something from
them?

It is not in three months that one gets de-
finite ideas as to the future of these vast terri-
tories, where a work of civilisation is going on
which will inevitably change the political and
social equilibrium of the planet that to-day is
still, in effect, European. It is always difficult

INTRODUCTION vii

to report faithfully what one has seen, for there
is an art in seeing as in telling. Without claim-
ing to have achieved it, I venture to hope that
my observations, impartially recorded, will bear
the seal of good faith and be of some use to
the reader.

It is obvious that the towns of South America,
though some of them are very fine and well
laid out, cannot, by reason of their recent his-
tory, offer monuments comparable with those of
Europe. One not infrequently hears a remark
of this sort : " Have you seen that old church
over there? It is at least forty or fifty years
old ! " The towns derive their chief interest
from their situation and surroundings; their in-
ternal features are only those which Europe has
been pleased to send them in superabundance.
There remain the land and the people, two
worthy subjects of study. The land, rich in un-
developed forces, calls for new energies. As it
only becomes valuable through human labour,
everything depends upon man's activity. In the
depth of his soul, at once ingenuous and com-
plex, are inscribed all the mysteries of the past,
all the secrets of the future.

viii INTRODUCTION

Admitting that American civilisation is of
recent origin, it must be said that the American
peoples, far from suffering from growing pains,
as we are fond of imagining, are really old races
transplanted. Like us, they bend under the
weight of a heavy history of glory and human
suffering; they are imbued with all our tradi-
tions, good or bad; and they are subject to the
same difficulties, whilst manifesting their vital
energies in an environment better adapted to
their display.

Then, again, let us not fail to distinguish
between Latin America of the South and Anglo-
Saxon America of the North. Let us refrain as
well from generalities, sometimes unjustifiable,
regarding the parallel development of two orders
of civilisation, and the future destinies which,
in hours of crisis, may appear uncertain, of old
historic races.

I shall deal only with Latin America, with-
out, however, losing sight of the great Republic
of the North, where I lived nearly four years.
Since neither Jefferson nor Washington fore-
saw the economic evolution which, in a little
more than a hundred years, was to be realised

INTRODUCTION ix

by their infant Republic, it behoves me to be
modest in my prophecies. But, if I firmly be-
lieve that, in spite of the " historic materialism "
of Karl Marx, commercial interests are not the
only factors in civilisation; if I take from an
eminent writer in Brazil, Senor Arinos de Mello,
the curious information that in 1780, at 1400
kilometres from the coast, at the house of his
great-grandfather, who had never seen the ocean,
a company of amateurs played the tragedies of
Voltaire — I must conclude that the influence of
Ideas, inherited from our forefathers, is not less
certain or durable than that of international
trade relations. This I say with no intention
of depreciating the importance of such com-
merce as, even at that time, served as the
vehicle of Ideas — just as the good sailing ship
transported a copy of Voltaire's Herope or
Mahomet from Rotterdam to Pernambuco, and
a train of mules took a month to complete the
journey. It should remind us that moral in-
fluences are not inferior in results to monetary
affairs.

We French have allowed ourselves to be out-
stripped in economic matters at too many points

INTRODUCTION

of the globe. Yet, notwithstanding our mis-
takes, our eighteenth century — with the Revolu-
tion which was its inevitable outcome — has
constituted for us a patrimony of moral author-
ity which we should seek not only to preserve,
but also, if possible, to enlarge.

G. C.

CONTENTS

PAGE

INTRODUCTION . iii

CHAPTER

I. THE OUTWARD VOYAGE .... 1

II. MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES . . 18

III. BUENOS AYRES (Continued) . . .48

IV. FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA . . 81

V. ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND

ASYLUMS 109

VI. ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, AND MORALS 142

VII. ARGENTINE POLITICS .... 175

VIII. PAMPAS LIFE 204

IX. FARMING AND SPORT .... 233

X. ROSARIO AND TUCUMAN .... 257

XI. URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS . . . 289

xi

xii CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGB

XII. Kio DE JANEIRO ..... 316

XIII. BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY . . 352

XIV. BRAZILIAN COFFEE 389

INDEX . . . 427

SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

South. America To-Day

CHAPTER I

THE OUTWARD VOYAGE

HE Regina Elena is in harbour. A
great white boat vomits volumes
of black smoke from its two fun-
nels, whilst the siren sounds the
familiar farewell. Two gangways, on which
luggage and passengers are jostling desperately,
present the peculiar spectacle of departing
crowds. On a dais of multi-coloured sunshades,
the wide hats of beautiful Genoese women offer
their good wishes to the little veiled toques
of the travellers. People stop in the narrowest
part of the gangway to laugh and cry together.
Vainly the human flood tries to break through
the obstacle. The current, according to its
strength, carries the living mass of feathers and

2 ' -SdTH AMERICA TO-DAY

ribbons back to the landing-place or pushes it
on to the deck, where, in a perfect maze of move-
ment and exclamations, it continues to stop the
traffic.

Not far away, heavily laden with nondescript
burdens, the silent emigrant forces his way to
the lower deck, dragging old parents and young
children after him. Do not imagine the emi-
grant leaving Italy for the Argentine to be the
miserable human specimen one generally sees.
He is neither more nor less than a workman
moving from one hemisphere to another. We
shall meet him again on board. Strongly at-
tached to family life, his peculiarity is to move
about with his wife and progeny. The dif-
ference in seasons allows him, a&er cutting corn
on the Pampas, to return toJLtaly for the har-
vest. Often he settles down in the Argentine
under the conditions which I shall explain later,
and takes strong root there. Often, again, the
love of his native land speaks louder than his
love of adventure, and the steamship companies
are glad to profit by the circumstance.

The siren has blown its last authoritative
blast; the last visitors have returned to land;

THE OUTWARD VOYAGE

the huge monster glides gently out to sea. One
sees nothing but waving handkerchiefs and
hears nothing but parting words. We are off.
" Good-bye." The grand amphitheatre of white
marble and sunburnt stones glides slowly past
us, dazzling in the warm light. Already our
eyes were looking with curiosity and hopeful-
ness towards the liquid plain. Are we flying
from Europe, or is Europe flying from us?
From this moment we shall look to see
America surge up from the horizon on the day
ordained.

The first impressions of the boat are excellent :
it is admirably fitted up; clean as a new pin,
with good attendance. We are welcomed in a
most charming manner by the Captain, de Bene-
detti, a galant 'uomo, who advertises his French
sympathies by flying a French flag. A fortnight
in a handsome moving prison, with floods of
salt air to fill one's lungs, and the marvellous
panorama of sky and sea, shot with luminous
arrows. Our daily promenades are those of
prisoners condemned to walk in an eternal cir-
cle. As long as land is in sight, our eyes linger
on the blue line of mountains, which speaks to

SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

us of the country which, in spite of the revolving
screw, our hearts refuse to leave.

The Ligurian coast, crowned by Alpine
heights; Provence, rich in memories, blue
mountains darkened by the dying day; grey
spots, which represent Toulon and Marseilles.
A choppy, rather rough sea, complicated by
a ground swell, as we cross the Bay of Lyons,
tries the ladies, who had hitherto been very
lively. They retire to their cabins, whence issue
sinister sounds.

But let us pass on. To-morrow's sun will
illumine the joyous hospitality of Barcelona.

Never did land look so fascinating to me. I
have crossed the Atlantic eight times without
ever feeling that kind of anticipated regret for
the old Continent. Youth longs for the Un-
known, but age learns to fear it.

The passengers lunched on shore. Then came
a visit i^j&Q Rambla, sad and deserted under
the grey sky. We linger over our first let-
ters home, which can neither be called letters
from abroad nor letters of farewell. A cab car-
ries us about in a haphazard way, past modern
houses which are a disgrace to Spain and our

THE OUTWARD VOYAGE

epoch, and past facades of convents burnt down
in the last revolution. Finally, we are driven
back to the quay, where, since morning, a crowd
of fruit-sellers, picturesquely attired in red and
yellow, have been selling their wares to the emi-
grants, forbidden by the regulations to land at the
ports of call. Nets attached to long poles, filled
with provisions of all sorts, are offered to the pas-
sengers on the lower decks and held at a safe
distance until the sum, which has been volubly
disputed, falls into the outstretched apron below.

But the signal is given. The teeming market
disappears, and, without more ado, we put out
to sea. In the dusk of the evening we discern
the white summits of the Sierra Nevada, in
whose shadow lie Granada and the Alhambra.
We shall pass Gibraltar in the night, and at
dawn to-morrow we shall have only the blue
monotony of the infinite sea.

It is five days' steam to St. Vincent, in the
Cape Verde Islands. The passengers shake
down, grouping themselves according to na-
tional or professional affinities. Stretched on
arm-chairs of excessive size — which turn the
daily walk into a steeplechase — fair ladies,

6 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

wrapped in shawls and gauzes, and profoundly
indifferent to the comfort of others, try to read,
but only succeed in yawning. They chatter
aimlessly without real conversation. The cries
of the children create a diversion, and a badly-
trained dog is a fruitful topic for discussion.
The men sit down to bridge, or smoke innumer-
able pipes in the Winter Garden. I catch scraps
of business talk around me.

The boldest foot it on the deck, but their
enterprise does not please the gentler passengers,
who are in quiet possession of the only space
available for exercise. Soon, under the guise
of sops to the ravenous ocean appetite, piles of
plates, glasses, and decanters, complicated with
stools and travelling rugs, encumber the pas-
sageway. As the soft roll of the ship causes
a certain disturbance of the crockery, the
pedestrian, young or old, has always a chance
of breaking his leg — a contingency to which
the ladies appear to be perfectly indifferent.
The piano suffers cruelly from sharp raps
administered by knotty juvenile fingers. An
Italian lady sings, and one of my own country-
women sketches a group of emigrants.

THE OUTWARD VOYAGE

In the primitive setting of the steerage every-
body is already at home and appears happy.
Attentive fathers walk and play with their off-
spring and occasionally smack them by way of
showing them the right path. Mothers are
nursing their babies or washing clothes. I am
told that there are no fewer than twenty-six
nursing mothers out of a total of six hundred
third-class passengers on board. Amid the
Italian swarm, brightly coloured groups of
Syrians stand out. The women, tattooed,
painted, and clad in light-coloured draperies,
sometimes covered with silver ornaments, fall
naturally into the dignified and statuesque pose
of the Oriental. A few are really handsome,
with a sort of passive sensuality of bearing. It
is said that the Syrians are the licensed pedlars
of the Pampas.

A visit between decks shows that the ventila-
tion is good and TJfaL cleanliness is insured by
incessant application of brush and hose. The
sick bay is well kept. One or two patients are
in the maternity ward awaiting an interesting
event before the Equator can be reached. The
food is wholesome and abundant. The Italian

8 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Government keeps a permanent official on board
who is independent of the officers of the ship,
and sees that the regulations concerning hy-
giene and safety for this class of passengers
are rigorously carried out. Frightful abuses in
former days necessitated these measures, which
are now entirely efficacious.

We are looking forward to calling at St.
Vincent as a welcome break in the monotony
of our days. However, thanks to wireless tele-
graphy, we are no longer cut off from the world
on this highly perfected raft which balances our
fortunes between heaven and sea. One cannot
help feeling surprised when presented with an
envelope bearing the word " Telegram." Some
one has sent me his good wishes for the voy-
age from France by way of Dakar. Then by
the same mysterious medium the passengers of
a ship we shall meet to-morrow wave their hats
to us in advance. On several occasions I have
had the pleasure of receiving messages of this
sort; they are incidents in a day. From time
to time we can read the despatches of the news
agencies posted in the saloon. I leave you to
imagine how, with our abundant leisure, we dis-

THE OUTWARD VOYAGE 9

cuss the news. From St. Vincent to the island
of Fernando de Noronha, the advanced post of
Brazil, I do not think we were ever more than
two days out of range of wireless telegraphy.
When it is compulsory to have a wireless in-
stallation on board all ships, collisions at sea
can never occur. I visit the telegraph office
situated forward on the upper deck. It is a
small cabin where an employee sits all day strik-
ing sparks from his machine as messages arrive
from all parts of the horizon; the sound re-
minds me of the crackling of a distant mitrail-
leuse. Here one must not allow the mind to
wander even with the smoke of one's cigarette.
Through a technical blunder our unfortunate
telegraphist, without knowing it, sent the in-
formation to Montevideo that we were in danger.
In consequence, we learnt from the newspapers
on our arrival that the Government was send-
ing a State ship to our help. We thus experi-
enced the sweet sensation of peril without
danger, whilst the employee guilty of the error
found himself discharged.

We shall not profit by the call at St. Vincent,
since we arrive in the night. It is in vain that

10 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

they tell us that the Cape Verde Islands are
nothing but a series of arid, yellow rocks; that
St. Vincent can only show commonplace houses
and cabins with the inevitable cocoanut-trees ;
that the " town " is only inhabited by negroes
who pick up a living from the ships that put
in here to coal; whilst the English coal import-
ers and real masters of this Portuguese posses-
sion live up in the hills. Nevertheless, we are
disappointed of an opportunity to stroll on shore
towards a clump of trees, apparently planted
there with the object of justifying the name of
the place, which is in reality the most barren
spot.

On our way we had passed the denuded rocks
which somebody tells us are,, called the Canaries.
St. Vincent, it seems, is a second edition of the

Canaries — only more sterile. We have no diffi-

"~ ~~"
culty in believing it when at nightfall the

_Jtegina Elena stops at the bottom of a deep
black hole dotted with distant lights, of which
some are fixed to the bows of small craft or
tugboats drawing coal lighters, which dance up
to us on the waves.

Suddenly, as in the third act of L'Africaine,

THE OUTWARD VOYAGE 11

under the orders of an invisible Nelusko, we are
invaded on the starboard and port side by a
dual horde of savages. They are fearful-looking
blacks, with grinning masks, clothed in coal-
dust, who swarm like monkeys up the shrouds
and fall on deck with the laugh of cannibals.
We are assured that our lives are not in danger,
and, in fact, they are no sooner amongst us
than, attacked with sudden shyness, they offer
in a low voice and in a language in which
French and English are strangely mixed, an
assortment of cocoanuts, bananas, and bags
made of melon seeds, to which they seem to
attach great importance.

Once more we fall back on the small events
of our daily life on board, of which the prin-
cipal is to find the point in the southern horizon
by which the speed of the ship can be calculated,
under given conditions of wind and tide. On
the New York crossing, the Americans make
of this detail an excuse for a daily bet. I notice
that the South Americans are less addicted to
this form of sport. The first impression made
upon me by these South American families with
whom I am thrown in daily contact is eminently

12 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

favourable. Simplicity, dignity, and gracious-
ness are what I see : I find none of the extrava-
gance ascribed to them by rumour. Only on
one point am I led to make a criticism: their
children seem to enjoy the utmost license of
speech and action.

Henceforth our only subject of conversation
is the probable date on which we shall cross
the Equator. The Regina Elena, with a dis-
placement of 10,000 tons, did 17 knots on her
trials. If she makes 14 or 15 now, we are satis-
fied. The sea is calm: not a stomach protests.
In these latitudes the storms of the North
Atlantic are unknown. We shall make the
crossing from Barcelona to Buenos Ayres in
fifteen or sixteen days. A long rest for any one
leaving or seeking a life of excitement.

We amuse ourselves by watching troops of
dolphins, divine creatures, passing from the joys
of the air to those of the sea with a facile grace.
What legends have been created about these
mammals! From the most ancient times they
have been the friends of the seafarer! They
save the shipwrecked, and surrender to the
charms of music. According to Homeric song.

THE OUTWARD VOYAGE 13

it was from the dolphin that Apollo borrowed
the disguise in which he led the Cretan fisher-
men to the shores of Delphi, where later his
temple was built. How true to life is the un-
dulating line of the bas-reliefs on the monument
of Lysicrates, in which the Tyrrhenian pirates,
transformed into dolphins, fling themselves into
the ocean, as though in feverish haste to try
a new life! Souvenirs of this old tale surge in
my brain until I hear a voice saying harshly:
" All these filthy beasts ought to be killed with
dynamite, for they destroy the nets of the fisher-
men. Good-bye to poetic legend! Friendship
between man and the dolphin ends in utilitarian
holocausts !

Civilisation has not yet stamped out the fly-
ing-fish. It is still left to us to enjoy the spec-
tacle of the great sea-locusts in flight, rising in
flocks into the air to escape from their greedy
comrades in the water, and dappling the wide
blue plain with their winged whiteness. They
remind me of the story of the traveller who
was readily believed when he declared he had
found at the bottom of the Red Sea a horseshoe
belonging to the cavalry of Pharaoh swallowed

14 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

up in their pursuit of the Hebrews. But when
he talked of flying-fish, he found no credence
anywhere! It is true men have told so many
tales that it is not easy to know when it is
safe to show surprise.

A daily increasing and heavy heat meets us
as we draw near the Line. Light flannel suits
are brought into requisition, and breathing be-
comes difficult to redundant flesh. We are in
the Black Pot — skies low, heavy with iron-grey
clouds; an intermittent, fine rain which cools
nothing; a glassy sea; no breeze stirring. It
feels like the interior of a baker's oven. We
take refuge in the dangerous electric fan which
is unequalled for adding a bad cold to the dis-
agreeable sensation of suffocation.

Nothing remains of the famous ceremony of
christening the passenger who crosses the Line
for the first time. The innocent performance is
now converted into a ball, with a subscription
for the crew. Passengers on the lower deck
waltz every evening with far less ceremony, to
the strains of an accordion, varying the enter-
tainment by playing at Horra, the national
game. They stand up in couples and aim ter-

THE OUTWARD VOYAGE 15

rifle blows at each other's faces, accompanying
the movement with savage cries. If you watch
carefully you will find that in this game of
fisticuffs the closed hand is stopped just in time
and, at the same moment, a certain number of
fingers are shot out. Simultaneously a voice
cries a number, always less than ten; and the
game consists in trying to announce beforehand
how many fingers have been pointed by the two
partners. This sport, which has the advantage
of requiring none but Nature's implements, is a
great favourite with the Italians. Often, in the
early morning, from my berth, I used to hear
an alarming barking in the direction of the bows,
which seemed to be the beginning of a deadly
quarrel, but was in reality merely the fun of
the Morra.

Brazilian territory is now in sight — Fernando
de Noronha. It is a volcanic island three days off
Rio de Janeiro. Successive streams of lava have
given strangely jagged outlines to the peaks.
A wide opening in the mountain lets in a view
of the shining sea on the other side of the
island. Three lofty poles of wireless telegraphy
stand out among the foliage. They say that

16 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

these posts were set there by Frenchmen.
Goodluck to them!

Captain de Benedetti pays me the compliment
of celebrating the Fourteenth of July. The
Queen's portrait is framed in the flags of the
two nations. In the evening we have cham-
pagne and drink healths. An Italian senator,
Admiral de Brochetti, expresses, in well-chosen
language, his appreciation of the friendship of
France and I echo his good wishes for the sister
nation.

Is there any better relief from the exhaustion
of a sleepless night in the tropics than a solitary
walk beneath the starry firmament of the South-
ern Hemisphere? Naturally, I sought the South-
ern Cross as soon as it had risen above the
horizon. It was another disillusionment caused
by an inflated reputation. Where are ye, O
Great Bear and Pleiades, and where the Belt
of Orion? On the other hand, words fail to
describe the Alpha of Argo. Every morning,
between three and four o'clock, I see on the port
side a sort of huge blue diamond which appears
to lean out of the celestial vault towards the
black gulf of the restless sea as if to illumine

THE OUTWARD VOYAGE 17

its abysses. I receive the most powerful sen-
sation of living light that the firmament has
ever given to me. If there is in any part of
infinite space a prodigious altar of celestial fire,
that focus must be Canopus. It was assuredly
there that Prometheus stole the heavenly spark
with which he kindled in us the light of life.
There, too, Vesta watches over the eternal
hearth of sacred fire in which is concentrated
a more divine splendour than even that of a
tropical sun.

But now the earth calls us back to herself,
or, rather, it is the stormy ocean that rouses
us, for as we approach the immense estuary of
La Plata a tempest of icy wind blows suddenly
upon us from the south. This is the pampero,
the south wind, the wind from the Pampas,
which blows straight from the frozen tops of
the Andes. A heavy swell makes the Regina
Elena roll in the great yellow waves, for al-
ready the clay of the Kio de la Plata is per-
ceptible in the sea and gives it the aspect of
a vast ocean of mud. To-morrow morning we
shall be in Montevideo.

CHAPTER II v -fc^/,

MONTEVIDEO AND ^BUENOS AYRES

[HROUGH the vaporous atmosphere
of the sky-line appear the serrated
edges of Montevideo, the capital
of Uruguay, which was formerly
a province of the Argentine, but is to-day an
independent republic. In the current language
of Buenos Ayres, Uruguay is known simply as
" the Oriental Band," and when you hear it said
of any one that " he is an Oriental," know that
by this term is not meant a Turk or a Levantine,
but the inhabitant of the smallest republic in
South America, hemmed in between the left bank
of the Uruguay, Brazil, and the sea.

Quite apart from the question of size, the
Argentine and Uruguay have too much in com-
mon not to be jealous of each other. The
Argentines would appear to think that the pro-
digious development of their country must ulti-

18

MONTEVIDEOlAND BUENOS A7RES 19
jiin 1

mately have the effect of bringing back Uruguay
to the fold. This may be so ; but it is also quite
possible that the " Oriental Band " in her pride
will continue to cherish her independence.
Meantime, while leaving to the future the solu-
tion of the question, there is a little friction
between them. Uruguay's revolutionary shocks
usually originate in^Argentine territory, across
the river. The Argentine Government is cer-
tainly averse to any leniency towards those who
incite to civil war, but it is not always able
to exact obedience. South American ways! It
is hardly necessary to add that the leaders of
an unsuccessful party are wont to take refuge
in Buenos Ayres — ten hours distant by the fine
boats on the estuary — and that the natural
magnet of commercial prosperity enlarges this
political nucleus by the powerful factor of
trade. There are no less than fifty thousand
Orientals l in the Argentine capital, and the
daily traffic between the two cities may be
judged by the crowd assembled morning and
evening on board the Piroscafi.

A brisk walk round the city to obtain a first
1 The census of 1904 shows only twenty-nine thousand.

20 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

impression of South America was the most I
could do in a stop of a few hours. The land-
ing was somewhat laborious owing to a heavy
sea. The President of the Eepublic was oblig-
ing enough to send me a greeting by one of his
aides-de-camp, and placed at my disposal the
most comfortable of boats, which, after dancing
gaily for a while on the waves, finally landed
us without too much trouble. The docks, con-
structed by a French firm, are nearly approach-
ing completion. The great European vessels
could here, as at Eio, moor alongside the quays.
Why should the Regina Elena lie off outside?
A question of red-tape, such as I found later
at Rio de Janeiro, exposes travellers to the an-
noyance of transhipping when every accom-
modation exists for mooring inside the harbour.
Thus on these Latin shores I found a familiar
feature of my own bureaucratic land.

Beside the French Minister, who is a friend,
numerous journalists of pen and kodak came to
offer a cordial welcome to their confrere. M.
Sillard, an eminent engineer from the " Cen-
tral " School at the head of the French colony
here, is in charge of the harbour works. He has

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES 21

succeeded in winning for our country the esteem
of every class of the population. The motor-
cars start off. The first jisiti*- to the Post-office
where I am greetedU)$LJLjC_o_rdial Montevidean
whom I do not recognise but whose first word
reveals an habitue of Paris. I have travelled
by a long road to find out here the boulevard
atmosphere !

There can be no two opinions about Monte-
video. It is^a big^cheerlul town, with handsome
avenues well laid out. Some fine monuments
denote a capital city. Streets animated but not
too noisy ; sumptuous villas in the suburbs ; sub-
tropical vegetation in gardens and parks; a
pleasant promenade amid the palm-trees by the
sea. The dwelling-houses are for the most part
of the colonial type. A very lofty ground-floor,
with door and windows too often surcharged
with ornament resembling the sugar-icing of the
Italian pastry-cook, and calculated to convey to
these sunny lands an idea of cheap art. The
unexpected thing is that the first floor stops
short at its balconies as if sudden ruin had
overtaken the builder. I found this feature re-
peated ad infinitum wherever I went. The most

SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

modest of citizens, as soon as he can turn his
back on his primitive cabin of corrugated iron,
makes a point of arousing the admiration of the
public with the decorative balcony of a first
floor that will never be built. Koofs flat and
without chimneys: the climate allows of this.
Occasionally a balustrade that almost gives the
illusion of a finished building, but that the bal-
cony, cut off short at a height of from two to
three feet, leaves you again in doubt as to its
object. The drawing-room windows are nat-
urally in the front of the house, and here ladies
in their indoor dress have no objection to show-
ing themselves for the delectation of passers-by.

But let us say at once that in these countries
where the blood is hot misconduct is rare. Men
marry young, and the demands of a civilisation
as yet untouched by decadence leaves little
energy for pleasure that must be sought else-
where than on the strait path. I will not say
but what the great attraction of Paris for many
South Americans is precisely the pleasure of the
novelty it offers in this respect. It is sufficient
for me to set down what came under my notice :
happy homes and regular habits; a tranquil en-

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES 23

joyrnent of a life of virtue. The living-rooms
are always grouped around a patio with its
colonnade bright with trees and flowers, and
here their occupants enjoy the utmost privacy
with an absence of street noises.

These are the impressions gathered in a hasty
walk, since my first visit was necessarily for
the President of the Republic and my time was
strictly limited. The Presidential palace was a

distinguished only by its

guard. Many of the soldiers show strong signs
of mixed blood. Curiously enough the sentry
is posted not on the pavement but out in the
street, opposite the palace. As traffic increases,
this rule will need to be changed. The Presi-
dent was not in his office. I was cordially re-
ceived, however, by the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, who was like the most obliging of Pa-
risians. A few steps from the palace I met the
President of the Republic, with a small crowd
round him, and easily recognisable by his high
hat. I was careful not to interrupt him. He
is going to do me the honour of receiving me
when I return to the capital of Uruguay.

Senor Williman is a compatriot, the son of a

24 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Frenchman, of Alsatian origin. Before his elec-
tion he was professor of physics, and he has
not thought it necessary to allow his political
, duties to interfere with his educational work;
\r * twice a week he lectures in the college, where
he becomes again the happy schoolmaster whose
pupils have not yet developed their powers of
X contradiction. This charming democratic sim-
plicity is in curious contrast with our own per-
sistent efforts to save as much of the ancient
autocratic machinery as possible from the
revolutionary shipwreck. It is agreeable to be
able to testify to the great personal influence
that M. Williman wields in this land of Latin
dissension.

We must get back to the ship, which is an-
nouncing its departure. With what pleasure
shall I revisit Montevideo! There is perhaps
more of a French atmosphere about the capital
of Uruguay than any other South American city,
and it has just enough exotic charm to quicken
our pleasure at finding French sympathies in
these foreign hearts. We get a view from the
deck of the Regina Elena, as we pass, of the
which is something like the Mont-

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES 25

Val£rien of Paris, and which in this land of
flat alluvial soil assumes a very great import-
ance. Like its prototype, it is crowned with
a bristling line of fortifications, and Uruguay is
so proud of this phenomenon that it has placed
the Cerro in the national arms, where it figures
in the form of a green sugar-loaf; no good Ori-
ental omits to tell you that there is nothing like
it in the Argentine.

Under the stinging breeze of the persistent
pampero, our " screw " began to turn again in
the heavy, clayey waters, with a slow, regular
rhythm. To-morrow at daybreak we shall be
looking through our glasses at the port of
Buenos Ayres.

The estuary of the Rio de la Plata (Silver
River1) that we have now entered is a ver-
itable sea. Though this immense sheet of water
is practically landlocked, there is no trace of
land on the horizon. It is said to be as wide
as the Lake of Geneva is long, not far short of
thirty miles, spreading to nearly five times these

1 The estuary, which is not a river, and which contains
not a particle of silver, was thus named from a few native
ornaments discovered in its bed by the first comers.

26 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

dimensions at its mouth, after a course of 350
kilometres.

The area covered by the estuary is larger
than Holland. Two big rivers, the Uruguay and
the Parana, pour their waters into this enormous
cul de sac, which is often ruffled by an unpleas-
ant sea, as at this moment, and, after their
junction at the small town of Nueva Palmira,
in Uruguay, they project into the Atlantic a
huge volume of water drawn from a vast water-
shed representing one quarter of South America.
The tide is felt nearly a hundred miles above
the confluence. Montevideo, 200 kilometres from
Buenos Ayres, seems to guard the entrance of
this inner sea, whilst the Argentine capital,
situated on the opposite shore, is almost at the
extremity of the bay. Clay deposits, silted down
by a relatively weak current, clog the estuary
and require constant dredging to keep the chan-
nel open to vessels of large tonnage. This is
the problem which faces the port authorities of
Buenos Ayres.

At last the town comes in sight. From out
the grey clouds driven by the pampero there
emerge the massive shapes of the tall elevators

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES 27

—those lofty cubes of masonry so dear to North
America. Neither church steeples nor any other
prominent monuments. Low, prosaic banks,
barely distinguishable from the water, a few
clumps of palms here and there, unbroken
plains, an utter absence of background to the
picture. We are preceded by two pilot boats,
their flags flying in honour of the President of
the Republic, who is lunching on board a train-
ing ship within the harbour.

Very slowly the Regina Elena brings up at
the quayside. The gangway is put out, and be-
hold a delegation of the Argentine Senate,
accompanied by an officer from the President's
military household, sent to welcome me. A
deputation from the French colony also arrives,
having at its head the governor of the French
Bank of Rio de la Plata, M. Py. Cordial hand-
shakes: a thousand questions from either side.
Friendly greetings are exchanged, some of them
taking almost the form of brief harangues in
which the mother-country is not forgotten.
Journalists swarm round us. As might be ex-
pected, the Prensa, Nation, and Diario have
each a word to say. I offer my best thanks to

28 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

the members of the Senate. Farewell to the
excellent Captain with my best wishes. Then
I get into the motor-car which ten minutes later
drops me at the door of my hotel. I am in the
Argentine Republic. Henceforth I must keep
my eyes open.

^.-Buenos Ayres first. It isjajarge European
cityr giving everywhere an impression of hasty
growth,, but foreshadowing, too, in its prodigious
progress, the capital of a continent. The Ave-
nida de Mayo, as wide as the finest of our
boulevards, recalls Oxford Street in the arrange-
ment of its shop-fronts and the ornamental fea-
tures of its buildings. It starts from a large
public square, rather clumsily decorated and
closed on the sea side by a tall Italian edifice,
known as the Palais Rose, in which Ministers
and President hold their sittings; it is balanced
at the other end of the avenue by another large
square with the House of Parliament, a colossal
building nearly approaching completion, with
a cupola that resembles that of the Capitol of
Washington. Every style of architecture is to
be seen, from the showy, the more frequent, to
the sober, comparatively rare. The finest build-

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES 29

ing is without question that of the wealthy
Prensa, which we shall visit later.

There is an epidemic of Italian architecture
in Buenos Ayres. Everywhere the eye rests on
astragals and florets, amid terrible complications
of interlaced lines. I except the dainty villas
and imposing mansions which call public at-
tention to the dwellings of the aristocracy. I
suppose that the business quarters of all cities
present the same features. The commercial
quarter of Buenos Ayres is the most crowded
imaginable. Highways that seemed spacious
twenty or thirty years ago for a population of
two or three hundred thousand souls have be-
come lamentably inadequate for a capital city
with more than a million. The footway, so nar-
row that two can scarcely walk abreast, is
closely shaved by a tramway, which constitutes
a danger to life and limb. The traffic is severely
regulated by a careful police. But so congested
with foot passengers do certain streets become
of an afternoon that they have had to be closed
to vehicles.

In spite of the wisest of precautions, the prob-
lem of shopping in the chief business district

30 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

is not easily solved. To stroll along, or, still
worse, to pause toJook in at a shop window,
is out of the question. Politeness demands here
that the honours of the road be paid to age as
to sex; so if by chance, in the confusion, you
come upon a friend, you must stand on the
outer edge of the pavement so as to check as
little as possible the flood of human beings
driven inwards by the almost continuous pass-
ing of the tramway. It is only just to add that
this means of locomotion, which is universally
adopted here, is remarkably well organised.
Still, there are occasions when one must go on
foot, and the municipal government, which has
laid out elsewhere broad highways in which
cabs, carriages, and motors may take their re-
venge for the scanty accommodation afforded
them in the overcrowded centre, is faced with
.^ the urgent necessity of laying out hundreds of
^V» millions of francs in a scheme for street improve-
ment that cannot be much longer postponed.

One of the peculiarities of Buenos Ayres is
that you can see no end to it. Since on the
side of the Pampas there is no obstacle to build-
ing operations, small colonial houses, similar

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS ATRES 31

to those that attracted my notice at Montevideo,
make a fringe on the edge of the city, that
extends ever farther and farther into the plain
in proportion as building plots in the city area
—the object of perpetual speculation — rise in
value. Some of brick, some of plaster or cement,
these villas make comfortable quarters in a land
where no chimney-stacks are needed. The qual-
ity of the building, however, goes down naturally
as one draws nearer the Pampas. The lowest
end of the scale offers the greatest simplifica-
tion: walls of clay dried in the sun, with a
roof of corrugated iron, or the more primitive
rancho, supported on empty oil-cans, placed at
convenient distances, with the spaces filled in
with boughs or thatch. One hardly knows
whether this outer edge of habitations can fairly
be included in the city area or not. The motor-
car has been travelling so long that a doubt is
permissible. The track is only a more or less
level, earth road, which just allows the car to
run over its surface but cannot be said to add
anything to the pleasure of the drive.

The drawback in this country is the absence
of wood, of stone, and of coal. No doubt in the

32 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

more distant provinces there are still fine forests,
which are being ruthlessly devastated either for
quebracho (the tree that is richest in tannin),
or for fuel for factory furnaces; but the cost of
transport is so great that the more prosperous
part of the Republic gets its timber from Nor-
way. Uruguay, on the other hand, supplies a
stone that is excellent both for building and for
macadam and paving: a heavy expense. As for
coal, it is the return cargo of English vessels
which carry as inward freight frozen meat and
live cattle.

Without comparing in density of shipping
with the ports of London, or New York, or Liver-
pool, a noble line of sea-monsters may be seen
here stretching seven miles in length, most of
them being rapidly loaded or unloaded in the
docks by powerful cranes. The scene has been
a hundred times described, and offers here no
specially characteristic features.

I should need a volume if I tried to describe
the plan and equipment of the docks of Buenos
Ayres. Those who take an interest in the sub-
ject can easily get all the information they need.
The rest will be grateful to me for resisting the

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AT RES 33

temptation to quote long lists of figures copied
from technical reports. Here it will suffice for
me to state that there are two ports — the Ria-
chuelo and the " port of the capital." The former
is a natural harbour formed by a stream of the
same name. It is used as the auxiliary of the
other, which is finely fitted with every appliance
of modern science. More than 30,000 craft, sail
and steam, come in and out annually, including
at least 4000 from overseas.

The big grain elevators have been described
over and over again. Those of Buenos Ayres
are no whit inferior to the best of the gigantic
structures of North America. Each can load
20,000 tons of grain in a day. To one there is
attached a mill said to be the largest in the
world. Covered by way of precaution with the
long white shirt that stamped us at once as
real millers, we wandered pleasantly enough
amongst the millstones and bolters which trans-
form the small grey wheat of the Pampas into
fine white flour. Our Beauce farmers accus-
tomed to heavy ears of golden wheat would not
appreciate this species, which, moreover, re-
quires careful washing. We were told that it

31 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

is the richest in gluten of all known species.
Diabetics know, therefore, for what to ask.

The slaughter-houses of the Negra, round
which I was taken by M. Carlos Luro (son of
a Frenchman) form a model establishment in
which no less than 1200 oxen are killed daily,
without counting sheep and pigs — a faithful
copy of the famous slaughter-houses of North
America. The beast, having reached the end
of a cul de sac, is felled by a blow from a
mallet and slips down a slope, at the foot of
which the carotid artery is cut. After this
operation, the body is hooked up by a small
wagon moving along an aerial rail, and is then
carried through a series of stages which end
in its being handed over in two pieces to the
freezing chambers to await speedy shipment for
England— the great market for Argentine meat.
The whole is performed with a rapidity so dis-
concerting that the innocent victim of our canni-
bal habits finds himself in the sack ready for
freezing, with all his inside neatly packed into
tins, before he has had time to think. " We
use everything but his squeals," said a savage
butcher of Chicago. Veterinaries are in at-

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES 35

tendance to inspect each beast, which in the
event of its being condemned is immediately
burnt.

The first colonists, arriving by sea, naturally
built their town close to the port. The capital
now, in its prosperity, seeks refinement of every
kind, and laments that the approach to the sea-
coast is disfigured by shipping, elevators, and
wharves. The same might be said of any great
seaport. Buenos Ayres in reality needs a new
harbour, but it looks as if the present one could
scarcely be altered.

It is naturally in this part of the town that
you find the wretched shanties which are the
first refuge of the Italian immigrants whilst
waiting for an opportunity to start off again.
Here is to be seen all the sordid misery of Euro-
pean towns with the accompaniment of the usual
degrading features. I hasten to add that help
— both public and private — is not lacking. The
ladies of Buenos Ayres have organised different
charitable works, and visit needy families; as
generosity is one of the leading traits in the
Argentine character, much good is done in this
way. There are no external signs of the

36 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

feminine degradation that disfigures our own
public streets.

Why is it that this swarm of Italians should
stop in crowded Buenos Ayres instead of going
straight out to the Pampas, where labour is so
urgently needed? I was told that the harvest
frequently rots on the fields for want of reap-
ers, and this in spite of wages that rise as high as
twenty francs per day. There are a good many
reasons for this. In the first place, such wages
as this are only for a season of a few months or
weeks. Then again, these Italian labourers com-
plain that if they venture far from the city, they
have no protection against the overbearing of
officials, who are inclined to take advantage of
their privileged position. I do not want to
dwell on the point. The same complaints — but
more detailed — reached me in Brazil. Both the
Argentine and Brazilian Governments, to whom
I submitted the charges brought against their
representatives, protested that whenever any
abuse could be proved against an agent he was
proceeded against with the utmost rigour of the
law. There can be no doubt as to the good
faith of the authorities, who have every interest

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES 37

in encouraging the rapid growth of the popula-
tion in the Pampas. Besides, it must be borne
in mind that the elements of immigration are
never of the highest quality. Still, I should not
be surprised to learn that there was occasion for a
stricter control in the direction I have indicated.

So far, I have said nothing of the beauties
of the city. It is a pity that amongst the
attractions of Buenos Ayres the sea cannot be
counted. A level shore does not lend itself to
decorative effect. A mediocre vegetation ; water
of a dirty ochre, neither red nor yellow; nothing
to be found to charm the eye. So I saw the
sea only twice during my stay at Buenos Ayres
—once on arrival, and again when I left. Dur-
ing the summer heat, that section of the popula-
tion which is not compelled to stay flees to Mar
del Plata, the Trouville of Buenos Ayres, a
charming conglomeration of beflowered villas on
an ocean beach.

A .perfectly healthy city. No expense has been
spared to satisfy the demands of a good system
of municipal sanitation. Avenues planted with
trees, gardens and parks laid out to ensure
adequate reserves of fresh air, are available to

38 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

all, and lawns exist for youthful sports. The
zoological and botanical gardens are models of
their kind. A fine racecourse, surrounded by
the green belt of foliage of the Argentine Bois
de Boulogne, is known as Palermo.

A Frenchman, the genial M. Thays, well
known amongst his European colleagues, has
entire control of the plantations and parks of
Buenos Ayres. M. Thays, who excels in French
landscape gardening, takes delight in devoting
his whole mind and life to his trees, his plants
and flowers. He is ready at any moment to
defend his charge against attacks — an attitude
that is wholly superfluous, since the public of
Buenos Ayres never lets slip an opportunity of
testifying its gratitude to him.

Wherever he discovers a propitious site, the
master-gardener plants some shoot which will
one day be a joy to look upon. He has laid
out and planted fine parks. He has large green-
houses at his disposal, and any prominent citi-
zen, or any association popular or aristocratic
can, for the asking, have the floral decorations
needed for a fete delivered at his door by the
municipal carts.

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES 39

In his search-after rare plants for the enrich-
ment of his town, M. Thays has visited equa-
torial regions — the Argentine, Bolivia, Brazil.
As his ambition vaults beyond the boundaries
of Buenos Ayres, he has conceived a project,
already in process of execution, of founding a
great national park, as in the United States,
in which all the marvels of tropical vegetation
may be collected. The Falls of Iguazzu — greater
and loftier than those of Niagara — would be
enclosed in this vast estate on the very frontiers
of Brazil.

Apart from these plans of conquest, which
make him a rival of Alexander, M. Thays is a
modest, affable man, who takes a good deal of
trouble to look as if he had done nothing out
of the common. Were I but competent I would
describe the organisation of his botanical gar-
den, which is superior to any to be found in
the old continent. More amusing is it, perhaps,
to follow him through the various sections in
which the characteristic flora of every part of
the world is well represented. The Argentine,
as may be supposed, has here the larger share.
Here are displayed specimens of the principal

40 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

species of flora to be found in the district lying
between the frozen regions of Tierra del Fuego
and the Equator : the Antarctic beech, the carob
palm, the quebracho (rendered extraordinarily
durable by the quantity of tannin it contains,
and in great request for railway sleepers),
walnut, and the cedar of Tucuman or of Men-
doza — which, by the way, is not a cedar. It is
from its wood that cigar boxes are made. It
is used in the woodwork of rich houses, for it is
easy to handle and highly decorative by reason
of its warm colouring. Its fault is that it
warps; wherever you find it in house fittings,
doors and windows refuse to open or shut as
they should.

But you should see M. Thays doing the
honours of the ombu and the palo borracho.
The oiribu is the marvel of the Pampas, the sole
tree which the locust refuses to touch. For this
reason alone, it has been allowed to grow freely,
though not even man has found a way to utilise
what the voracious insects of Providence de-
cline. For the ombu prides itself on being good
for nothing. It does not even lend itself to
making good firewood. It is only to look at.

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES 41

But that is sufficient. Imagine an object re-
sembling the backs of antediluvian monsters,
mastodons or elephants, lying in the shade of
a great mass of sheltering foliage. Heavy folds
in the grey rind denote a growing limb, a
rounded shoulder, a gigantic head half con-
cealed. These are the tremendous roots of the
ombu, whose delight it is to issue forth from
the soil in the form of astonishing animated
objects. When by foot and stick you have as-
certained that these living shapes are in reality
mummified within a thick bark, you turn your
attention to the trunk itself and find it hollow,
with a crumbling surface.

Another surprise! The finger sinks into the
tree, meeting only the sort of resistance that
would be offered by a thin sheet of paper. 'And
now fine powdery scales of a substance which
should be wood, but, in fact, is indescribable,
fall into your hand. They crumble away into
an impalpable dust, which is carried off by the
breeze before you have had time to examine it.
Now you have the secret of the oiribu. Its wood
evaporates i" thp nppn air: at the same time
there spring from its strangely beast-like roots

42 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

young and living shoots of the parent tree.
Since it is impossible to burn the non-existent,
you cannot, obviously, have recourse to the
ortibu to cook your lunch. Here is an example
in the vegetable world of paradox, which has
no mission in life but a glorious uselessness. If
it were but beautiful I should recommend the
ambit, to poets who profess to prefer the Beauti-
ful to the Useful. But as its appearance does
not impress the beholder, the wisest course is
to impute its existence to momentary abstraction
on the part of the Creator.

The palp borracho, on the other hand, is ex-
tremely useful, though not without a touch of
capriciousness. Its popular name, which sig-
nifies " the drunkard," has been given to it on
the ground that it seems to stagger; but such
a name is a libel. This peaceful denizen of the
forest has nothing to do with the alcoholic
world. Nor can it be said to attract human
society, for its strange trunk, strangled in a
collar of roots, and bulging in its middle parts,
bristles with innumerable points, short and
sharp, which prevent all undue familiarity.
These thorns fall with age, at least from the

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES 43

lower part of the tree, but as they exist else-
where, even on the smallest twig, no animal,
from man to monkey, can venture upon its
branches.

The trunk, if tapped with a cane, returns a
hollow sound. The tree is, in fact, empty, need-
ing only to be cut into lengths to give man
all he needs for a trough. The Indian squaw
uses it to wash her linen, and the wood, ex-
posed to the double action of air and water, be-
comes as hard as cement. The unripe fruit, the
size of a good apple, furnishes a white cream,
which, if not quite the quality demanded for
five o'clock tea at Rumpelma.yer^StTir"supplies
the natives with a savoury breakfast. Later,
when the fruit comes to maturity, it bursts under
the sun's rays into a large tuft of silky cotton,
dotting the branches with white balls and fur-
nishing admirable material for the birds with
which to build their nests. It is for this reason
that the species is known as the " false_cotton-
tree." The exceedingly fine thread produced by
this tree is too short to be spun, but the In-
dians, and even Europeans, turn it to account
in many different ways. Soft pillows and cush-

44 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

ions are made with it, and I can speak personally
of their comfort.

M. Thays was not the man to let us leave
without seeing his plantations of yerba-mate.
Every one knows that^n^^the Paraguay holly,
is a native of Paraguay, whence it spread to
Chili, Brazil, and the Argentine. Its leaves,
dried and slightly roasted, yield a stimulating
infusion that is as much enjoyed by the South
American colonists as by the natives. Like
kola, tea, and coffee, mate contains a large pro-
portion of caffeine, which renders it a good nerve
tonic and, at the same time, a digestive.

I have tasted " Paraguay tea," or " Jesuits'
tea," on several occasions, but cannot honestly
say I like it. The palate, however, ends by get-
ting used to anything. I have a friend who
drinks valerian with pleasure. All South
America delights in the peculiar aroma of
the strengthening but, on first acquaintance,
certainly unpleasant mate. Existence in the
Pampas is strenuous. The days are past when
a cow was lassoed to provide a beefsteak for
your lunch. The favourite stimulant of the
rancho is the yerba-mate which puts new life

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES 45

into the exhausted horseman. Everywhere in
town and country, the first rite in the morning
is maie-drinking. Men and women carry the
little gourd around, into which each in turn
dips the tube of the ~bombilla, a perforated disc
which travels from mouth to mouth, in the
company of devotees.

In the old days, it was the tradition of mate-
making to give the first infusion — poured off
quickly, but invariably slightly bitter — to the
servants. Growing familiarity with the herb
has practically set aside this practice: in fact,
while it is, and probably always will be, the
favourite drink of the masses, the aristocracy
and bourgeoisie, though still appreciating mate,
drink in preference China tea or Santos coffee,
like good Europeans. Yet the consumption of
mate has increased enormously with the popu-
lation. It has been calculated that an Argen-
tine spends twice as much in a year on mate
as a Frenchman on coffee. Until the last few
years the Argentine Republic, independently of
its home production, imported from Brazil and
Paraguay 40 millions of kilogrammes, estimated
at 22 millions of francs.

46 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

As might be expected, the Argentine Govern-
ment has shown itself anxious to encourage the
cultivation of mate. The difficulty lay in the
germinating process. In certain provinces of
the Argentine, mate grew wild, but when sown
the crops were a failure. After many trials,
M. Thays discovered that the seed only sprouted
after long soaking in warm water, and that,
strangely enough, the , plants thus produced
could be propagated without repeating this pre-
liminary process. It appears that in the ordinary
course of nature, the fertilising process takes
place in the stomach of birds. The Jesuits had
made the same discovery, but on their expulsion
they carried the secret away with them. M. Thays
redisjCpjEered it. More than once an attempt has
been made to introduce the habit of mate-
drinking into Europe. I do not think it will
easily come about. It would, nevertheless, be
a great boon if yerba-mate could with us, as in
South America, be substituted for the alcohol
which is threatening us with irrevocable
destruction.

I cannot leave the Botanical Garden without
noting the pleasing effect of the light trellises

MONTEVIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES 47

which are a feature of all large gardens here.
In this fine climate, where winter's cold is prac-
tically unknown, neither shrubs nor flowers need
the protection of glass. An arbour of trellis-
work with gay flower-borders forms a winter
garden without glass, in which sun and shade,
cunningly blended, throw into delicate relief the
beauties of the plants. It is not quite the open
air, and neither is it the greenhouse. Let us
call it a vast cage of decorative vegetation.

CHAPTEE III

BUENOS AYRES (continued)

OTANY and zoology are sister sci-
ences. We leave the plants to
inspect the beasts in the company
of M. Thays, who is always glad
to see his neighbour M. Onelli.

The governor of the Zoological Garden of
Buenos Ayres is a phlegmatic little man, Franco-
Italian in speech, and the more amusing in that
his gay, caustic wit is clothed in a highly con-
densed, ironical form. What a pity that his
animals, for whom he is father and mother,
sister and brother, cannot appreciate his sallies !
Not that it is by any means certain that they do
not. It seems clear that they can enter into each
other's feelings, if not thoughts, since an intim-
acy of the most touching kind exists between the
man and inferior creation, to whose detriment the
rights of biological priority have been reversed.

48

BUENOS AYRES 49

I should like to pause before the llamas, used
as beasts of burden to carry a load of twenty-
five kilogrammes apiece, or before the vicunas,
whose exquisite feathery fur is utilised for the
motor-car, and whose private life would need
to be told in Latin by reason of the officious
interference of the Indian in matters that con-
cern him not a whit.

M. jOnelli has housed the more prominent
groups in palaces in the style of architecture
peculiar to their native land, and this gives to
the gardens a very pleasing aspect.

But first let us enjoy the animals. It is
amazing to see the two monstrous hippopotami
leap from the water with movements of ridicu-
lous joyfulness in response to the whistle of
their governor-friend, and, on a sign from him,
open their fearful caverns of pink jaws bristling
with formidable teeth to receive with the utmost
gratitude three blades of grass which they could
easily cull for themselves beneath their feet if
these manifestations of joy were called forth by
the delicacy and not by friendship. The great
beasts became human at sight of their master,
if- one may thus describe ferocity.

50 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

The pnnriflr-fl sort of yellow panther whose
colour has apparently won for him the name
of the American lion, came running up to offer
his back to the caressing hand of his friend with
a hoarse roar that seemed to express rather
helpless rage than voluptuousness.

The puma is perhaps the Qommpnest of the
wild beasts of the northern provinces of the
Argentine, for it retreats from before the ap-
proach of man, and is more successful than the
jaguar or the panther in escaping the traps or
the guns of the hunter.

M. Edmond Hilleret, who has killed several,
told me that at Santa Ana, near Tucuman, it
was impossible to keep a flock of sheep, as they
were always devoured by the pumas in spite of
all the efforts he made to protect them. " Yet,"
he added, "notwithstanding my dogs and my
peons the puma can never be seen. He is quite
a rarity."

After a short palaver with some delicious
penguins newly arrived from the southern ice,
with their young, which would die of spleen if
they were not fed with a forcing pipe, like an
English suffragette, we pause before the grey

BUENOS AY RES 51

ostrich of the Pampas, which has been nearly
exterminated by the cruel lasso of the gaucho.

The grey American ostrich, which should be
safe from our barbarous ways since his tail
feathers offer no attraction for ladies' hats, is
interesting by certain peculiarities in his do-
mestic habits. To the male is left the duty of
hatching the eggs, the female preferring to
stray. By way of compensation, the paternal
instinct is the more keenly developed in the
father in proportion as the mother — reprehen-
sible bird! — neglects her duties. Thus before
beginning to sit on the eggs, he sets carefully
aside two or three of them, according to the
number of young to be hatched, and when the
little ones leave their shells, he opens them with
a sharp blow from the paternal beak, and
spreads in the sunshine the contents of the eggs
his foresight had reserved; the appetising dish
attracts thousands of flies who promptly drown
themselves therein to make the first meal of the
fledglings. Admirable instance of the contra-
dictory processes of nature designed for the
preservation of existing types.

But we have come to the palace of the ele-

52 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

phants. There are half a dozen of them beneath
a vast dome, and the sight of M. Onelli rouses
them all. The heavy grey masses sway from
side to side, large ears beat up and down,
while the small eyes wink; the trunks are flung
inquiringly round, eager for any windfall. One
amiable and tame elephant, the youthful Fahda,
born on the place, hustles her colossal friends,
to clear a way to M. Onelli, who talks to her
affectionately, but is unable to respond as he
should to her pressing request for cakes. The
governor gives us the reason of their friendliness.

" We have no secrets from each other," he
remarks gently.

And it was truer than he thought, for the
young trunk was softly introduced into his
tempting pocket, and brought out a packet of
letters which were forthwith swallowed. There-
upon exclamations as late as fruitless from the
victim, who thus witnessed the disappearance of
his correspondence down the dark passages of
an unexpected post-office from which there is
no hope of return.1

1 One word about M. Onelli's interesting work, A
Travers les Andes, an accurate account of his journey in

BUENOS AYRES 53

M. Onelli kindly offered us a few minutes'
rest in his own salon. But what did we find
there? The housemaid who opened the door to
us carried a young puma in her arms, and I
know not what sort of hairy beast on her back.
The gnashing of white teeth proceeded from
under the chairs and coiled serpents lay in the
easy-chairs. Indeed, we were not the least
tired ! Palermo must ^be jrisited.

The celebrated promenade starts nobly at the
Recoleta, where the lawns and groves are seen
in a setting of harmonious architecture. Car-
Patagonia. When describing to me the customs of the
natives, he was good enough to promise me a few arrow-
heads collected in the course of his expedition. They
reached me the following day with this letter:

" MY DEAR SIR, — After rummaging amongst my drawers,
I finally found the arrowheads you wanted. The book
which accompanies them, a humble homage to yourself,
describes the places in which I found them. If you are
good enough to glance at it you will find several photo-
graphs of the descendants of the makers of these arrows.
The Tchuleches Indians, who to the number of rather
more than 2000 live in the southern half of Patagonia,
say, when shown one of these arrowheads, which are to
be found all over the arid plateau they inhabit, that they
were the usual weapon of the Indians of olden times
who travelled on foot. We know that they did not know
the horse until a hundred and fifty years ago, at most,
and, in fact, one may say that the Stone Age represented
by these arrowheads only ended in Patagonia a half-

54 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

riages of the most correct British style, drawn
by superb horses, and noisy motor-cars dash
swiftly by. But for the groups of exotic trees
one might be in the Bois. Palermo begins well.
Unfortunately, we suddenly find before us an
avenue of sickly coco-palms, whose bare trunks
are covered with dead leaves, giving an unpleas-
ing perspective of broom-handles. This tree,
which is so fine in Brazil, is not in its element
here. When planted in rows, even in the streets
of Rio, it is more surprising than beautiful. It
is in groves that it best displays its full decora-

century ago. The arrows to be found in Patagonia
demonstrate in a contrary manner the influence of civil-
ised industries, since the heads the most clumsily made
are the most modern. The Indians lost little by little
the art of making them when they learnt to make the
shafts of fragments of knife-blades, or of iron obtained
from the Christians, and since then they have completely
abandoned the work to adopt firearms. In the prepara-
tion of guanaco skins, the Indian women, naturally more
conservative than the men, still use the old system of
scraping the under side of the leather with scrapers
made of stone, in every way similar to the tool used by
prehistoric man in European lands. Nowadays, having
no means of making them, they search in their leisure
moments in the ancient dwellings of their forefathers in
order to find a flint scraper, which they carefully use
and preserve.
" The arrow age still subsists in the north of the Repub-

BUENOS AYRES 55

live qualities. I take the liberty of suggesting
that M. Thays should pull up the horticultural
invalids and plant eucalyptus or some other
species in their place.

But we are not yet at the end of our troubles.
Less than two hundred yards down, the railway
traverses the avenue on a level crossing. A gate,
generally closed, a turnstile for pedestrians, a
station, and all the rest of it. After a wait of
ten minutes, the train duly passes, and then the
motor-car plunges into a roadway, full of ruts,
leading to a dark archway which carries another

lie among the Indians of the Chaco forests. Their arrows are
made of hard wood. On alluvial soils no flint can be found,
just as none can be had in the province of Santa Fe,
and nearly throughout the whole of the province of Buenos
Ay res (a region larger than all France), without a
single pebble! — a fact which renders it extremely diffi-1
cult to keep up good roads across a flat country of crum-j
bling soil without lime. The highway is turned into soft!
mud by traffic and rain; yet observe the enormous increase!
of railway lines.

" As for the art of making arrowheads, the Stone Age
still reigns among the Onas and Lakaluf, natives of
Terra del Fuego; but alas! the art has degenerated. The
natives of the seacoast, always on the lookout for a
whale, dead or wounded, and for fragments of wrecks
of sailing vessels rounding Cape Horn, have discovered
that bottle glass is the easiest material to work upon
for their arrows, and their poor language is thus en-

56 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

railway across the promenade, making an ugly
blot on the landscape. And now we reach a
further marshy road, bordered with young plan-
tations, which leads across a leafless wood di-
viding the railway track from the estuary of
La Plata.

A succession of trains on one hand, and a
muddy yellow sea on the other : as a view it is
not romantic. Gangs of labourers are at work
on the roads, which are badly in need of their
attentions. No doubt some day this will be a
superb promenade. It is only a question of

riched with a new word ; to express ' glass ' they say
' hotel/ by the natural quid pro quo of a tongue which
in adopting a new word confuses the name of the object
with that of the material of which it is made.

" The opaque black arrowhead is of basalt, the most
abundant kind of rock in Patagonia, but also the most
difficult to use in the manufacture of such small objects.
Obsidian — the little black point of flint — is more generally
used.

" The twisted forms are moulds of flint of the inside of
a tertiary fossil mollusc, the ' turritella/ very common in
the strata of the Rio Santa Cruz cliffs, and which Indian
women often wear as ornaments. In the hope you will
excuse my bad French, since I have had the presumption
to write direct to you instead of being translated into
good French,

" I am, my dear sir, yours, etc.,

" CLEMENT ONELLI."

BUENOS AYRES 57

making it, and the first step must be to clear
away the railway-lines with their embankments
and bridges. This is probably the intention, since
I was assured that the level crossing would
shortly be swept away. That will be a begin-
ning. M. Bouvard is not likely to overlook the
importance of the matter. My only fear is lest
the situation should make it impossible for
Palermo ever to attain to imposing proportions.
But one thing is certain, if M. Thays can get
a free hand, the city will not lack a park worthy
the capital of the Republic.

Nee# I say that squares and parks alike are
superabundantly decorated with sculpture and
monuments both open to criticism? There is
noJthmg._mQre natural to a young people than a
desire to acquire great men in every department
as early as possible. Yet idealism that is to be
materialised must, one would think, have its
base set solidly on established facts. In a coun-
try whose population offers a mixture of all the
Latin races, art could not fail to flourish. It
will free itself from its crust as fast as public
taste is purified. Works such as those of M.
Paul Groussac, or the fine novel by M. Enrique

58 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Rodrigues Larreta,1 the distinguished Minister
of the Argentine Republic in Paris, are evidences
of the development of literary taste on the
banks of the Rio de la Plata.2

The sculptor does not appear to have reached
quite the same point, but I hasten to add, for
the sake of justice, that our own hewers of
marble, with a very few prominent exceptions,
expose nothing in Buenos Ayres which is cal-
culated to throw into too dark a shade their
confreres of across the ocean.

France, Italy, and Spain supply some fairly
fine statuary for the Latin confraternity. But,
as might be readily imagined, a legitimate desire

1 La Gloire de Don Ramire.

2 1 quote these two names because they are best known
among us in France. But Argentine literature cannot be
dismissed in a word. The struggle for independence could
not fail to inspire songs to be caught up from ear to
ear and sung everywhere, and in the same way the spread
of education has naturally turned many minds to literary
composition. The struggle with the metropolis and the
flame of civil war irresistibly impelled the individual into
the arena to take public action, and from the vortex
there issued a new nationality. It is from such a period
of strife that the first history of a people takes its
origin, and the record of deeds wrought under the in-
fluence of such excitement is the material from which a
nation's archives are derived, fixing for ever the memory
of actions that will be revered by the generations to come.

BUENOS AYRES

to write history on every square and market-
place has given a profusion of monuments to
soldiers and politicians. The same mania has
been pushed to such extremes in our own land
that it would ill become me to make it a subject
of reproach to others; nevertheless it behoves
us to acknowledge that the Argentine Republic
has, both in times of war and of peace, produced
some great men. It suffices to mention the
names of San Martin (whose statue is being
raised at Boulogne-sur-Mer and at Buenos
Ayres) and of Sarmiento.

If genius were always at the disposal of Gov-
ernments, the wish to perpetuate to all eternity

In this way, the noble harangues of Moriano Moreno to
the Provisional Government, the eloquent proclamations
made by General Belgrano after the battles of Salta and
Tucuman, the noble letters of San Martin are impressive
lessons for all humanity; time can have no effect on the
exalted nobility of thought and artistic mode of expres-
sion that are here held up before us. Under the savage
dictatorship of Rosas, all voices were silenced. Still,
Sarmiento from his exile in Chili launched from the
heights of the Andes his virulent pamphlets against the
odious tyrant. When liberty was regained, Press and
rostrum sent forth a legion of writers and orators, at
whose head we must place Bartolome Mitre and Nicolas
Avellaneda. To come down to our own time, the list of
distinguished writers meriting each a special notice would
be long indeed.

60 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

the renown a single day had won for them might
readily be pardoned. But men of genius are
rare, and they are apt to make mistakes like
other men. And for the rest, the statues that
are put up to their memory serve merely to in-
spire in our breasts a few philosophic reflections
on the danger of a permanent propaganda of
mediocrity! Besides, the sculptor has this de-
fect— that he forces himself on the attention of
the passer-by. We are not compelled to pur-
chase a poor book or to go into ecstasies over
all the Chauchard collection, whereas we are un-
able to avoid the sight of the statue of Two-
shoes by Thingummy. My only consolation is
that such monuments will not prevent the advent
of other supermen in the future, who, like those
of the past, will raise their own monuments in
a surer and better manner by their own glorious
achievements.

But it is time to leave these men of marble
and come to the living, of whom I have so far
said not a word. My remark as to the Euro-
pean aspect of Buenos Ayres at first sight must
be taken as referring merely to its outdoor life.
I do not speak of the business quarter, which is

BUENOS AYRES 61

the same in all countries. The man who is
glued to the telegraph wire or to the telephone,
waiting for the latest quotations in the different
parts of the globe in order to build on them his
own careful combinations, is, notwithstanding
his patriotism, an international type whose
world-wide business connection must in time
modify his own characteristics and make of him
the universal species of merchant.

At the same time, the population of any large
European city, while preserving in its general
outline the special characteristic evolved by its
own history, does yet show a certain trend in
the direction of some well-defined types of
modern activity whose attributes are the out-
come of natural conditions of civilisation the
world over. But when transplanted outside
Europe, the original characteristics are inevi-
tably modified by the new environment, and the
result will be a striking differentiation — North
America is an example of this.

In the eyes of our ancient Europe, with its
venerable traditions and its base of primeval
prejudice, the man who ventures to strike a new
root in a colony beyond the sea will have to

62 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

expiate his new prosperity by some extrava-
gances which will expose him to the fire of the
satirical pressman or playwright. This is the
reason why South America, having undoubtedly
borne in common with every country of Europe
some few fantastic types of high and of low
ideals, suddenly finds herself represented to the
public, for the greater entertainment of the
boulevard, as being exclusively peopled with
those strange creatures we have christened
rastaquoneres, whose privilege it is to lead a
life that is ever at variance with all the laws
of common-sense.

If all we ask is a joke at the expense of our
neighbours, the Gauls of Paris may give rein
to their wit. Still, it may be useful for us all
to know that these so-called rastaquoueres, leav-
ing to petty tyrants the whole field of ancient
history, have not only secured to their country
by their steady labour its present prosperity,
but have also founded in their new domain a
European civilisation which is no whit inferior
in inspiration to that which we are for ever
vaunting. They learn our languages, invade
our colleges, absorb our ideas and our methods,

BUENOS AYRES 63

and passing from France to Germany and Eng-
land, draw useful comparisons as to the results
obtained.

We are pleased to judge them more or less
lightly. Let us not forget that we in our turn
are judged by them. And while we waste our
time quarrelling about individuals and names,
they are directing a steady effort toward taking
from each country of Europe what it has of the
best, in order to build up over yonder on a
solid base a new community which will some
day be so much the more formidable that
its own economic force will perhaps have as
a counterbalance the complications of a Euro-
pean situation that is not tending toward
solution.

In spite of everything, France has managed
to maintain so far friendly and sympathetic
relations with the Kepublic. Latin idealism
keeps these South American nations ever facing
toward those great modern peoples that have
sprung from the Roman conquest. I cannot
say I think we have drawn from this favourable
condition of things all the advantage we might
have derived from it, both for the youthful

64 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Republics and for our Latinity, which is being
steadily drained by the huge task of civilisation
and by the vigorous onslaught that it is called
on to sustain from the systematic activity of the
Northern races. ^t\^^L (^

The great Anglo-Saxon Republic of North
America, tempered byjthe same Latin idealism
imported in the eighteenth century from France
by Jefferson, is making of a continent a modern
nation whose influence will count more and more
in the affairs of the globe. May it not be that
South America, whose evolution is the result of
lessons taught to some extent by the Northern
races, will give us a new development of Latin
civilisation corresponding to that which has so
powerfully contributed to the making of Europe
as we know it? It is here no question obviously
of an organised rivalry of hostile forces between
two great American peoples, who must surely
be destined both by reason of their geographical
situation, as also by mental affinities, to unite
their strength to attain to loftier heights. The
problem, which ought not to be shirked by
France, will be henceforth to maintain in the
pacific evolution of these communities the neces-

BUENOS AYRES 65

sary proportion of idealism which she had a
large share in planting there.

In following such a train of thought, how can
we help pausing for an instant to consider the
Pan-American Congress which so fitly closed the
splendid exhibition of the Argentine centenary?
With the sole exception of Bolivia, every repub-
lic of South America sent a representative to
the palace of the Congress to discuss their com-
mon interests — an imposing assembly, which in
the dignity of its debates can bear comparison
with any Upper Chamber of the Continent of
Europe. For my part, I sought in vain for
one of those excitable natures, ever ripe for ex-
plosion— the fruit, according to tradition, of
equatorial soil. I found only jurisconsults, his-
torians, men of letters or of science, giving their
opinions in courteous language, whose example
might with advantage be followed by many an
orator in the Old Continent. Not, of course,
that passions were wholly absent from these de-
bates. In these new countries, where the
strength of youth finds a free field for its dis-
play, and where revolution and war are the chief
traditions of the race, warmth of feeling has
s

66 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

too frequently transformed the political arena
into a field of battle. But by degrees, as the
community takes form and acquires greater
weight in every domain of public life, there
grows up an imperious need of organised action,
and the youthful democrats- themselves end by
realising that a people can only govern itself
when its citizens have proved themselves capable
of self-discipline.

Of all tEer problems which might naturally
present themselves in a Pan-American Congress,
those that might be expected to call forth im-
placable opposition were rigorously eliminated.
An exchange of views took place, and each dele-
gate was able to report to his principals a num-
ber of conclusions calculated to pave the way
to future understandings.

When the Congress threw out the proposal
to generalise the Monroe Doctrine and apply its
principle to the whole of the South American
continent, the representative of a large State
said to me:

" We shall separate without accomplishing
anything."

" It is already much to have avoided all con-

BUENOS AYRES 67

flict," I replied, " and if you had really accom-
plished nothing you would still have been useful
in that you had met, talked together, understood
one another, and parted on good terms."

Perhaps the man whose position was the most
delicate of all was Mr.. Henry White, the dele-
gate of the great northern Republic, and the
distinguished diplomat so popular in Parisian
society, who contributed to the utmost of his
power towards finding an equitable solution of
the Franco-German conflict at the Algeciras
Conference. At the Congress of Buenos Ayres,
the delegate of Washington had, like the repre-
sentative of Uruguay, one vote only, and his
efforts were directed to making his collaborators
forget that he was a " big brother," a very big
brother, faintly suspected of tendencies towards
an hegemony. It took all the gracious affability
of Mr. White to disarm the distrust aroused
more especially by the proposal to place South-
ern America under the banner of the Monroe
Doctrine, and thus the Congress could be dis-
solved without a word of any but good-will
and American brotherhood.

The Pan-American Congress was the natural

68 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

outcome of the great international exhibition by
which the Argentine Republic celebrated the cen-
tenary of its independence. The great fairs of
older times existed with very good reason.
There was every advantage to be gained by
bringing together at stated times the produce
of different districts at a period of the world's
history when the deficiency of means of com-
munication placed insurmountable obstacles in
the way of producer, merchant, and consumer.
To-day, thanks to steampower, every city in the
world offers a permanent exhibition adapted to
the needs of its public, and the traveller wastes
his time when he endeavours to bring back from
his journeys some article unknown to his coun-
trymen. For this reason the finest of inter-
national exhibitions can reserve no surprises to
its visitors. And as for experts, or specialists
in any branch of commerce or industry, he is
to be pitied who awaits the opening of one of
these universal bazaars in order to obtain in-
formation on some detail of his business.

There remain evidently the amusements and
entertainments which in such gatherings are
naturally intended to arouse the pleasure-loving

BUENOS AYRES 69

instincts of crowds. But civilisation has pretty
well surfeited us with such amusements, which
are now better calculated to tempt than to
satisfy us. And when the friendly city that
summons us to such a show is situated 11,000
kilometres from our shores, it requires a more
powerful attraction than this of the " already
seen " to induce us to undertake the expedition.
For all these reasons and without seeking any
others the Buenos Ay res Exhibition could not
be a success either in the way of money or of
the concourse of peoples. An unfortunate and
ultra-modern strike retarded the arrangements
to such a point that on the anniversary day, May
25th, only the section of ganaderia (cattle-
breeding) was ready. Notwithstanding a multi-
tude of difficulties, pavilions were put up, in
which were amassed and docketed in the usual
fashion some of those products which the greed
for gold brings to all the depots of the world.
A few special side-shows were remarkably suc-
cessful. Of these may be mentioned the English
exhibit of the railway industry and the German
section of electricity. Some of the buildings
were never completed, as that of the Spanish

70 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

section. France, I regret to say, did not dis-
tinguish herself. The omission is inconceivable
when one considers what a market might in this
way have been found for our manufactures.
Apart from some interesting displays by dress-
makers, jewellers, and goldsmiths, exhibited in
a tasteful pavilion slightly resembling Bagatelle,
and called the Palace of Applied Art, we found
nothing to send. I admit that for France this
was not sufficient. England, however, exhibited
a magnificent State railway-carriage — said to be
worth two millions — which she presented to the
President of the Kepublic. It is a luxury that
the English might very well permit themselves,
since almost all the railways of the Argentine
are in their hands. And why, if you please?
/Because the engineer who one day invited
tenders for the construction of the first Argen-
tine railway-line found in Paris no support, and
from our capital (I have it from his own lips)
he turned to London, where the enterprise was
carried to colossal proportions./

We could hardly help being represented in
the art and sculpture pavilions. I can honestly
say that our exhibit, well-organised, was

BUENOS AYRES 71

highly creditable to the nation. But, without
any tremendous effort, we might have done much
better! We reckoned, perhaps, on the Argen-
tine millioTiflirps coming to Paris to look for
the works we failed to exhibit in their capital.
If only millionaires were concerned, I should
say nothing. But it is precisely because the
art education of the Argentine people is as yet
rudimentary, as might also be said of more than
one nation in ancient Europe, that we ought to
have attempted to arouse a wider public interest
instead of appealing merely to connoisseurs, who
are in the habit of getting what they want in
the picture-galleries of the Old World. Some
excellent examples were shown, no doubt; that
was the least we could do. Our home artists
would not risk the experiment of creating a
kind of exhibition-museum, which might have
been a revelation of French art and have had
the effect of arousing the need of the Beautiful
which is latent in every nation, and at the same
time inviting that intelligent criticism which is
a powerful factor in the development of taste
in connoisseurs.

There is no art museum worthy the name in

72 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

the Argentine Republic. You must exist before
you can add adornment. If, however, I may
judge by what I saw in a few private galleries,
the time is at hand when the need for large
art collections will be fully acknowledged in the
south as it is now in the north; there, forty
years ago, I know by personal observation that
the ground was less fully prepared than it is
to-day in the Argentine, while now we see the
treasures of Europe being eagerly bought up
in order that the New World may soon vie with
the Old on this point.

I must not omit to say a word on the retro-
spective exhibit of "colonial days." A cente-
nary celebration implies a history and a past,
and this history is remarkably well illustrated
by the instruments of civilisation now in the
hands of the founders. What a contrast there
is between the more than sumptuous railway-
carriage of which I spoke just now and the
archaic coaches, fat-bellied barouches, and Mero-
vingian chariots which used to pick a painful
way across the pathless Pampas, transporting
from plantation to plantation families that had
but little prospect of ever amassing more than

BUENOS AYRES 73

they needed for a bare daily life. Utensils of
the simplest, bespeaking a time when wood was
scarce. Weapons of the clumsiest, undressed
skins as a protection from the occasional blasts
of the pampero. In a period when the horse
was the universal means of locomotion — he still
is as a matter of fact, to a very great extent,
since in the country the little children must
mount their ponies to go to school — the equip-
ment of the horseman was a pompous bedizen-
ment in Spanish guise, from his heavy brass
ornaments to the rowels of monstrous spurs.
All this belongs to the ancient times of scarcely
fifty years ago, and when you meet a gaucho on
his thick-set horse, his feet in weighty wooden
stirrups hanging vertically like wheels, you real-
ise that the modern miracle of iron roads has
not been able to entirely wipe out the primitive
machinery of a world of colonists.

The section of Argentine produce — cattle,
timber, plants, fruits, cereals, etc. — is specially
interesting to foreigners. To describe it would
be to write the economic history of the land.
I heard on all sides that the cattle exhibits were
exceptionally fine. I am not astonished, now

74 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

that I have seen in the shows and on the
estancias (farms) the finest of stock for breed-
ing purposes. We know that out on the Pampas
the rearing of horses and horned cattle as well
as of sheep has developed enormously. I shall
have occasion presently to return to the sub-
ject when I speak of the famous freezing-
machines which supply the English markets
with meat slaughtered in Buenos Ayres — to say
nothing of the live cattle exported. The only
detail that I shall give here is that the event
of the day has been the purchase by a meat-
freezing company of five oxen for beef at the^
price of 25,000 francs apiece (£1000). This
looks like madness, and perhaps it is. We are
beginning to learn in Europe to what point the
craze for advertisement is carried by Americans.
I only quote this fact because it throws more
light on certain traits of character than any
number of traveller's tales could dop^yv*^0

Grain-growing — wheat and maize — like that
of flax (of which they burn the stalks for want
of knowing how to utilise them) has recently
grown enormously. I shall return to this sub-
ject also later on, when I speak of the Pampas,

BUENOS AYRES 75

with their immense stretch of arable land be-
tween the Andes and the sea, yielding every kind
of harvest without manure and almost without
labour. Wherever the locomotive makes its ap-
pearance there blossoms forth a fertile strip of
country on either side of the line, which on the
plan of the administrators symbolises an instant
rise in value of the property whose produce has
henceforth a quick means of transport to its
market. Had I not firmly resolved to abstain
from quoting figures and facts cut out of books
of statistics, I could easily dazzle the reader by
showing him the fantastic increase in the crops
of maize alone, standing in gigantic ricks round
the estancias, pending the moment when they
will be handed over to the gigantic elevators
to be flung on board the English and German
cargo-boats.

Strolling through the galleries in which are
accumulated, the exhibits of Argentine agricul-
tural produce, you are forced to admire the
variety of species yielded by a soil that produces
plover two and a half yards in height! I say
nothing of the fruits and vegetables, because at
that season of the year I could not try them.

76 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Neither seemed to me to compete with European
varieties. As for the tropical fruits, with the
exception of the oranges and pines, they are
astonishing, I confess, but I cannot give them
any other praise.

In the section of Argentine timber is to be
seen in the front rank the " false cedar " and
the marvellous quebracho, of which I have al-
ready spoken. No other wood can be compared
with this in respect of the quantity of tannin
it contains. For this reason the immense forests
of the northern provinces are being devastated
to supply the manufacturers. Kailway-sleepers
and stakes for the wire-fencing that marks out
the immense stretches of Pampas are the prin-
cipal employment for quebracho, irrespective of
the extraction of tannin. As the demand in-
creases, and the idea of replanting does not
seem to have occurred to the Argentines, it is
reasonable to foresee the moment when the
Government of the Republic, having neglected
to husband its resources, will have only vain
lamentations to offer to its customers. The day
may be far distant; I do not dispute it. Such
an improvident policy is, none the less, reprehen-

BUENOS AYRES 77

sible. How many years, moreover, must elapse
between the planting of the young quebracho
and its maturity? Indeed, the same remarks
might be made of all the other species of timber.
When you have seen tree-trunks that were
many centuries in growth falling bit by bit into
the maw of a factory furnace, without any at-
tempt being made to replace them, when you
have been saddened by the spectacle of the mar-
vellous Brazilian forests blazing in every direc-
tion to make room for coffee plantations that
will presently spring up amongst the charred
trunks, you realise keenly that there is no more
urgent need in these great countries than a com-
plete organisation of forestry. If in some
parts of Brazil the soil will no longer yield
freely without the help of manure, the water
system, at all events, remains unchanged. In
the Argentine Pampas the case is very different,
for the reason that the watercourses disappear
into the ground before reaching the sea. When
the immense forests of the highlands have dis-
appeared to make way for plateaux open to
wind and sun, can we doubt but that the al-
ready terrible scourge of drought will be still

78 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

further aggravated, and its disastrous effects on
cattle and harvests be even more redoubtable
than they are at present?

I must resist the temptation of dwelling on
the interesting exhibits of the South American
Eepublics. I should never finish. Neither must
I wander any farther from the Argentine capital
to set down reflections that will more fitly sug-
gest themselves later. Nevertheless I cannot
leave the exhibition without mentioning the
extraordinary establishment in which the Kural
Society holds its annual cattle-shows — vast
stables and stalls, constructed according to the
latest pattern on English model farms. There
is accommodation perhaps for more than 500
horned cattle, or horses, and for 700 or 800
probably in the paddocks, while 4000 sheep can
be penned under a single roof, the whole com-
pleted by an enclosure for trials with seating
accommodation for 2000 persons.

These shows take place every year in October.
They are closed by a sale at which the beasts
are put up at auction. No better system of
gauging the progress of the breeding industry
could be devised. As many as 4000 animals

BUENOS AYRES 79

have been brought together for these shows, col-
lected from all parts of the country, including
stallions of the best breeds, Durham and Here-
fordshire cows, to say nothing of pigs, llamas,
and poultry. Agricultural machinery and dairy
implements also find a place here, of course.

It is in this colossal cattle-rearing city that
the greatest effort of production ever made has
been concentrated. I saw at Rosario a magnifi-
cent cattle showT. But the great Fair of Buenos
Ayres outdoes anything to be offered elsewhere
of the kind. I shall have to return to the sub-
ject when I come to the estancias and the vast
herds that belong to them. Here it suffices to
note that the Argentine breeders do not shrink
from any expense in order to obtain the most
perfect stallions. England is, of course, the
chief market for the frozen meat, which is car-
ried as return cargo by the coaling-boats. Nat-
urally the farmers of the Pampas endeavour to
suit the tastes of their customers. This is why
the finest specimens of British cattle-farms find
their way every year to Buenos Ayres. It is
not surprising that the horse-breeders have
adopted the same course, though full justice is

80 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

done to the qualities of French breeds. Still,
the English breeder.Jbest understands how to
make an outlet for his wares, whilst the French
prefers to sit in the sunlm"T;he plains of Caen
to wait until the foreigner comes to ask him
as a favour for his animals.

CHAPTER IV

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA

|T is now time to return to the city
to get a little better acquainted
with its inhabitants. As a matter
of fact, the features upon which
I have touched — the town, port, promenades,
palaces, settlers' houses, agricultural products,
manufactures, or commerce — do more or less
reveal the native, and although I have said
nothing of his person beyond that he looks very
like a European, my reader has certainly gath-
ered some light as to his way of living.

To the Argentine extra muros, the citizen of
Bueaos- Ayresos the porteilo — that is, the man
of_the .port, the townsman kept, by the sea, in
constant contact with Europe, and more readily
undertaking a trip to London or Paris than to
Tucuman or Mendoza. On his side, while pro-
fessing great esteem for the provincials (for in

6 81

82 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

the Argentine patriotism amounts to mania),
the porteno is inclined to pity those who pass
their lives far from the capital; while the coun-
tryman mocks good-humouredly at his strange
compatriot who knows naught of the Carney
whence are brought to his door the corn and
cattle which are the outcome of the highest and
mightiest efforts of their common national
energy, and which by his means are to be ex-
changed for European produce in an ever-widen-
ing and developing trade.

This is, however, but a superficial judgment
that we may permit ourselves to make; but if
we look more closely into the national character,
we shall perceive that if the porteno is the
nearer to Europe and hastens thither on the
smallest pretext; if he is more thoroughly
steeped in European culture; if he takes more
interest in the doings of the Old World, attach-
ing the greatest importance to its opinion of his
own country; if it is his dearest ambition that
the youthful Argentine Eepublic shall comport
herself nobly among the old peoples of a weary
civilisation; if it is his constant care to obtain
from beyond sea the advantages gained by ex-

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA 83

perience, to be turned to account by his own
nation — we should be greatly mistaken in assum-
ing that European contact or descent could lead
either citizen or farmer, porteno or estanciero, to
prefer to his own land that Old Continent which
his forefathers deserted, in the hope, already
realised, of finding on this virgin soil, fertilised
by his own labour, a better chance of success i
thaji the Old World could offer him.

While the physiognomy of the streets of
Buenos Ayres is wholly European in symmetry,
style, and even in the expression of the faces
to be seen thereon, yet tljis people is Argentine
to the very marrow of the bones — exclusively
and entirely Argentine. New York is nearer to
Europe, and New York is North American in
essence as completely as Buenos Ayres is Argen-
tine. The difference is that in New York, and
even in Boston or Chicago, North American-
ism is patent to all eyes in type, in carriage, and
in voice, as much as in feeling and manner of
thinking ; whereas the piquancy of Buenos Ayres
lies in the fact that it offers the spectacle of
rabid Argentinism under a European veil. And,
strangely enough, this inherent jingoism, which

84 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

in some nations that shall be nameless assumes
so easily an offensive guise, is here displayed
with an amiable candour that is most disarming,
and instinctively you seek to justify it to your-
self. Not satisfied with being Argentine from
top to toe, these people will, if you let them,
Argentinise you in a trice.

To tell the truth, there are some (I have met
a few) who speak ill of the country — and these
critics are people who have not even had the
excuse of having been unsuccessful in their
business affairs here. (^There are systematic
grumblers everywhere, who endeavour to give
themselves importance by finding fault with
their surroundings?) Those who are not pleased
with their stay in a foreign country should re-
mind themselves that nobody prevents them from
returning to their own.

~' I have already mentioned that many Italians
cross the sea for the harvesting in the Argen-
tine, and then, taking advantage of the difference
in the seasons, return home to cut their home

corn. This backward and forward movement

~,^f~~~
has grown enormously. But in the long run

the attraction of a land that overflows with

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA 85

energy defeats Atavistic proclivities and weak-
ens roots that are centuries old. And as soon
as the settler has become the owner of a few
roods of the new soil, he is irrevocably lost to
Europe.

I have not sought to conceal the fact that the
largest number of immigrants make the mistake
of stopping at Buenos Ayres, whose population
is thus increased out of all proportion with the
development of Argentine territory. This mass
of working people, who necessarily remain easily
accessible to European influences, offers appar-
ently an excellent field for revolutionary pro-
pagandju__ Anarchists and socialists spare no
pains to make proselytes here, in order to
strengthen their hands. A violence of speech
and action has in this way given to certain
strikes a truly European aspect. Still, in a
country in which there is a constant supply of
work, it is hardly possible that disturbances
arising rather from doctrine than from existing
social evils can take any hold on or materially
affect any considerable extent of territory.

If I am to believe what I heard in all parts,
the Russian anarchists have a specially redoubt-

86 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

able organisation. To mention only the most
recent of events, it is known that the Chief
of Police, who had directed in person some
ruthless repressive measures, was killed in the
street by a bomb thrown by a Russian, who was
protected from the full severity of the law by
his tender age.1

Last June, a few days before I left Europe,
a bomb was thrown by some unknown person in
the Colon Theatre, falling in the middle of the
orchestra and wounding more or less seriously
a large number of persons. The Colon Theatre,
in which opera is given, is the largest and per-
haps the handsomest theatre in the world.2 The
open boxes of the pit tier, like those of the first
two tiers and orchestra, present, when filled with
young women in evening dress, the most brilliant
spectacle that I have ever seen in any theatre.
In such a setting, imagine the catastrophe that

1 The death penalty, abolished in Uruguay, does still
exist in the Argentine Republic, but executions are rare.
The last dates several years back. The condemned man
is shot by the troops.

2 The Colon Theatre seats no less than 3570 persons.
The third tier is reserved for ladies only; the acoustics
are excellent; the most renowned artists appear on its
stage. There is also another opera-house.

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA 87

could be caused by a bomb ! *• The injured were
carried out somehow or other, the house was
emptied amid loud and furious outcries, and,
the damage having been repaired in the course
of the following day, not a woman in society
was absent from her place at the performance
of the evening. This is a very fine trait of char-
acter which does the highest honour to the
women of Argentine society. I am not sure
that in Paris, under similar circumstances, there
would have been a full house on the night fol-
lowing such a disaster.

It is easy to understand, however, that the
fury of the public found expression in an Act
of Parliament of terrible severity, directed im-
mediately against any suspicious groups. The
criminal in the present case has not yet been
discovered, though during my stay in Buenos
Ayres there occurred a sensational arrest which
led the authorities to believe they had laid hands
on the guilty man. A state of siege was in some
sense declared, lasting all the time I was in

1 Impossible to exaggerate the horror of the scene. A
high official personage told me that he had never beheld
such pools of blood.

88 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Buenos Ayres; and the Government obtained
extraordinary powers, to be used only against
organisations believed to be anarchical. The
penalty generally imposed was transportation
to Terra del Fuego, under conditions that no
one would or, perhaps, could describe to me. I
am without the necessary returns for establish-
ing the results obtained. Some complaints
reached me from the more populous quarters
affirming that the innocent had been punished;
all I could do was to hand them over to the
authorities. I can testify that in my presence,
in any of the circles of Buenos Ayres society
that I was able to observe, no anarchist outrages
were on any single occasion the subject of con-
versation. More than once I led up to it. The
reply invariably was that the question was one
for public authority, that the Government was
armed and would take action, and if further
powers should prove necessary they would be
granted. Then the topic was changed.

There is no doubt that the Argentine Govern-
ment, like that of Great Britain, is resolved to
finish, once for all, with crimes which arouse
only horror in all the civilised world. In the

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA 89

course of a hasty visit I had occasion to pay
to the Police Department, in the company of the
City Superintendent, Senor Guiraldes (at the
very moment of the arrest of the man who was
believed to have thrown the bomb in the Colon
Theatre), I could see that not only is the force
a very powerful one, but that it has at its head
men of energy and decision who are determined
to repress deeds of violence, of which all or
nearly all are committed by persons not of
Argentine nationality.1

While on the subject, one may note that the
Argentine police have adopted and perfected
the system of identification of criminals by the
marks of the thumb. First the imprint of all
ten fingers is taken, so as to make mistake im-
possible and arrive at absolute certainty; then,
acting on the principle that it may be as useful
to identify an honest man as a bandit, iden-
tification certificates are issued to the public,
for a small fee, containing an enlargement of
the thumb imprint.

1 The Fire Brigade, admirably organised as I had an
opportunity of observing, is armed like the Paris Corps,
and can thus be employed to reinforce the city police if
necessary.

90 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

A crowd of people waiting at the door of the
office that makes and furnishes these documents
showed that the public fully appreciated their
usefulness. Young men and old were submit-
ting in silence to have their ten fingers smeared
with a sort of wax not easily removed by soap
and water. Each in turn departed well pleased
that the stigma of " Unknown " would never be
attached to his grave. It appears that it has
become the fashion to register one's thumb at
the police-station before starting on any jour-
ney. Seiior Guiraldes told us that his own son,
now in Europe, had taken this precaution be-
fore exposing his person to the risks of the
elements and the unceremonious manners of
Parisian apaches.

In the days of the stage-coach Parisians used
to be laughed at for making their wills and
taking out passports before starting on a jour-
ney to fitampes. Now behold ! By other routes
we have returned to the good old days. And
funny as it may appear to those of us who like
to believe that civilisation in South America is
more or less rudimentary, it is precisely this
country which thus, in scientific fashion, guards

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA 91

against the barbarous ways of the capitals and
even the country districts of Europe.

There was recently a story of an Argentine
who was drowned on our coast and whose body
was subsequently washed up on shore, with the
head frightfully mutilated. As, however, the
telltale thumb had been preserved he was
quickly identified. If this story had been told
me in time I should certainly have allowed as
much of my person as wras necessary to be
dipped in wax instead of venturing to start on
my homeward journey without the simple proofs
of identity which would suffice to place beyond
doubt the status of any Jonah in the depths of
a whale. As it is, in spite of my imprudence,
I reached home with my head still on my
shoulders. Pure luck! Never again will I
trust myself at sea without this elementary pre-
caution, which would so radically have changed
the fortunes of Ulysses in rocky Ithaca.

After this digression, which is only excused
by the importance of the subject, I want to
finish what I began to say about the ^aoid Arge"n-
tinism of our friends. I had a great surprise
one day when speaking respectfully of the fine

92 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

qualities of the Spaniards. Some highly cul-
tured men present interrupted me, and criticised
severely the race from which they had sprung
in terms one might have expected from an
Anglo-Saxon, but not from a Latin. Therefore
I must ask my readers not to imagine that the
Argentines are merely Spaniards transplanted
to American soil. No! The real Argentine,
though he would never confess it, seems to me
convinced that there is a magic elixir of youth
that springs from his soil and makes of him
a new man, descendant of none but ancestor of
endless generations to come.

That there is indeed a regenerating influence
in this youthful land is proved by the power
it wields over newcomers of whatever origin.
The Italian in particular is Argentinised before
he is argente. In the provinces, as in Buenos
Ayres, I had a hundred thousand examples of
this before my eyes. You ask a child, the son
of an immigrant, whether he speaks Italian or
Spanish. He answers haughtily, " At home we
all talk Argentine." Another, unable to deny
that he was born in Genoa, although he claimed
Argentine nationality, murmured by way of ex-

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA 93

cuse, " I was so little." I may add that in the
primary schools where these replies were made
to me the teaching was the epitome of Argen-
tine patriotic spirit, as might be guessed from
the pictures and inscriptions on the walls.1 But
Alsace-Lorraine and Poland are witness to the
fact that unless the heart be wholly won author-
ity may labour in vain.

As I want to be wholly sincere here, I must
admit that the French take this Argentine
contagion with remarkable facility. I should
grievously wrong our own excellent colony, how-
ever, if I did less than justice to its ardent
patriotism. It is only when tried that love
grows and grows purer. In absence the father-
land seems the dearer in proportion as it is
connected with the recollection of sufferings that
left us stripped of all but honour.

The public work of the French colony speaks
loudly for it. Its most important achievement
is the French Hospital, founded long ago, but,

*It appears that on the day of the National Fete the
pupils of the primary schools have to take an oath of
fidelity to the Flag, which is called the juro de la Bandera,
and is accompanied by speeches and patriotic songs that
cannot help making an impression on the children.

94 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

thanks to its Governor, M. Basset, and its chief
physician, Dr. G. Laure, it is invaluable. As
I was leaving the building after a visit I shall
not soon forget, the Chairman of the Board of
Directors showed me a bust of Pasteur stand-
ing among the trees, and asked what I thought
of a suggestion to place near it a figure of
Lorraine. Although the symbolism in the two
statues would be entirely different, I warmly
concurred in the plan. There is, after all, a
delicate connection between these two manifesta-
tions of the soul of France — the desire for know-
ledge and the courage to hold.

These men, who have presented to the city
of Buenos Ayres a monument worthy of France
in commemoration of the friendship of the sister
republics, and who, on the occasion of the floods
in Paris of last year, sent a cheque for 400,000
francs to assuage the worst of the distress, never
miss an opportunity of showing their loyalty to
the mother-country. Yet how many sons of
France one meets at every step who have gone
over to the Argentine, head and heart, beyond
all possibility of return !

One large manufacturer of the port of Buenos

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA 95

Ayres is a nephew of a member of our National
Assembly of 1871. I noticed, when inspecting
his very remarkable establishment, that he
speaks French less fluently than Spanish, while
his two brothers, who pay frequent visits to
Paris, have become thorough Argentines.

Again, I might take the case of one of our
most eminent compatriots who left France in
his twentieth year, but who has remained French
to the very marrow of his bones. His son is
an official of high position in the Argentine.
Doubtless his marriage with a woman of the
country laid the foundation for this South
American family. The atmosphere of the home
is naturally altered, and his material interests,
indissolubly riveted to the soil that feeds him
and his family, attune the settler insensibly to
new ways, and gradually transform his whole
habit of mind to the new pattern.

Can anybody explain why this is not the case
with the French who try their fortune in North
America, and why in Canada the two races live
side by side in all harmony but never mix? It
must *be that " blood is thicker than water/' as
says the English proverb, and that the Latin

96 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

element blends more readily with a Latin
agglomeration than with an Anglo-Saxon com-
munity. Here I have seen, over and over again,
that after two or three generations nothing
remains of the original stock but the name.

I know of but one instance where the Latin
organism has been completely assimilated by a
northern race, and that is the French emigra-
tion to Germany in consequence of the revoca-
tion of the Edict of Nantes. But in that case
a community of religious fervour, strengthened
by an odious persecution, was the active agent
in the blending of the Latin mind and character
with that of Germany. We all remember that
the first German Governor of Alsace-Lorraine
was the descendant of a French emigrant.
Some of us may recall the furious address of the
learned Dubois-Eeymond to the youth of Prussia
in 1870, urging them over the frontier of the
land from which their ancestors were driven by
the sabres of the dragoons of Louis XIV.

To return once more to our Franco-Argen-
tinos, I ought to say that the severe application
of French military law but too often embitters
them against the mother-country. In its haste

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA 97

to increase its population, the Argentine awards
nationalisation to the children of foreigners born
on Argentine soil, and nationalisation carries in
its train military service. It is the same system
adopted by ourselves in Algiers toward Spanish
colonists. The consequence is that the son of
French parents duly registered at the French
Consulate, in order to preserve for him his
father's nationality, finds himself later called
simultaneously to serve under two flags on
opposite sides of the ocean.

What is he to do? In the Argentine, where
military service is very short, are all his future
prospects, while in France no place has been
kept open for him. If France were in danger
and called to him for help he would not hesi-
tate, but, failing that, his actual surroundings
make it hard for him to decide. The majority
respond to the call to the Argentine flag, and
by so doing fall into the class of insoumis on
French soil, except in cases where the father,
with a forethought that cannot be approved, has
omitted to register the birth at the Consulate.

If I remember rightly, ten only out of forty
youths called up leave Buenos Ayres annually

98 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

to answer to their names at the French roll-call.
One wonders whether the result be sufficient to
justify steps that might easily trouble our rela-
tions with the French colony in this country.
For the young insoumis can never set foot on
French soil without finding the gendarmerie
after him. Yet his business will call him inevi-
tably to Europe. Where will he take his orders
when France has shut her doors to him? Eng-
land, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany are
open to him. I heard recently a story about a
Frenchman of Buenos Ayres who ventured to
Lille, and had only just time, at a warning from
a friend, to escape over the border.

I need not dwell on the matter, but it is easy
to see how detrimental the present state of the
law is to French families living in the Argentine,
Brazil, and other American countries, as well
as to France herself. We manage in this way
to drive from the national fold a number of
young men who would in time of danger respond
heartily to a call from the motherland.

Wherever I went I heard the same cry. The
Consuls and the French Minister could only
reply, " It is the law." But the Frenchman who

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA 99

follows the Flag in some foreign land demands
an alteration in a law which ought not to be
applied with the same rigour to youths living
in Basle, Brussels, Geneva, and to those who
have found a field for their activities across the
sea.

To me it seems only justice to establish a
distinction in our legislation between these two
categories of French subjects. For example, I
heard of the case of an eminent politician — M.
Pellegrini, the son of an inhabitant of Nice, and
therefore French — who, in his youth, got into
difficulties in the way described with the French
recruiting service, and who later, having risen
to the position of President of the Argentine
Republic, received the Grand Cordon of the
Legion of Honour. The red ribbon or the Coun-
cil of War — which seems the more appropriate
reward to citizens of this kind? Of course, we
must all regret that valuable citizens should
thus be taken from France at the moment when
she needs every one of her children. At the
same time we must consider that a Frenchman
who has become Argentine is by no means lost
to France, as might be the case in the United

100 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

V. K
States, for instance, where the Latin is rapidly

submerged by the irresistible flood of Anglo-
Saxonism.

In the Argentine, on the contrary, the North-
ern races prove merely a useful element of
methodical intelligence and tenacity, which is in
time engulfed by the great Latin wave. There
are important German colonies in Brazil, and
even in the Argentine. Both English and North
Americans have prosperous manufactories there.
Yet in a race that has preserved integrally its
Latinity, all this is of but secondary interest,
and the tendency remains to travel steadily in
the track of peoples of Latin stock, among whom
it may without presumption be said that the
French exert the most powerful influence.

For this reason any Frenchman of average
intellectual and moral value who becomes in-
corporated in the Argentine nation must almost
infallibly at the same time — for I doubt if any
Frenchman is ever really un-Frenched — mate-
rially aid in permanently strengthening French
prestige.

What are we to think of men like M. Paul
Groussac, who holds an eminent place in Buenos

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA 101

Ayres, but who would equally in his own land
have reached the very front rank? M. Groussac,
having gone through our naval training school,
set out to see the world. One day, his pockets
empty, he arrived at Buenos Ayres, where
courageously he hired himself as gaucho — that
is, keeper of the immense flocks of the Pampas,
whose members run into their thousands — and
he undertook to drive a train of mules to Peru.
He accomplished the journey successfully, cover-
ing the same route four times in all, each
journey taking four months. Later we find him
acting as schoolmaster. In Tucuman he car-
ried on the work of the French outlaw, Jacques,
who, having escaped to the Argentine after the
coup d'etat of December 2d, devoted himself en-
tirely to public education on lines taken up later
and developed by President Sarmiento. We had
the pleasure of seeing in the place of honour at
the Training College of Tucuman the portraits
of the two French founders, Jacques and Paul
Groussac. From time to time the latter brother
has published various literary works, notably
some short stories in which Argentine life and
character are brilliantly set forth, and the name

102 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

of their author has achieved a wide celebrity.
Then M. Hilleret, the great French sugar manu-
facturer of Santa Ana, placed a large capital
at the disposal of Paul Groussac with which to
start a daily paper destined to reveal, in the
person of its editor-in-chief, a writer of remark-
able force.

To-day you may hear that Paul Groussac is
the leading Spanish writer of our times, which
by no means prevents him from contributing
some brilliant articles to our own Journal des
Debats, amply proving his mastery of his mother-
tongue, not to mention a curious study by him
of that literary enigma the Don Quichotte of
Avellaneda.

In 1810 a Public Library was founded by
decree of the~first Revolutionary Junto, on the
initiative of Secretary Moreno. It was opened
March 16, 1812, its nucleus being drawn from
the convent libraries. In 1880, after the pro-
clamation of Buenos Ayres as capital of the
Federation, the Public Library became the Na-
tional Library, and in 1885 Paul Groussac was
appointed Governor. In an interview with
President Eoca, who cannot be accused of any

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA 103

partiality for him, Groussac obtained a grant
of the building intended, alas! for public lot-
teries, in which the library might be installed.
He set to work immediately. The National
Library of the Argentine, under the control of
M. Groussac, is now without a rival in South
America, and can bear comparison with many
similar institutions on the Old Continent.1

One of the pet hobbies of M. Groussac is now
to open a French lycee in Buenos Ayres, with
the support of both Governments. His eldest
son, an Argentine, has just been appointed to
the post of Under-Secretary of State in the
Office of Public Instruction by M. Saenz Peiia.

Strangely enough all the fine qualities of this
illustrious compatriot of ours have been lost
sight of for the reason that through some defect
— I had almost said vice — in his character he
has won the reputation of being the surliest of
bears. Having myseU also, to some extent, a
reputation for being less than amiable I won-
dered whether the two of us might not come to
blows if we met. Considering in some sort my

1In 1893 the Library numbered 69,000 volumes; in
1903, 130,000; and in 1910, 190,000.

104 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

bald head a protection, I ventured into the bear's
den, and found only the most affable and genial
of men, whose claws were of velvet and his tusks
of sugar. Thus we made friends at once, and I
found that the much-dreaded beast had nothing
terrible about him, unless it was a strong accent
of the Gers.

Since that day I have done my best to dispel
so injurious a prejudice against the man. I can
only explain its prevalence by the words of
Tacitus, who remarked of his father-in-law,
Agricola, " He chose rather to offend than to
hate." It is a rare enough trait among men
this, which leads them, like Alceste, to declare
their real opinion rather than stoop to the in-
dignity of falsehood. It may very easily happen
that in this way such men may offend the talker
who asks only cheap flattery, though actuated
themselves by the kindliest feelings towards
their fellow-men.

If we consider for a moment the sentiment
aroused in us by the general practice of using
words to conceal our thoughts, we must recog-
nise that we are the first to suffer by this uni-
versal weakness — not to say cowardice — in that

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA 105

we only expect from others what we ourselves
give, namely, hypocritical phrases, leading to
crooked actions, and causing that silent but
lasting dislike which forms the principal obses-
sion in the life of many among us. If it is a
less offence to inspire than to harbour dislike,
let us absolve the men who fail to win universal
regard, but who are nevertheless wholly in-
capable of harming a creature.

Unless I am misinformed, we shall soon have
the pleasure of seeing Paul Groussac in Paris.
A Chair of History of the Argentine Republic
has been founded at the Sorbonne, and there is
talk of offering it to him. Certainly no one
could better perform its duties. Yet it would
surprise me if he could in this way break off
his multitudinous engagements in the Argentine.
They say he will in person open the course of
lectures. I can promise an intellectual treat to
his hearers.

I did not hear of any Germans or English-
men who had, to the same extent as the Italians
and the French, undergone transformation into
Argentinos. The German, whose fundamental
roughness — to call it by no stronger name — is

106 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

frequently masked by good humour, works his
way into all classes of society, but without losing
any of his original traits. M. Mihanowitch, who
is at the head of a colossal business of river and
sea transportation, must, notwithstanding his
Austrian origin, be considered as an Argentine,
though he is surely of Slav blood.

The English invariably retain their indi-
viduality. I am told that in Patagonia, where
they are carrying on sheep breeding on a scale
that leaves Australia in the rear, they have built
up cosy dwellings, where every night they change
into their smoking-jackets for the family repast,
and never miss taking a holiday of two or three
months in their native land. They never become
Argentines. This, however, does not prevent
their being at the head of the business world
of La Plata, where they exert a powerful influ-
ence on the industrial and commercial life of
the people.

It would have greatly interested me to study
the foreign colonies more closely, but time was
lacking. Of the Spanish, the only man I was
able to see anything of was M. Coelho, the dis-
tinguished Governor of the Spanish Bank of La

FOREIGN COLONISTS IN ARGENTINA 107

Plata, whose untiring energy reaches out daily
in new directions; he gave me many proofs of
kindness, for which I am sincerely grateful.

It is certain that the recent visit of Field-
Marshal von der Goltz to the Argentine must
prove useful to German influence. As we know,
it is the Germans who are responsible for the
present organisation of the Argentine Army.
Their Government, wiser than some others, did
not hesitate to send to La Plata some of their
most skilled officers, who were naturally received
by Argentine society with the deference that was
their due.

The eminent legal scholar, Professor Enrico
Ferri, lately re-elected Deputy of the group that
we should call " Independent Socialists," is and
has long been the official mouthpiece of the
Italian colony. Gifted with a perfect urbanity,
an impartial mind, lofty ideals, and generous
eloquence, he quickly attracted the notice of the
public, and soon vanquished the suspicions of
the Extreme Right, who feared his Socialist
views, and the opposition of the Extreme Left,
who bore him malice for having broken away
from them. M. Saenz Pena's Cabinet has been

108 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

well advised in calling on M. Enrico Ferri to
take over the management of the penitentiary
system.

I have mentioned the principal features of the
French colony, and shall hope to be forgiven if
lack of space has prevented me from doing full
justice to its members. I have spoken of M.
Py, the distinguished Governor of the Banque
Franchise de la Plata, who is admirably as-
sisted in his work by the manager, M. Puisoye.
It would be unpardonable to omit the name of
Mme. Moreno (of the Comedie Franchise), who
has so thoroughly mastered the Spanish tongue
that she has opened and carried to success a
conservatoire, in which she trains pupils for the
stage. It would be the less excusable to forget
this lady in that she is frequently to be met at
receptions, where her elocution, both in prose
and in poetry, delights her Parisian-Argentine
public. Whilst waiting for the Academies to
confer on women the right to be learned, let us
venture to proclaim their cleverness even when
it is but an adjunct to feminine charm.

CHAPTER V

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND ASYLUMS

|P the different foreign elements
contributed by the Latin peoples
fuse so readily into an Argentine
race, it is none the less true that
Spanish metal bulks the heaviest in the ore.
Language, literature, history, give a bias from
which none can escape. The ancient branch
transplanted to this youthful soil sends up its
shoots towards another heaven, but the original
sap circulates unendingly in the living tree.
The Argentine is not, and firmly refuses to be,
a Spanish colony. It has successfully freed
itself from the historic shackles — those of theo-
cracy, first of all — which have so disastrously
tied and bound the noble and lofty impulses of
a people eminently fitted to perform exalted
tasks. And hence, notwithstanding a large
alluvion from Italy, symbolised by the monu-

109

110 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

ment to Garibaldi, notwithstanding the growing
influence of French culture, the atavism of
blood preserves an indelible imprint which will
characterise the Argentine nation down to its
most distant posterity.

The visit of the Infanta Isabella on the occa-
sion of the Centenary Fetes in honour of the
independence was a happy thought on the part
of the Spanish Government. The Princess, es-
corted by M. Perez Caballero, the present
Spanish Ambassador in Paris, was everywhere
received with rapturous enthusiasm. It was
easy to see that the struggles of the past, now
relegated to the annals of the dead, had left no
bitterness in the people's heart. There was uni-
versal pleasure at the graceful action of the now
reconciled parent in thus stretching a hand to
the son who, with impetuous ardour, had thrown
off the yoke of dependence, and the public found
a subtle pleasure in showing that the chivalrous
courtesy which is part of the tradition of the
race had lost none of its flower in this American
land. After the severe measures taken to re-
press anarchical violence, a rumour spread that
the life of the President of the Republic was in

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 111

danger. Perhaps there was nothing in it. Un-
fortunately, it was one of those things that can
only be verified by experience. At all events,
the Infanta Isabella chose to ignore the danger.
With the utmost simplicity, but also with the
utmost courage, she showed herself everywhere
by the side of the Chief of the State, and to
the lasting credit of the Argentine reputation,
everywhere she was greeted with hearty
applause.

Here, then, is a base, immutably Spanish
through all the changes that one can foresee,
together with a fusion and perfect assimilation
of the Latin elements in the immense influx of
European civilisation : such is the first condition
of Argentine evolution to be seen and studied
in the city of Buenos Ayres. To make the pic-
ture complete, we must notice an important
contribution of Indian blood that is very marked
everywhere. I shall return to this later. As for
the national character, since I am only jotting
down a traveller's impressions, and not attempt-
ing to present to my readers a didactic study, it
is, I think, better to allow its features to spring
naturally from the subject under consideration

112 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

as we go along, rather than first to make state-
ments that I must next attempt to prove.

I have already mentioned the extreme kindness
of Senor Guiraldes, the City Lieutenant, who is
for the Argentine capital what M. de Selves is
for Paris. Like our own Prefect, he is appointed
by the President of the Republic, and I may say
that although there are inevitably from time to
time differences with the Municipal Council, the
system has given good results as applied to a
place in which there are so many conflicting
elements. Senor and Senora Guiraldes, like all
the upper class of Argentine society, possess the
most perfect European culture, and they do the
honours of their city with a charming grace
that delights the foreign visitor. Now that I
am at a distance from them, I consider that
I may with propriety pay sincere homage to
their courtesy. Whenever I found I had a little
time to spare I used to telephone to Sefior
Guiraldes, who had once for all placed himself
at my disposal. He invariably replied by hast-
ening to my door, and together we consulted
as to tours of inspection; it was agreed that I
should choose the institutions to be visited so

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 113

that there might be no suspicion of collusion.
In this way I was enabled to visit all the State
or municipal establishments that interested me.
When by chance we found some evidence of
official oversight, Senor Guiraldes's satisfaction
was boundless.

" At least," he cried, " you will not tell me
that your call had been announced beforehand."

Then, to check any inordinate vanity, I told
him the tale of an adventure that happened once
to a certain Minister of the Interior who visited
the prison of Saint Lazare.

A ring at the bell.

" I want to see the Governor."

" He has gone up to town."

" Then I will see the chief clerk."

" He is away on leave."

" The chief warder? "

" He is laid up."

" Can I speak to the Sister Superior? "

" She has just gone out."

" Well, are any of the prisoners at home? "

The gaoler, smiling amiably : " I believe so."

Argentine officials, like their French brethren,
are both fallible and zealous, and while it was

114 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

impossible that in so many visits there should
be no ground for criticism, yet I am anxious to
declare publicly how admirably kept_were the
schools, of whatever degree, the hospitals, asy-
lums, refuges, and prisons; they were not only
adapted to all the requirements of therapeutics,
hygiene, and the canons of modern European
science, but they showed a genuine effort to do
better than the best. I should have been glad
to have there some of those who make a prac-
tice of disdaining these countries that started
very long after us, but that can already give
us some salutary lessons through institutions
such as those I have named, which are here
brought to a pitch of perfection that is in many
cases unknown with us.

My readers will not expect me to take them
with me round all the establishments that I
visited with Senor Guiraldes. They would fill
a book, and I should need to dip into the innu-
merable volumes of reports and notices which
Argentine benevolence added to my personal
luggage. This, however, does not come within
my subject.

None will be surprised that the schools at-

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 115

tracted my attention first. The School Question
is too vast to be handled here in detail. But
I saw professional schools (fi coles industrielles
de la Nation), and primary schools that would
be^mgdels. Ja. any,Jand. All the arrangements
irreproachable, and the children scrupulously
clean. Demonstration lessons in abundance.
Lessons on the land and its mineral, vegetable,
and animal productions, specimens of each being
passed from hand to hand, accompanied by ex-
planations summarised in synoptic tables. A
lesson on the anatomy and physiology of the
lungs was illustrated by the breathing organs of
an ox and a sheep (higher primary class for
young girls), which appeared to awaken great
interest among the scholars. Specimens in
pasteboard coloured like life, showing the dif-
ferent parts of the organism, allow these rudi-
mentary demonstrations to be carried fairly far.

The primary schools, under the management 4
of the National Educational Council, are free,
and include the school material obligatory in
theory for children of from six to twelve years
of age. But the population of Buenos Ayres
grows more rapidly than its schools. Hence the

116 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

inconvenient expedient has been adopted of di-
viding the pupils into two categories, one attend-
ing school of a morning and the other of an
afternoon, with the result that one half the
children are always wandering about the streets
while the others are drinking at the fountain
of knowledge. This is a system that has nothing
to recommend it. It is difficult to understand
why the Argentine capital postpones making
a pecuniary sacrifice which is certainly not be-
yond its means, and which is imperatively neces-
sary. The criticism is the more justifiable in
that untold sums have been spent on certain
buildings which are veritable palaces, as, for
example, the President Roca School. About a
hundred private, lay, or denominational schools,
kept for the most part by foreigners, take in
the children who are crowded out of the public
schools. At Buenos Ayres, as in other parts of
the country, the number of pupils in this cate-
gory is far too large. There are provinces where
the deficit of schools is such as to constitute a
real scandal in a civilised nation.1

1 The census of 1909 showed that public instruction had
since 1895, the date of the last census, made great pro-

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 117

I shall never forget the heart-broken tones of
a child of ten whom I met in the Pampas of
the Buenos Ayres province and whom I ques-
tioned as to his occupations.

" I want to go to school. Papa does not want
me to."

The father was a Mexican. The eyes of the
child thus condemned by paternal stupidity to
mental darkness were full of intelligence. How
much trouble we take to make the best of our
land ! How apathetic we are when it is a ques-
tion of developing the greatest force in the world,
that which sets in motion all the rest — human
intelligence! Is it not inconceivable that in

gress. In these ten years the Argentine has opened
2000 new schools. In 1895, 30 per cent, of the population
were in the schools; in 1909, 59 per cent.

The Lainez Act enjoined on the National Educational
Council the duty of opening elementary schools, giving the
minimum of instruction, wherever they were needed.

In the census of 1909 every child from five to fourteen
years was made the subject of a separate card of psycho-
physical details on the initiative of Dr. Horacio G. Pinero.
This card contained twenty-one questions: age, nation-
ality, parentage, height, weight, thoracic measurements,
size of the head, weight of the body, anomalies, deform-
ities, stigmata, anterior diseases, sight, hearing, objective
perception, attention, memory, language and pronuncia-
tion, affectionateness, excitability, temper.

118 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

France, after nearly half a century of labour,
we still find every year a large number of wholly
illiterate men among the conscripts called up to
serve with the Flag? This state of affairs, which
is sad enough at home, would be reckoned a
great success in the Campo, where distances are
such that the children have to go to the primary
schools on horseback, as I have elsewhere men-
tioned. But when a school is within reach, the
folly of parents must not be permitted to debar
their children from its advantages.

The municipal and State schools are entirely
undenominational. This rule obtains through-
out the Argentine, where it is accepted without
a murmur. The numerous religious Orders have
their own private schools in virtue of the recog-
nised principle of liberty of teaching. It might
surprise a European to see that the Catholic
clergy of the Argentine do not attempt to fight
the undenominational character of the public
schools which elsewhere has aroused such violent
hostility. To my mind this cannot be explained
by a want of religious fervour amongst priests
and monks in the Argentine. But circumstances
which it would take too long to explain have

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 119

taught the Argentine clergy to make an outward
practice of toleration. If questioned on the
subject, the Argentine will reply: " Our clergy
hold themselves aloof from politics."

And this seems to be the case. The religious
world appears to be no party to political dif-
ferences. The social influence of the Koman
hierarchy is none the less powerful on what re-
mains of the old colonial aristocracy and (with
few exceptions) on the women of the class known
as superior. Practically, the official relations
of Church and State in the Argentine approach
very close to separation.

I shall say nothing of the secondary schools
and colleges, of which I saw but little. They
are placed under the immediate control of the
Minister of Public Instruction. There are no
resident- students. This, in the opinion of all,
is the weakest spot in their educational scheme.
Arnede'e Jacques, one of the exiles of our De-
cember coup d'etat, introduced our classical cur-
riculum into the Argentine, but it met with no
success. Since that time, here, as at home, there
has been strife between the partisans of the
classic and those of modern, or even technical,

120 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

education. Great battles have been fought, and
the only result is that the cause of education
has suffered from both parties. The opening of
a French lycee, which I have reason to believe
will shortly take place, may help to restore the
classics to the position which in my opinion they
ought to hold in every civilised country.
i/ In certain branches higher education has made
great strides. Law and Medicine in particular
have a staff of eminent men in their colleges.
Any man who has made his mark in Europe is
sure of a choice audience there, drawn from both
professors and students. I had the pleasure of
being present at the first of Enrico FerrPs lec-
tures at the Law schools. His subject was
Social Justice. The powerful and glowing elo-
quence of the orator was never displayed before
a public better prepared to profit by his lofty
teaching on humanitarian equity.

It is not in vain that so many young Argen-
tines have made their way to the universities
of France, Italy, and Germany. As soon as I set
foot in the hospitals here I had an impres-
sion that I was in the full s

screm?e7and that the Argentines were determined

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 121

to be second to none in the perfection of their
organisation.

I noticed an excellent bacteriological institute
managed by a compatriot of ours, M. Ligneres,
and some agricultural schools that are turning
out a competent body of men for the develop-
ment of the Pampas.

The hospitals impressed us very favourably.
The New Hospital for Contagious Diseases,
situated some kilometres from the centre of the
town, comprises a series of model buildings, all
strictly isolated, of which each is devoted to a
special disease. At the Rivadavia Hospital, for
women only, the Cobo wards (for pulmonary
tuberculosis and surgical operations) are par-
ticularly admirable. Everywhere the latest im-
provements as regards the appliances for the
patients, the sterilising halls, and operating
theatres, and also as regards surgical appliances.
Nothing has been overlooked that can increase
the efficaTrtrro^Tiess ofthe hospital schools: amphi-
theatres for classes, diagrams,^spe?&5ns, etc.
The laboratories are so luxurious that they
would make our own hospital students envious.
It was here that Dr. Pozzi, our eminent com-

122 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

patriot, performed in May, 1910, ^a series of
operations, every one of which proved success-
ful ; while his German fellow-practitioner, whose
scientific acquirements are unquestionable, met
with very different results. The same may be
said of Dr. Doleris, who held a course of demon-
stration lessons in Buenos Ayres, and whose
operations were also crowned with entire suc-
cess. The Eivadavia Hospital has a fine annexe
of supplementary work: consultations for out-
patients, electro- and radio-therapy, dispensary,
etc. I must also mention the sumptuous recrea-
tion-rooms for the use of convalescents, and the
gardens, exquisitely kept.

In the maternity wards (at Alvear as at
Rivadavia) we find the same care for ultra-
modern comfort, combined with the strictest
cleanliness. I must not forget a very curious
obstetrical museum with diagrams, anatomical
specimens, and a series of admirable prepara-
tions exemplifying the different stages of ges-
tation. A small cradle should be noticed (a
German invention, I believe), ingeniously at-
tached to the mother's bed and taken down with
a single movement of the hand. Very happy

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 123

instance of simplification. Everywhere — in the
design of the buildings, in the fittings, labora-
tories, sterilising- and operating-rooms — the in-
fluence and products of Germany, were patent.
On the other hand, the French culture of doctors
and -surgeons, masters and pupils, was easily
discernible, and all were greatly indebted to the
classics of our Paris and Lyons Faculties. I
could not see the evidences of this in the hospital
libraries without remembering regretfully the
churlish reception that is given in some of our
hospital schools to modest foreign savants.

At the same time, I will not conceal the fact
that Protection of the most extreme sort flour-
ishes among the Argentine physicians, who are
very anxious to defend themselves against Euro-
pean competition. I was told that there are no
less than thirty-two. f^fl™inRtinr>s JmpftfiP'1 QT1 a
doctor from the Paris Faculty before he is per-
mitted to write out the simplest prescription for
a gaucho of the Pampas. We may be allowed
to find these measures highly exaggerated.

There is a splendid Asylum for Aged Men
kept by French Sisters of Charity in a condition
of the daintiest cleanliness, and managed by

124 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

ladies of the city. The Argentines claim that
their women are very zealous in all charitable
works. Doubt was thrown recently in the
Chamber on this statement. I am not competent
to judge.

One original institution — the Widows' Asylum
— is a sort of settlement composed of small
apartments of one or two rooms, on a single
floor. In the courtyard opposite the gate is a
small shed, in which is placed a stove for
open-air cooking, possible in this fortunate
climate all the year round. The rents are
very low for widows having more than four
children.

The lunatic .colony of Lujan, to which its
founder and manager, Dr. Cabred, has given the
significant name of The Open Door, deserves a
more detailed description. It consists of an
estate of six hundred hectares on the Pacific
Line seventy kilometres from Buenos Ayres, and
here twelve hundred patients are accommodated
in twenty villas — graceful chalets, surrounded
by gardens and containing each sixty patients.
These villas are fitted up with everything neces-
sary for clinotherapy and balneotherapy, with

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 125

fine recreation-rooms. The colony is enclosed
by a line of wire ; not a wall, not a wooden fence
— everywhere unrestricted freedom and a wide,
open horizon.

We have erected a monument in Paris to the
memory of Pinel, in which he is represented as
breaking the chains which mediaeval ignorance
heaped on the mad inmates of Bicetre as late as
1793. But if you visit our asylum of Sainte-
Anne, you are tempted to ask in what this
" modern " establishment differs from an ordi-
nary prison. I hasten to add that in the other
asylums of the Department of the Seine we are
beginning to develop the open-air treatment.
Long ago the system of placing certain patients
out in the country amongst peasant families was
planned and adopted. The Open Door treats all
mental patients, of whatever degree of mad-
ness, on the plan known out here as " work per-
formed Jnjiberty." In the confusion of cerebral
phenomena the widest freedom is given to the
reflex action of unconscious or quasi-unconscious
life. If a patient has learnt a trade, he finds at
once in The Open Door an outlet for his en-
ergies, for it is with the labour of the lunatics

126 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

that the carpentering, masonry, scaffolding, etc.,
of these villas was executed. Those who have
no trade are given a technical education, and
often acquire great skill. The difficulty is to
persuade the newcomer to begin to work. If
he refuses, he is left alone. " He is left to feel
dull." Then he is invited to take a walk, and
once on the spot where work is proceeding, he
is offered a tool that he may do as the others
are doing.

" I have met with only one refusal," said Dr.
Cabred. " One patient tried calmly to prove
to me that life was not worth the labour neces-
sary to preserve it. I must confess that he
nearly convinced me, and I often try to find the
flaw in his reasoning, though never, as yet, with
success. It is a little hard when the apostle of
lunatic labour is brought to ask himself if the
lunatic who refuses to work is not acting on a
better reasoned conviction than his more submis-
sive companions. At any rate, he is the only
man in the colony who does nothing. He spends
his time reading the paper or dreaming, without
saying a word. When I go to see him he mocks
at me, declaring that it is I who am the fool,

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 127

and, indeed, to support his laziness is not, per-
haps, the action of a sane man."

There is not ji_str_ait- waistcoat or a single
appliance for restraint in the whole colony.
Excitement or attacks of violence all yield to
the bath, which is sometimes prolonged to
twenty-four or thirty hours if necessary.

Separate chalets for the manager and his staff,
for the water reservoir, the machinery, laundry,
dairy, kitchens, workshops, theatre, chapel. Out-
side, agricultural labour in every form, from
ploughing to cattle rearing. Only the superin-
tendents who direct the work are sane, or sup-
posed to be. In spite of this assurance it is not
without alarm that one watches madmen hand-
ling red-hot irons or tools as dangerous for
others as themselves. As may be supposed, they
are not put to this kind of work until they have
been subjected to long trials.

Our visit to The Open Door lasted a whole
day, and still we had not seen everything. From
first to last we were followed by a mad photo-
grapher, who took his pictures at his own con-
venience and reprimanded us severely for rising
from lunch without first posing for him. Four

128 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

days later a series of photographs, representing
the various incidents of our day at The Open
Door, was sent to me, bound in an album — by
a madman, of course, and sent by another mad-
man to a person mad enough to believe himself
endowed with reason.

Need I add that we had been received to the
strains of the Marseillaise and the National
Argentine Hymn, performed by_a_mad band,
which, all through lunch, played the music of
its repertoire! Ever since, I have wondered
why a certificate of madness is not demanded
from every candidate for admission to the Opera
orchestra.

As for journalism, do you suppose that no
room was found for it in The Open Door? The
excellent Dr. Cabred is not a man to make such
omissions. We were duly presented with a copy
of the Ecos de las Mercedes, a monthly paper,
written and published by the madmen of The
Open Door, with the intention, perhaps, of mak-
ing us believe that other journals are the work
of individuals in full possession of their common-
sense — prose and poetry; articles in Spanish,
Italian, and French; occasionally a slight care-

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 129

lessness in grammar and in sequence of thought,
but, on the whole, not wandering farther from
their subject than others.

Finally, to wind up the day's proceedings, we
were treated to a horserace ridden by lunatics.
Sane beasts mounted by mad horsemen, gallop-
ing wildly, by mutual consent, in a useless effort
to reach a perfectly vain end. Is not this the
common spectacle offered by humanity?

Meantime, one honest madman of mystic ten-
dencies, decorated with about a hundred medals,
pursued us with religious works, from which he
read us extracts, accompanied by his blessing.
I wondered whether this form of exercise was
included in Dr. Cabred's programme, since he
claims to make his lunatics perform all the acts
of a sane community. A similar scruple oc-
curred to me at noon, when I was invited to
take a seat at a well-spread table.

"Is your cooking done by madmen?" I in-
quired, not without anxiety.

" We have made an exception in your favour,"
was the contrite reply.

And now another question arose to my
lips.

130 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

" Since you have clearly proved that the mad
are capable of performing any kind of task, will
you tell me why you give yourself the lie by
placing at the head of The Open Door a man
who appears to me in possession of all his
faculties? "

" Yes ; that is a weakness," replied the Doctor,
laughing. " But, after all, what proof have you
that I am not literally fulfilling all my own
conditions? Did I not tell you that one of my
patients, who may quite possibly be the most
enlightened of us all, pronounced me a raving
lunatic when I invited him to work? If he is
right, then all is as it should be at The Open
Door."

I did not wish to vex the kindly doctor, who
is the architect of so admirable a monument, but
there was still a doubt in my mind: Was it
possible to give the illusion of freedom to these
madmen by merely suppressing the walls? They
offer no resistance when called to co-operate in
all kinds of open-air labour, and find, if not a
cure, at least relief from their malady in this
simple treatment; but did they really believe
themselves free? I did not ask the question,

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 131

for the answer was given by an old French gar-
dener, one of the inmates of The Open Door,
who, over-excited by our presence there, suddenly
began to rave.

" For twenty-five years," he shrieked, " you
have kept me prisoner here ! "

Here, then, was a man whose life was spent
out of doors at the work with which he had been
familiar all his life, and, although no sign of
restraint was visible, he was conscious of im-
prisonment. It is true that modern determin-
ism has reduced what we call our " liberty " to
the rigorous fatality of an organism which leaves
to us merely the illusion of free will,1 while im-
posing on us the impulse of some superior energy
that we are forced to obey. Oh, Madness! Oh,

1 " If the idea of liberty be in itself a force, as Fouillee
maintains, that force would be scarcely less if some wise
man should one day demonstrate that it rested on illu-
sion alone. This illusion is too tenacious to be dispelled
by reasoning. The most convinced of determinists will
still continue to use the words ' I will and even ' I
ought ' in his daily speech, and moreover will continue to
think them with what is the most powerful part of his
mind — the unconscious and non-reasoning part. It is just
as impossible not to act like a free man when one acts
as it is not to reason like the determinist when one is
working at science " (" La Morale et la Science," by Henri
Poincare, La Revue, June 1, 1910).

132 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Wisdom ! Oh, vacillating sisters ! is it indeed
true that you wander hand in hand through the
world?

To whatever philosophic solution our own
madness or reason may lead us, let us hasten
to conclude the subject by stating that The Open
Door is a model establishment, which, thanks to
Dr. jCabred, enables the Argentine to give the
lead to older peoples. I will only add that it
is the rarest thing for a patient to escape (if
I may use so unsuitable a word), since the
natural conditions of the surrounding Pampas
would render life therein impossible ; and the
lunatics on the way to recovery who are given
leave of absence to stay a few days with their
friends before being finally set at liberty in-
variably return punctually to the colony. Who
can tell if some lunatic, restored to reason,
might not secretly refuse to believe himself
cured, and elect to pass the rest of his days
happily at work under the glorious sky amongst
these peaceful creatures, where the troubles and
worries of the world, with the eternal competi-
tion and conflict which are the scourge of our
"sane" existence, are unfelt and unknown?

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 133

Such a case might lead Dr. Cabred to put up
a similar establishment for the wise.

From the lunatic asylum to the prison is not
such a leap as some of us may think. The asy-
lum lifts out of the relative orderliness that we
have managed to establish in the conditions of
civilised life all those who, by lack of mental
balance, might introduce unbearable disorder.
And might not this elemental definition be
equally applied to the one or the other class
of unfortunates? I beg my reader not to be
alarmed at the fearful gravity of the problem.
If it be true that no philosopher has ever been
able to find a solid foundation for the right that
man has assumed to " punish " his fellows for
transgressing his laws, at least all will readily
admit that, notwithstanding some obvious im-
perfections, society has attained to manifest
superiority over the state of barbarism in which
brute force alone rules, and that it is therefore
inadmissible that those who would transgress
the general laws on which society has been based
should be allowed to destroy the fabric so
laboriously built up.

In moving out of its path those who would

134 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

live within its pale in defiance of its laws, society
but exercises its natural right,1 The real ques-
tion open to dispute is rather the treatment to
be meted out to these rebels. In the primitive
code of the talion nothing was more simple — an
eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth — thou hast
killed; I kill thee. Thou hast inflicted injuries;
I in my turn shall injure thee, and I expect to
deter thee from future crimes by fear of the
pain in store for thee. Such " justice " has the
double advantage of being speedy and readily
comprehended of a rudimentary intelligence as
long as the temptation has been resisted. But
when evil instincts, that none asks of Nature,
have caused the fall of delinquents, the morbid
moral sense, more or less distorted, which urged
them on to violent deeds, makes them conscious
solely of the violence of which they are now

1 " If some day morality were forced to accept determin-
ism, would it not perish in the effort to adapt itself
thereto? So profound a metaphysical revolution would
doubtless have less influence on our manners than might
be thought. Penal repression is not of course in ques-
tion; what we now call crime and punishment would be
known as disease and prevention, but society would pre-
serve intact its right which is not to punish but simply
to defend itself" (Henri Poincare, loc tit.).

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 135

the object, and drives them to take sinister re-
venge. Thus they are prevented from exercising
their calmer judgment, from which, by the mere
force of reaction, there might spring a desire and
hope for a new life within the pale of the estab-
lished order of things.

And seeing it had been left for 1793 — the epoch
of a universal outburst of fraternity, manifested
first by the permanent institution of the guillo-
tine— to give us in Pinel a man of enough simple
common-sense to break the chains that bound
the mad, is it unreasonable to think Miat without
freeing criminals (since not even at The Open
Door are the lunatics let loose upon the public)
one might yet seek some system of improvement
and reformation to be applied in the establish-
ments in which we keep our prisoners? There will
always be some incurables — that is certain; but
because incurables exist in every hospital and
asylum, ought we to argue therefrom that it is
useless to fight against an evil that is beyond
human powers?

The reader may suppose that I should not
have ventured to set down these considerations
of social philosophy without a good reason. The

136 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

principles I have thus summarised, at the risk
of wearying those who look only for amusement,
are now held by every criminalist worthy the
name. But since this new conception makes its
way very slowly with even the best-intentioned
of Governments, which are the more strongly
imbued with the prejudices of the masses in
proportion as they are the more impregnated
with the democracy, and since the transforma-
tion of our existing prisons would be very costly,
we have as yet not got farther than the inclu-
sion of the words " reform " and " amendment "
on programmes that are very far from being put
in execution.

Shall I give an example? It is evident that
the time-sentence must inevitably restore a
prisoner sooner or later to society. Is not,
therefore, the public interest bound up in his
returning with a good chance of leading a
regular life, and not falling back into the dis-
order that was the cause of his temporary re-
moval? And is not the very first condition of
this fresh start the possession of a trade with
sufficient skill therein toj?njsure some chance of
success? If, then, we can^$wre"te~ehnical instruc-

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 137

tion in our prisons, and at the same time im-
prove the in teT^JSaXliul moral standard of the
prisoner; and if, on his discharge, we can place
the man whom society has thus — temporarily
only — removed from its midst, in a position im-
mediately to earn an honest living, instead of
throwing him onTiis own resources, to be again
confronted with tho jejune temptations — would
not society in this way infinitely multiply the
sum total of the probabilities that its money
and trouble would have the desired effect? I
think, in theory, this argument will be readily
admitted. Unfortunately, the difficulty is that
it is much more economical to draw an im-
mediate profit from prison labour than to re-
verse the problem and spend more in order to
place an instrument of reform in the hands of
the delinquent, with always, of course, a risk of
failure.

In the United States great progress has been
made in this direction, and if I appear to have
gone a long way round to introduce my readers
to the Qejyrid_(jinefl^JE^ Ayres,

my excuse is that to my mind the Argentine
Republic has far surpassed all that has been

138 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

attempted hitherto in this department of work.
And to say truth, I feared that in bluntly and
without comment giving a description of what
I have been permitted to see, I might jar the
spirit of routine that has taken hold of certain
communities, notwithstanding their revolution-
ary changes of appellation.

I shall say nothing of the material side of the
place, which very much resembles our own
prisons. The prisoners are locked into their
cells at night, but by day they are told off into
the different workshops which are intended to
perfect them in their own trades or give them
a new one. The wages question Js placed on
much the same basis as with us, except that,
the food being more abundant, the men are able
to put aside the greater parJLQJL3£hat they earn.
(The diet consists principally of perchero —
boiled beef — the staple article of food amongst
the masses.) Conversation is allowed, but only
in a low voice, and as long as work is not hin-
dered thereby. Eations are distributed in the
cells by the prisoners themselves, who take their
meals with the door open, and frequently- add
a cigarette to the menu. There are books in

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 139

every cell, with the essentials of school station-
ery. There are fourteen classes and fourteen
masters. All the inmates attend the adult
classes, which include such subjects — in addi-
tion to the theory of their own special technical
work — as history, hygiene, morality, and in each
an examination is held at the end of the year.

Both Governor and masters testify to the gen-
eral application of the pupils. Tbkland survey-
ing^lassLgrows with special rapidity, in view
of the constant demand for surveyors in the
Pampas. A vast lecture-hall, which makes a
theatre when required, is decorated with draw-
ings, casts, and charts by the hand of the pupils.
Lectures are given both by masters and prison-
ers when the latter are sufficiently advanced, or
when their former studies have qualified them
for the task. On one occasion M. Ferrero, who
has, I believe, published an account of his visit
to the Central Prison of Buenos Ayres, was
present when a prisoner gave a lecture on
prehistoric America.

" And the old offenders? " I asked as I went
out.

" There are some," replied the Governor, " but

140 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

not many. Our system of re-education^ is power-
fully backed up by the permanent offer of work
from all parts of the pampas. Moreover, the
greater number of our crimes are what are called
6 crimes J)fpassion.f. The Italian and Spaniard
are equally prompt with the knife. A large
number of these men have killed their man in
a fit of furious excitement, but they will be
thought none the less of for their < irritability '
when they return home. Our point of view is
this : Every time a man commits an offence or
a crime, it becomes the duty of the community
to begin, immediately, the work of re-education.
Probably in no country shall we ever do all we
might for the individual offender. But when
one member of the social corporation falls he
must be made over again. This is what we are
trying to do, and I admit it is the greatest joy
to us to see the success of our efforts. I have
seen most of the prisons of Europe. Did you
notice amongst our inmates that expression of
the tracked beast which you find on all your
prisoners? No. Our inmates have one idea
only — to begin life again and to prepare, this
time, for success. This is the secret of that

ARGENTINE EDUCATION, HOSPITALS 141

tranquil, confiding air of good children at their
task which you must have observed on so many
faces; and this, perhaps, takes the place of
repentance, which is not given to all."

" And you are not afraid your comfortable
building will prove an attraction to people
who are at a loss to know what to do with
themselves? "

" That has not happened so far. Such a fear
— though I cannot believe you are speaking
seriously — shows you do not take into account
the superior attraction for every human creature
of liberty."

With that I left, having learnt a very inter-
esting lesson from the Argentines, whom so
many Europeans are generously ready to teach.

CHAPTER VI

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, AND MORALS

HAD very good ground for stating
that a salient characteristic of the
Argentinos was a desire, not only
to learn from Europe but to carry
to the farthest possible pitch of perfection every
institution begun, whether public or private, and
w-iaodel. The obvious danger in

all rapidly-developed colonial settlements is the
acceptance of the " half-done," an almost ob-
ligatory condition in the early stages of devel-
opment, and one whose facility of attainment
is apt to militate against the persistency of
effort after that precision of completion which
alone can give good results. This defect, in fact,
constitutes the principal reproach brought by
the systematic Northerners against the im-
pulsive Latin races, whose temperamental traits
lead them to content themselves with a bril-

142

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 143

liant start, leaving thereafter to imagination the
task of filling in the blanks left in the reality
by this unsatisfactory method of operation.

I confess that in setting out for South America
I was prepared to find I should need the great-
est indulgence if I would escape the danger of
offending by discourteous but candid criticism.
This was due to the fact that I was insensibly
influenced partly by a few sociologists who dis-
cuss these matters carelessly, and partly by the
folly that leads us to overlook the claims of
consanguinity and urges us ever along those
paths that England and Germany have opened.
But not at all. If the prodigious expansion of
the great North American republic may have
inclined me to fear for the South American
republics anything approaching to comparison,
it is my belief that any impartial observer will
rejoice to recognise the robust and generous de-
velopment of some of the most promising forces
of the future, in young communities that are
clearly destined to attain to the highest grades
of human superiority.

In 1865 Buckle, who was a man of no ordi-
nary mental calibre, did not fear to write in

144 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

his History of Civilisation that the compelling
action of land and climate in Brazil was such
that a highly civilised community must shortly
find a home there. The event has amply justi-
fied the bold prophecy. In the South American
republics, as in the United States and else-
where, there are different degrees of fulfilment,
of course. At the outset, while waiting for land
to acquire value, all peoples have had to be
satisfied with an approximate achievement. But
in the Argentine, Uruguay, and Brazil, to speak
only of countries I have visited, it is plain that
nothing will be left half done, and the capacity
to carry all work methodically .forward to its
end, in no matter what field of labour, promises
well for the future of a race.

You do not require to stay long at Buenos
Ayres to find that this quality exists in a very
high degree in the Argentine.

I have mentioned the European aspect of
Buenos Ayres — the least colonial-looking, prob-
ably, of any place in South America. But I
noticed at the same time that the Argentino
refuses to be simply a Spaniard transplanted,
although society, in Buenos Ayres, traces its

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 145

descent, with more or less authenticity, from
the conquistador es, and did originally issue from
the Iberian Peninsula. If we go farther and
inquire what other influence, beside that of soil
and climate, has been exercised over the Euro-
pean stock in the basin of the Rio de la Plata,
we are bound to be struck with the thought
that the admixture of Indian blood must count
for something. The negro element, never nu-
merically strong, appears to have been com-
pletely absorbed. There is^ very little trace of
African^ blood. On the other hand, without1
leaving Buenos Ayres, you cannot fail to be
struck by some handsome half-castes to be seen
in the police force and fire brigade, for example,
and the regularity of their delicate features is
very noticeable to even the observer who is least
prepared for it. The Indian of South America,
though closely akin to the redskin of the
North, is infinitely his superior. He had, in-
deed, created a form of civilisation, to which
the conquistadores put brutally an end. There
still subsist in the northern provinces of the
Argentine some fairly large native settlements
which receive but scant consideration from the

146 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Government. I heard too much on the subject
to doubt the truth of this. Not but what many
savage deeds can be laid to the charge of the
Indians, as, for example, the abominable trap
they laid for the peaceful Crevaux Mission in
Bolivia which led to the massacre of all its
members. Still, in equity we must remember
that those who have recourse to the final argu-
ment of brute force are helping to confirm the
savages in the habit of using it. In the interest
of the higher sentimentality we must all deplore
this. But our implacable civilisation has passed
sentence on all races that are unable to adapt
themselves to our form of social evolution, and
from that verdict there is no appeal.

Not that the native of the South is incapable,
like his brother of the North, of performing a
daily task. I saw many natives amongst the
hands employed by M. Hilleret in his factories
in Tucuman. Neither can it be said that there
is any lack of intelligence in the Indian. But
the fact remains that he finds a difficulty in
bending the faculties which have grown rigid in
the circle of a primitive state of existence to the
better forms of our own daily work, and this

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 147

renders it impossible for him to carve out a
place for himself in the sunlight under the new-
social organism imported from Europe by the
white men. With greater power of resistance
than the redskins of the other continent, he,
like them, is doomed to disappear. Yet in one
respect he has been more fortunate than his
kinsmen of the North, and will never entirely
die out, for he has already inoculated with his
blood tlir flesh of the victors.

I am not going to pretend to settle in a word ""
the problem of the fusion of races. I will only
observe that the inrush of Indian blood in the
masses — and also to a very considerable extent

in the upper classes * — cannot fail to leave a
permanent trace in the Argentine type, not-
withstanding the steady current of immigration.
And if I were asked to say what were the ele-
mental qualities contributed to the coming race
by the native strain, I should be inclined to
think that the Indian's simplicity, dignity, no-
bility, sanddectei(m^^

I 1 might instance a statesman who has all the externals
and probably also the prudent wisdom of a pure cacique
of olden times.

148 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

in the happiest way the turbulent European
blood of future generations.

After all, the Argentine who declines to be
Spanish has, perhaps, very good reasons for his
action. Here, he has succeeded, better than in
the Iberian Peninsula, in ridding himself of the
Moorish strain, which, though it gave him his
lofty chivalry, has yet enchained him to the
Oriental conception of a rigid theocracy. Why
should not native blood have taken effect already
upon the European mixture, and, with the aid
of those unknown forces which we may class
under the collective term of " climate," have pre-
pared and formed a new people to be 'known
henceforth by the obviously suitable name of
" Argentines "? All I can say is that there are
Argentine characteristics now plainly visible in
this conglomeration of the Latin races. The ob-
jection may be made that the " Yankee " shows
equally strongly marked characteristics, which
distinguish him from the Anglo-Saxon stock,
while we know that he is unaffected by other
than European strains. This is undeniable, and
in his case soil, climate, and the unceasing ad-
mixture of European types suffice to explain

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 149

modifications which are apparently converging
towards the creation of a new type or sub-type.

It is remarkable that the character of
the Americanised Englishman, having passed
through a phase of Puritan rigidity in the
North and aristocratic haughtiness in the South,
has, for some inexplicable reason, burst out into
a temperament of highly vitalised energy that
may be summed up in the characteristic formula
of a universal " go-aheadedness." The South
American, on the contrary, having started with
every kind of extravagance in both public and
private life calculated to destroy the confidence
of Europe, is obviously now undergoing a set-
tling-down process with a marked tendency to
adopt those principles of action of which the
North is so proud, while at the same time re-
taining his affection for Latin culture.

It is easier to generalise about £he Argentine
character than to penetrate beneath its surface.
It is naturally in " society," where refinement is
the highest, that traits whicli best lend them-
selves to generalisation are to be seen in strong-
est relief. The American of the North is, above
all, highly hospitable. If you have a letter of

150 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

introduction, his house is open to you at once.
He establishes YOU under his roof and then leaves
you to your own devices, while keeping himself
free to continue his daily occupation. The
Argentine receives you as kindly, though with
more reserve. Although I know but little of
the business world, I saw enough of it to gather
that money enjoys as much favour there as in
any other country; but the pursuit of wealth is
there tempered by an indulgent kindliness
that greatly softens all personal relations, and
the asperities of the struggle for life are
smoothed by a universal gentleness charming
to encounter.

In their family relations the differences be-
tween the social ideals of the North and South
American are plainly visible. The family tie
appears to be stronger, in the Argentine than,
perhaps, any other land. The rich, unlike those
of other countries, take pleasure in having large
families. One lady boasted in my presence of
having thirty-four descendants — children and
grandchildren — gathered round her table. Every-
where family anniversaries are carefully ob-
served, and all take pleasure in celebrating

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 151

them. The greatest affection prevails and the
greatest devotion to the parent roof-tree. Not
that the Argentine woman would appear to be
a particularly admirable mother according to
our standard; for, on the contrary, it is said
that her children are turned out into the world
with very bad manners. How, then, are we to
explain the contradictory fact that such child-
ren become the most courteous of men? Per-
haps a certain wildness in youth should be
regarded as the noisy, but salutary, apprentice-
ship to liberty.

All that can be seen of the public morals is
most favourable. The women — generally ex-
tremely handsome in a super-Spanish way, and
often fascinating * — enjoy a reputation, that
seems well justified, of being extremely virtue
ous.^J heard too much good about them to think
any evil. They were, from what I could see, too
carefully removed from the danger of conven-
tional sins for me to be able to add the personal

1 1 shall not take the liberty of attempting a descrip-
tion of Argentine beauty. Let me only mention their
large black eyes, heavily shaded, the delicately golden
skin, beneath which there pulses a generous blood, and the
sweet and ever youthful smile.

152 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

testimony that I have no doubt they merit.
As to their feelings, or passions, if I may venture
to use the word, I know nothing and therefore
can say nothing. Are they capable of the self-
abandonment of love, of experiencing all its joy
and all its pain — inseparable as these but too
often are? They did not tell me, so I shall never
know. The most I can say is that they did not
give me the impression of being made for the
violent reactions of life as we know it in our
daily European existence. I hope no one will
see in this statement a shadow of criticism. It
is, indeed, a compliment if you will admit that
in an Argentine family love's dream is real-
ised in the natural, orderly course of events.
But if it were otherwise, it would still be to the
highest credit of the women that in their role
of faithful guardians of the hearth they have
been able to silence calumny and inspire uni-
versal respect by the purity and dignity of their
life.

Above all, do not imagine that these charm-
ing women are devoid of conversational talent.
Some ill-natured critics have given them a bad
reputation in this respect. Their principal

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 153

occupationjs-~ev4dently paying visits, and they
gossip as be^tjhey_can under the circumstances,
considering that neither their friends nor their
foes give any ground for tittle-tattle. This de-
ficit might cause conversation to languish.

Dress and news from the Rue de la Paix are

-

a never-failing topic.1 May not this be true in
other lands? It has also been said that the
beauties of Buenos Ayres are as prone to specu-
late in land as their menkind. It is quite pos-
sible. None will be surprised to learn that they
gave me no information on this head either.
They are credited, too, with being very sujDerji.
stitious,_^and are supposed to attach great
importance to knowing exactly what must not
be done on any given day of the week, or to
what saint they should address their petitions.
Here, again, I can give no authentic information.
Naturally, had I been present at any of their
meetings, the first condition of an exclusively

1 " Six dresses are sufficient for me for one season in
Paris; in Buenos Ayres I want quite a dozen," says an
Argentine belle who was until recently a member of the
Parisian diplomatic world. The more limited circles of
Argentine society and the proportionately keener rivalry
of personal luxury may explain the difference.

154 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

feminine company would have been unfulfilled.
It seems to me more reasonable to believe that
the many works of public_ch&rj.£y in which the
ladies of Buenos Ayres take a share would
account for much time and also for much talk.

Further, I may in all sincerity remark that
if female education be not one of the points in
which the Argentine Republic has left us be-
hind, it is none the less a fact that I was happy
enough to meet many charming women who were
perfectly capable of sustaining a thoroughly
Parisian kind of conversation supported by a
fund of general information. And, moreover,
they added a charm of geniality and real sim-
plicity that are not too common on the banks
of the Seine.

I have not spoken of shopping, which is the
main occupation of the fair sex in North
America, for the reason that at Buenos Ayres
I saw none. I mentioned that the footwalks of
the Jbjisiaess quarter — including Florida, the
handsomest and busiest of the streets — were
blocked to such an extent that it was impos-
sible to walk there two , abreast. You do not
expect to hear that there are any elegant toi-

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 155

lettes in the crowd. And, in fact, in the central
streets no women go afoot for pleasure. Some
go about their business with hasty step, and that
is all ; the others receive the tradesmen at home,
or take their chance of calling in the motor-car,
which, after five o'clock, will probably not be
allowed in the street to which they want to
go. What is left, then, for the daily stroll?
Onl^Jthe wide ayenues^oJLthe suburbs, where
there is no particular attraction, and Palermo
—the unique and inevitable Palermo, or rather,
a part of Palermo, with the Recoleta, which
makes a fine beginning for a public promenade.

In these circumstances it is evident that the
aspect of the pavements of Buenos Ayres suf-
fers by the absence of the fair sex. It might
be thought that at Palermo, where the walks
lead amongst flowers, lawns, and groves, our
Argentines would recover the use of their limbs
and guard against their dangerous tendency to
an over-abundance of flesh. Not at all. Social
conventions do not allow of this. Our classics,
men of mature mind, were fond of saying, with
the Apollo of Delphi, that excess in all things
is bad. Buenos Ayres has not yet reached to

156 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

this degree of wisdom, and its female society,
not satisfied to follow closely after virtue, seeks
to add to their fame the spice of a reputation
that leaves absolutely nothing to be said. For
this reason they guard against even a chance
encounter that might appear compromising.
And so the fair sex only consent to walk on
the Palermo under the protection of a rigorous
rule of etiquette which enacts that to stop and
talk on a public road with a lady whom one
may meet later in the day in some salon is a
sign of unpardonable ill-breeding. Decidedly we
are far from Europe.

To complete the exotic air of the place, know
that all husbands are jealous, or, at least, so
they say, and it must be supposed there is some
foundation for the statement. As far as I was
able to judge, they are as amiable as their
wives, and appear by no means to harbour tragic
intentions towards any man likely to arouse
their resentment. No. But if by chance, after
dinner, you remain chatting quietly with one
or two ladies, and in the inevitable ebb and
flow of a salon you find yourself for a moment
left alone with one, be sure that her husband,

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 157

more genial than ever, will promptly appear on
the scene to claim his share in the talk. At
home this would appear strange, since we do
not impose the spectacle of our private in-
timacies upon the public. Yet may not this
very air of detachment upon which we insist
lead, both in public and in private, to some of
the tragedies of life? Is it wrong for a married
couple to love each other? And when two
hearts are united in this way how can a feeling
so powerful fail at times to betray itself by
some outward manifestation? Let us take heed
lest, in laughing at others, we denounce our-
selves. A man in a very high position, who is
the father of a lad of twenty, volunteered to me
the information that in the whole course of his
married life he had nothing to reproach himself
with, and that if by some misfortune he had
transgressed the marriage law, he should have
considered himself wholly unworthy of the
woman who had given her whole life to him.
No doubt the woman in question, who happened
to be standing near us as we talked, fully
merited his homage. Yet I wondered, as I lis-
tened to his noble and simple speech, whether

158 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

one could find many Frenchmen to make in all
candour such a confidence to a perfect stranger,
or, supposing one found such a one, could he
say as much without an embarrassed blush?
Whatever may be the secret opinion of my
reader, I hope he will agree with me in think-
ing that the advantage in this delicate matter
is decidedly on the side of the Argentine, whose
sane morality is the best of auguries for the
community he is trying to found.

I should like to say something about the
Argentine girl. The difficulty is that I never
saw her. Every one knows that in North
America the young girl is the principal social
institution. She has got herself so much talked
about that neither Europe nor Asia can help
knowing her. In Argentine society, as in
France and in Latin countries generally, the
young girl is a cipher. She may be seen, no
doubt, in the home, at concerts, where she figures
in large numbers for the satisfaction of our eyes,
at Palermo, at the Tigre,1 and the Ice Palace —
very respectable — where she skates under her

1 This is the name applied to the group of islands form-
ing the Delta of the Parana.

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 159

mother's eyes, and, finally, at balls, whose joys
and special rites are the same the world over.
But all this does not make of the South Ameri-
can girl an element of conversation and social
doings as in the United States. Sh.e remains
on the^dgfiLfltjocietj until the day of her mar-

TMftgp. At. the same time7 tEePArgentine girl

must not be supposed to resemble very closely
her sister in Latin Europe. Less educated, per-
haps, but more vivacious and less timidly re-
served, she shows greater independence, they tell
me, at Mar del Plata, which is the sole common
meeting-ground for wealthier families, since the
Pampas offer no resource outside the estancia.1
At the Colon Theatre and at the Opera she is
seated well in view in front of the box, making
the whole ground floor an immense basket of
beribboned flowers, and there, under the eye
of her parents, the young men who are friends of
her family are permitted to pay their respects
to her. Must it be confessed? It is said that
she makes use of borrowed charms, applied with
puff and pencil, following in this the example of
her who should rather prevent than abet? This
1 An estate devoted to agriculture and cattle rearing.

-

160 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

must, however, be libel, for whenever I ventured
a query on the point, I was met with a shrug
of the shoulders and a burst of laughter. In
such a case, the man who can laugh sees always
more than smoke.

The father is not a negligible quantity, what-
ever may be said of him. JLsaw-yepy plainly
that it is entirely untrue that he takes no in-
terest in his children's upbringing. I may have
come across a few specimens of idle youth en-
gaged in flinging their piastres into the gutter,
but as regards heads of families, there is no
comparison between the number who here are
seeking distractions, illicit or otherwise, for a
useless existence and those of the same type
to be seen in any capital of Europe.

But while I have here said nothing that is
not strictly true, I am not trying to represent
the Argentine husband as the phoenix of the
universe. Money is so plentiful that it may
well be responsible for some sins, and, on occa-
sions, I suspect that the city can supply oppor-
tunities of committing them. Even so, it is wise
to maintain the strictest reserve on the subject,
for Buenos Ayres smacks strong of the small

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 161

country town, and there is abundance of pointed
arrows for culprits who allow themselves to be
caught. Still, as long as society has not de-
creed the total suppression of the bachelor . . .

None can deny that gambling occupies too
large a place in the life of a certain number
of the newly rich. But are we indeed justified
in pretending to be more scandalised at what
takes place amongst our neighbours than at
home? What might I not write about the de-
velopment of our casinos ? To satisfy this vice
in the masses the Argentines have established
lotteries, which now add to the temptations,
powerful enough already, provided by race meet-
ings. The evil is universal; I can but note it.

The form of gambling which is special to
Buenos Ayres is unbridled ^peculation in land.
In Europe it is constantly stated that all the
work of Buenos Ayres, as of the Pampas, is
done by foreigners, whilst the Argentine him-
self sits waiting for the value of his land
to treble, quadruple, decuple his fortune with-
out effort on his part. This might easily be
true, since the value of property has risen with
giddy rapidity of late years. Sooner or later, of

162 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

course, there must be a reaction ; this is obvious.
But until that day dawns it must be admitted
that, in a country where every self-respecting
mortal owns a bit of land, large fortunes have
been realised before the fortunate proprietor has
raised as much as a finger. Our fellow-country-
man M. Basset told me that on his own estate
the rise in value of his waste ground allowed
him to recoup himself for all he lost on his
arable land. Under these circumstances, it is
really not surprising if prices form a general
subject of conversation. It was, in fact, on a
larger scale, but with less excitement, a repe-
tition of the Fair of Mississippi stock, in the
Rue Quicampoix, with this difference, that
there is here some foundation for it, though it
is by no means inexhaustible.

But while there is no denying that land specu-
lation occupies a special place in Argentine life
to-day, it is also incontestable that all ranks of
society are here, as elsewhere, devoting their
energy to some great agricultural, commercial,
or cattle-rearing enterprise. The estancia needs
a head. Herds of ten thousand cows must be
well looked after if they are to be productive in

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 163

their three departments — dairy, meat, or breed-
ing. The magnificent exhibits that we see at
shows are not raised by the sole grace of God,
and the " big Argentines " with whom I had the
privilege of chatting not only spoke of their
estancias with a wealth of detail that showed a
close interest, ever on the watch for improve-
ments, but also frequently I was given to un-
derstand that they had other business, which
claimed part of their time. And many of them
surprised me by their readiness to discuss topics
of general interest that happened to be engross-
ing the attention of Europe at the time.

The growing 4gterest taken in all kinds of
labour on the soil and jthg^need of perfecting
strains of cattle both for breeding and for meat
have led the larger owjaewHfcrgroup themselves
into a club, which they call the Jockey Club.
The name suffices to denote the aristocratic pre-
tensions of an institution that has, nevertheless,
rendered important services to the cause, as well
for horned cattle as for horses. The sumptu-
ous fittings lack that rich simplicity in which
the English delight. The decorations are bor-
rowed from Europe, but the working of the

164 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

club is wholly American. The greatest comfort
reigns in all departments of the palace, whose
luxury is not allowed to dissemble itself. The
cuisine is thoroughly Parisian. Fine drawing-
rooms, in which the light is pleasantly diffused.
A large rotunda in Empire style is the show-
place of the club, but, like Napoleon himself, it
lacks moderation. A severe-looking library,
reading-rooms, banqueting-rooms, etc.

To explain the amount of money either
amassed or flung away here, it must be remem-
bered that all the receipts taken at the race-
courses— less a small tax to the Government
— come back to the Jockey Club, which is at
liberty to dispose of them at will. Hence the
large fortune of the establishment, which has
just purchased a piece of land in the best part
of Buenos Ayres, for which it gave seven
millions; and here it is proposed to erect a
palace still more grandiose. I saw in the papers
that the Jockey Club intends to offer to the
Government the building they now occupy in
the Rue Florida, and it is believed that the
Foreign Office will be moved there. You see,
the Argentine cattle breeders have found very

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 165

comfortable quarters and enjoy themselves
there.

M. Benito Villanueva, the Chairman of the
Jockey Club, is a senator, extremely prominent
in the business world, who joins the most super-
lative form of North American " go-aheadism "
with the graceful urbanity of European bongar-
gonnisme. He is in close touch with all classes
in the capital, and if he cannot be said to have
a hand in everybody's business, it is certain he
could if he would. People who have never set
eyes on him speak of him by his Christian name,
and as there are not two " Benitos " of that
calibre this is accepted as a matter of course.
Very unceremonious, very quick of perception,
and with a dash of the modern aristocrat in his
bearing, he is a manager of men who would
make any sacrifice to gain his end. His small
black eyes are as bright as steel, and gave me
an impression that it would not be agreeable to
have him for an enemy. Like any man who
combines politics with large business interests,
he has his adversaries, but he appears entirely
oblivious of them. His estancia, the " El-
dorado," with its racing stables and prize

166 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

cattle, the Senate, which he attends with great
regularity, and the innumerable commercial en-
terprises in which he is engaged (to say nothing
of the admirable Jockey Club), make him one
of the busiest men in Buenos Ayres. Never-
theless, he always found time to waste in my
company, and showed me much both in and out
of Buenos Ayres. I found every one in the
capital obliging to a degree, and it would be
rank injustice to place M. Benito Villanueva in
a category by himself under this heading. I will
only say, therefore, that if many equalled him,
none surpassed him.

Who better fitted to do the honours of the
Palermo racecourse than M. Villanueva?
Modern arrangements, elegant fittings; no con-
venience missing. The Jockey Club Stand has
a first-class restaurant on its upper story, where
its members who are just sufficiently interested
in the racing to make their bets can enjoy at
the same time the pleasures of the table and a
view of the winning-post. Betting is fabulously
high. But the racecourse is open to the same
objection as Palermo. What is to be said of
the hideous embankment of yellow clay that bars

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 167

the landscape? Surely the setting of a race-
course is not without its importance. As far as
the convenience of the situation goes, this one
leaves nothing to be desired. But really, seeing
the small part played in an afternoon's racing
by the events themselves, how is it that the art-
ists who laid out this hippodrome neglected to
provide a lovely view for the joy and repose of
the visitors' eyes? They talk of masking the
slope by plantations, but the trains that traverse
the course from one end to the other will still
remain visible. I have nothing against this
form of amusement, though I think it almost a
pity not to reserve it for the delectation of the
ranchos out on the Pampas, since there is no
part of the plain where it might not be enjoyed.
Then the displaced railway would allow of a
cutting which would let in a great flood of light
as far down as Rio.

The racing public, from horses to humans, be-
ing everywhere the same, there would be nothing
to say of either professionals or spectators, had I
not noticed that the fair sex of Buenos Ayres, as
seen in the stands, were wearing with confident
the latest creations of Parisian fashions,

168 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

and more than made up in quality for their pos-
sible inferiority in quantity as compared with
a Longchamp gathering. I will not say that
there were not a few errors in technical details
here and there. But it was pleasant to see that
some of our audacious Parisian freaks, contrary
to what one might imagine, find only the faintest
of echoes in these brilliant meetings. The rea-
son is that the cunning display of eccentricities
by beauties who have nothing to lose cannot
here, as at home, react on the toilettes of society
women by consequence of a universal search
after novelties whose sole object is to attract
attention. The reason is simple. In Buenos
Ayres there is no demi-monde, for the few belles
who cross the ocean to come here are birds of
passage merely, and cannot be said to form a
class. When present they avoid the grand-
stands of the racecourse and take refuge in the
paddock, where their loneliness makes them
rather an object of public pity.

Still in Senor Villanueva's company, I had
the pleasure of visiting the Tigre, the finest re-
creation ground open to the inhabitants of
Buenos Ayres. But do not be misled by the name

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 169

to fancy that it is a menagerie. There were, it
appears, in distant ages, some few great cats
that ventured as far as the mouth of the Parana
in order to steal a breakfast at the expense of
the citizens of the capital. Times have greatly
changed. It is now the honest Argentine who
comes here to get a meal after having taken
proper steps to ensure the absence of the tiger.
The delta of the Parana is formed by an inex-
tricable network of channels, dotted with in-
numerable islets, whose luxuriant vegetation has
won for them the pretty name of a " Venice^of
Gardens^* In all this floating land imagine
trees of every kind leaning over the water as
though attracted by the moving reflection of
their foliage; call up a picture of orchards in
the glory of their spring or autumn dress; fling
amongst the groves an orgy of wild and cul-
tivated flowers ; people the shade of the branches
with large and small boats filled with merry
young people, whose song and laughter blend
with the music of the oars, and you will have
an idea of the pastimes that the Tigre can offer.
Quintas, chalets, built on piles, hotels, restau-
rants, wine-shops, resorts of all kinds, suited to

170 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

all classes of society, provide a peaceful asylum
for fete days and holidays, far from the turmoil
and bustle of Buenos Ayres. Following the
stream upwards, past miles of wood and water,
there are still more picturesque sites to be
visited, where man has not yet set his hand,
and the boat glides in and out of these beflowered
waterways as far as Parana, whence come the
big boats from Paraguay laden with oranges,
their decks shining in the sunlight like some
quaint palace of ruddy gold.

The Tigre is reached by railway in twenty
minutes, and a skiff bespoken in advance awaits
you at the station. But Senor Villanueva, whom
nothing can daunt, wanted to try a new road,
said to be just finished, in his motor-car. Now,
carriage roads are not a strong point in this
country, where no stones are to be found. How-
ever, after a journey that recalled at times the
passage over the rollers at Auteuil Lock, we
duly and miraculously reached the Tigre with-
out quite wrecking the car, but not without some
damage to our more sensitive and intimate or-
gans. Wherefore we were assailed by a longing
for the chaises-longues and easy-chairs of our

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 171

hotel, which drew us forthwith to the booking-
office of the railway-station, whence modestly
and quickly we made our way back.

Since the subject of hotel furnishings thus
comes under my pen, why not say a4 once that
in the Argentine, as in Brazil, the internal
arrangements of the houses show that the
greater part of the time is spent out of doors?
Italy, with its open-air life, was naturally the
land to which the Argentine turned for architects^
to supply florid furniture, meant rather to look
at than to use; and when to this is added cheap
German goods with their clumsy designs, one
may be pardoned for finding a lack of grace as
of comfort, to a French way of thinking.1 In
aristocratic salons the best Parisian upholster-
ers have at least left their mark — with a little
overcrowding in effect, if the truth must be told.
In a few, where "antiques" were discernible,
there were evidences of an appreciation of just
proportions and simplicity. But my criticisms
must be taken in the most general way possible.
It is in the hotels that one feels the farthest

1 The dearness of living in Buenos Ayres and especially
of rents is a common theme among travellers.

172 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

from Europe, and this in spite of a manifest
attempt to do things well. A continual change
of servants and a bad division of labour ensure
infinite discomfort for the traveller. There is,
it is true, central heating, but it works badly.
Is the pampero blowing? The pipes of the
radiators shake the window-panes with their
tempestuous snorting and bubbling, waking you
out of your sleep with the suddenness of their
noise; but they diffuse only cold air.1 An
electric heating apparatus, hastily put in, must
be used to supplement the other. Do you want
to lock up some papers? You may, perhaps,
after a long search, find a key in your room, but
it will assuredly fit none of the locks. As I
was tiresome enough to insist, the manager,
anxious to oblige me, ordered his own safe to
be placed in my apartment, with all his accounts
therein. When I found the drawer that was
placed at my disposal, I found money in it ! Oh,
marvellous hospitality !

1 1 understand there is a scheme for adding a system
of central cooling for summer use in hotels and private
houses in hot climates. Nothing would be easier or more
useful. Even in our own land there are many days in
the season when we should be glad of cool radiators.

ARGENTINE TYPES, MANNERS, ETC. 173

To the new houses in the town chimneys are
being added. The European who comes to the
Argentine for thpjg^g^nTithsu-,^ Jmm^.Tniy
August— can but be delighted with the change.
But, meantime, he suffers keenly from the cold,
for if the sun shines perseveringly in a cloudless
sky, an icy south wind will prove very trying to
Europeans who are not accustomed to such sharp
contrasts.1 As for the summer season, which
I have not tried, every one talked of its charms,
the greatest being, apparently, to go and wipe
one's brow at the Tigre, at Mar del Plata, or
on the estancia, in default of the mountain re-
sorts within reach of the Brazilians.

It is difficult to speak of Argentine cookery
—which is rather international than local — al-
ways excepting those households that boast a
French chef. The influence of Italy, with her
macaroni and her cheese, predominates. The
vegetables are mediocre; the fruit too tropical,
or, if European, spoilt by the effect of the
tropics. Lobsters and European fish, imported

1 It is often said that Buenos Ayres has a " Nice
winter." This is strictly true. The sun is rarely want-
ing, and the role of the Mistral is played by the pampero
with great success.

174 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

frozen, are not to be recommended; table water
is excellent. The national dishes, puchero, or
boiled beef, good when the animal has not been
slaughtered the same morning; asado, lamb,
roasted whole — savoury souvenir of my excur-
sions in Greece, where it is to be met under
the name of lamb a la palikare. I might add
a long list whose sole interest would be the
strange-sounding names given to familiar dishes.
Still, as the main conditions of man and com-
munities are necessarily unvarying, is it not in
appearances and forms of expression that we
find variety?

CHAPTER VII

ARGENTINE POLITICS

[BITING about a country, with no
dogmatic intention, but drawing
at haphazard from memory im-
pressions received, has this ad-
vantage, that instead of setting down general
theories that are always open to argument, cer-
tain living traits may be seized upon which, by
the very fact that they are open to more than
one interpretation, demand the constant col-
laboration of writer and reader. The method —
if one may apply so big a word to so small a
result — gives me an opportunity of making a
few observations about the organisation and
working of the Argentine Government.

It seemed quite natural to the intellectuals
of a democratic Republic that a democrat should
come out to talk to them about democracy, to

discuss the serious problems it presents and the

175

176 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

solutions that time is more or less rapidly work-
ing out for them. Nevertheless, it is not with-
out some legitimate trepidation that one faces
a public completely unknown, proud probably
of its achievements, ardently hopeful certainly
for the future, and inclined, no doubt, thanks to
the very sincerity of its labours, to be carried
away by an excess of jealous susceptibility. I
was quickly reassured. The consciousness of a
great work accomplished, a keen appreciation of
the finely organised effort whose astounding re-
sults are revealed anew each day, give to the
Argentine people too just a confidence in the
value of their activity for them to see more in
any courteous criticism than a good opportunity
of improving on their past — on condition, nat-
urally, that the criticism appear to be well
founded. The critic is thus disarmed, and lets
fall his weapons for fear lest a shaft intended
only to graze the skin should penetrate deeper
and inspire a weakening doubt in the mind of
men who are engaged, body and soul, in a
tremendous struggle after social progress.

In matters of government the Argentines are
neither better nor worse off than any people of

ARGENTINE POLITICS 177

Europe where freedom of speech has begun its
work. But, notwithstandmg^the astonishing
rapidity of assimilation that distinguishes this
land, there is as yet too little homogeneity in the
masses for the possibility of any influence from
below on the problems of the day, apart, of
course, from matters that make appeal to pa-
triotism, which inevitably provoke unanimity.
There are many other countries of which, in
spite of appearances to the contrary, the same
might be said.

Here, as elsewhere, politicians, who are the
more or _ less- official mouthpieces of that vague
concourse of general opinions which we call
the mind of the public, may very easily mis-
take the ephemeral demands of a party for the
permanent interest of the country.

A point to be noticed is that faction fights,
which have for so long brought bloodshed into
the cities and villages of South America, are
now disappearing. It is scarcely possible, none
the less, for all traces of violence to depart,
leaving no reminder of movements which have
made of political changes one long series of hys-
terics. Autocracy and sudden upheavals are

178 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

inseparable. This is the lesson that the races of
the Iberian Peninsula have best learnt from
their governors. In Brazil, where an admirable
economic movement goes hand in hand with a
remarkable development of orderly progress and
civic peace, recent events have shown what fires
are smouldering beneath the molten streams of
a dying volcano. It is to be hoped that our
friends will not be found lacking either in the
patience or the courage necessary to impose on
the public a salutary respect for law! In
Uruguay, a land of Latin amiability, the rage of
revolution has frequently broken out; and if, to
all appearances, there is calm to-day, Whites
and Reds still exhibit mutual hostility without
troubling to find reasons that might explain, if
not justify, recourse to arms. -Tfae-Argentinos
appear farther removed from the danger of re-
volutionary shocks. " Wealth has quieted, us,"
said a politician. This is no new thing. All
activities profit by undisturbed work and lose
by deeds of violence. Lucrative labour and the
fear of losing what has been acquired go to
make up a fund of prudence.

But while, happily, in the Argentine there is

ARGENTINE POLITICS 179

no present menace of revolution, I cannot deny
that in the provinces I often heard rumours of
it. Insurrection seemed imminent. Precautions
were taken to protect arsenals. And when I
inquired the reason for such a movement, I was
invariably told that no one knew, but that no
doubt there were malcontents. One need not
go as far as the Argentine to seek for them.
As all these alarms ended in nothing, I must
put them down as a verbal echo of a vanished
epoch. I can but admire the profound peace
that has succeeded to the fury of the past, for
the Argentine who, in revolution, exposed his
person so light-heartedly did not fear to take
the life of his enemy.

But can it be affirmed that in no department
of the Administration there has survived some
trace of the cavalier methods of former days?
Is it true that some officials do as they like
with the people committed to their charge, and
inflict treatment that is passively borne for the
moment, but may lead to terrible reprisals later?
It was often stated in my hearing, but I could
never obtain any proof. I shall not make my-
self the echo of slanders and calumny, which, in

180 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

all lands, are the weapons used by public men
against each other. I will only take the liberty
of reminding my Argentine friends that one
never need fear excess on the side of a watchful
control over Government offices.

M. Thi6baud, the Minister of France, pre-
sented me to M. Figueroa Alcorta, the President
of the Kepublic.1 He gave me the most cor-
dially courteous of receptions, prompted, of
course, by the respect and friendship that Ar-
gentine statesmen have for France. The Presi-
dent's first words were an inquiry as to whether
I was as comfortable at the Palace Hotel as
at the Hotel du Mouton, in Chantonnay (Ven-
ded). This showed me that the President of
the Argentine Eepublic was a reader of the
Illustration, for a photograph of that more than
modest establishment was recently published in
the columns of the review on the occasion of an
expedition I made to my native country, when I
put up at the little inn. I assured him that the
resources of Buenos Ayres were infinitely su-

*I take this opportunity of thanking M. and Mme.
Thiebaud for the friendly welcome I found at the French
Legation.

ARGENTINE POLITICS 181

perior, and from this we wandered off into a
very interesting talk about our two countries.

M. Figueroa Alcorta was Vice-President of the
Republic when the death of President Quintana
called him to the supreme magistratere. I fan-
cied that a good many people found it hard to
forgive him this unlooked-for good fortune.
Some journalists thought it funny to create for
him the reputation of a " Jettatore," an inex-
haustible subject for spiteful tales in the Oppo-
sition sheets. They say the story has not been
without influence on the feminine world, spe-
cially prone to superstition. M. Figueroa
Alcorta appears to bear the misfortune with
calm courage. He talks of the Argentine with
a modesty that does not exclude a just pride,
and for France he had only sympathetic ad-
miration. Let me say also that President Saenz
Pena, whom I twice saw in Buenos Ayres, is a
devoted friend to France and French culture.
It is my duty to add that M. Saenz Pena's at-
tention has been called to certain lapses in the
administration, and he is firmly resolved to put
an end to them.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, M. de la

182 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Plaza, has, since my journey, become Vice-
President of the Kepublic. He is rather heavy
and cold in appearance — with the silent gravity
of the cacique, it is said — but he is a man of
profound culture and keen mind, and it is not
impossible that his taciturnity and slowness of
speech are merely diplomatic. He enjoys the
-reputation of being a thorough Anglomaniac, but
this, fortunately, does not preclude him from
being also a Francophil.1

I must mention the Minister of Public Works,
M. Ramos Mexia, who was continued in his im-
portant office by President Saenz Pena when the
Cabinet was new-formed. In a country where
great public works are constantly being under-
taken, an upright mind and an iron will, united
to a spotless reputation, are all needed to resist
the overtures of the large European firms that
are clamouring for contracts. A vast field for
quarrels, more or less veiled personal attacks,

1 If to Argentine diplomacy the rigidity of our famous
chapel on the Quai d'Orsay be unknown, they have none
the less given us first-class men — such, for instance as the
present Minister for Foreign Affairs, M. Ernesto Bosch,
who is much esteemed in the French political world, and
his worthy successor in Paris, M. Enrique Rodriguez
Larreta.

ARGENTINE POLITICS 183

and unending recriminations. I do not want to
recriminate myself, or, indeed, to touch on any
delicate questions; yet I must regret the pre-
ference that has been shown for Krupp cannon,
when innumerable experiments have demon-
strated the infinite superiority of French guns. '

I have already gointed out that England, by
our wilful negligence, managed to obtain the
right of buildiag^practically the whole of the
railway system. She has done the work to
the satfsfaTttoli of the public, and the same may
be said of the way Gernmnj has installed the
ele£tri£. system s. France triumphs in the ports
of Rosario, Montevideo, Pernambuco, Bahia-
Blanca, and Rio Grande do Sul. That is all I
can say, for at the moment there exists the keen-
est European competition in the harbour works
of Mar del Plata and Buenos Ayres. Some com-
plain that Ramos Mexia has been too favourable
to England. He is, however, first and foremost
an Argentine, and he uses his right to take the
best from each country.

If there has been in the past some little fric-
tion, I fancy it is now over; it hardly could be
otherwise, for M. Ramos Mexia is a warm ad-

184 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

mirer of French culture, and as well acquainted
with our classics as our contemporaries, beside
being a regular attendant at the lectures at the
Sorbonne and College de France whenever he is
able to take a little recreation in Paris. Need
I add that Mme. Eamos Mexia is the most French
of all the Argentines whom I met — French in
the graciousness of her welcome and French in
charm of conversation.

We know that in the Argentine (and perhaps
in all South American republics, with the ex-
ception of Chili) Ministers jare not responsible
t^-Ea£liament In Chili, Parliamentary coali-
tions amuse themselves by knocking over Min-
isters like ninepins. In the Argentine it is the
rule — to which there are exceptions— -for__Mjn-
isters to follow the President, whose agents they
are, having the sole function of obtaining from
the Chambers the funds required to carry on
the administration. Before I weigh up the ad-
vantages and disadvantages of this system, which
was imported ready-made by South America
from the north, let me record the surprise I
felt when I discovered that, notwithstanding the
absurd stories told of the lack of measure in

ARGENTINE POLITICS 185

" hot countries," a South American assembly
could give a lesson in dignity to more than one
European Parliament. In England, as we
know, measures have been taken to prevent per-
sonal questions from being introduced into de-
bates, where the interests of the public alone
occupy members' attention. Here the chival-
rous temperament of Castile suffices as a guaran-
tee against excesses of language or abuses at the
hands of the majority. For instance, in some
cases a speaker is granted only ten minutes in
which to give the merest sketch of his Bill. If
the orator be a member of the minority, how-
ever, Speaker and Chamber make it a point of
honour to let him take as long as he likes. If
he goes too far the rule is applied; but this, I
was assured, never happens. Finally, " it is
our constant rule," said a member well quali-
fied to make the statement, " not to let slip allu-
sions in the course of a debate that might hurt
the feelings of a colleague. This requires no
effort. It is just a habit one can acquire." May
the " habit " be shortly acquired in all lands !

Now that the tide of free civilisation is setting
towards a dissolution of all autocratic Powers,

186 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

from Russia to Persia, and even to China, in-
stituting the parliamentary system which we have
come to regard as the best instrument for con-
trolling and liberating the democracy, it is a
remarkable fact that, in practice, Parliament is
much criticised, more particularly in countries
where it was only obtained after long and pain-
ful struggles. The reason, to my mind, must be
sought in the unpardonable waste of time in
debates, where free rein is given to a puerile
love of theatrical display. In the absence of any
salutary check on the humours of orators, too
little attention is given to bringing the discus-
sions to a practical conclusion. A good re-
former should be able first to reform himself.

It is less the Parliament than the executive
that attracts the European observer of Ameri-
can institutions. This is because Parliament is
dominated by the executive, instead of being it-
self the dominating power. The South American
republics hastened to copy the Constitution of
the United States of the North, which is the
original creation of the revolution of 1776, and
adapted, in a marvellous degree, to the needs,
idea, and sentiment of the country. Adopting

ARGENTINE POLITICS 187

its text, if not its spirit, the South Americans
fell into the same error as Europe has done in
copying the English Constitution in the letter,
but not in the spirit and sense given to it by
the people whom it justly claims to express.

Without entering on a discussion that would
lead me too far, I could not refrain from remark-
ing that in actual working the North American -
institutions have become distorted in South
Americana change rendered inevitable by the
different lev^l of public education and the geo-
graphical distribution of the population. It
was in the nature of things that the earliest
civilisation should partake of the constitution
of states or provinces destined later to form a
federation, but as long as the Motherland im-
ported the sovereign authority from outside, the
struggles between a budding liberty and an
unchecked autocracy were unceasing. Once self-
government had been proclaimed, it became
obligatory to constitute such elements of public
life as should make its exercise possible. Now,
for this, it is not enough to draw up a code
of principles. We cannot, then, be surprised if
the South American races, fondly attached to

188 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

their own institutions, which maintain the prin-
ciple of an autonomy of federated States and
provide for their idealism a verbal satisfaction,
inestimable, as they think, are yet (just like
other nations now undergoing democratic evo-
lution) far enough from an adequate realisation
of their idea. We can scarcely expect any con-
certed political action from men (often of
foreign birth) who are scattered all across the
Pampas and separated by enormous distances.
And, as regards the cities, great or small, a po-
litical elite will more easily organise itself —
especially where an absence of public opinion
facilitates the abuse of power — than will the
" sovereign people " be brought to exercise their
sovereignty (and this we see even in Europe).
Hence the evils often made public, which are
but striking examples of what we see elsewhere;
notably, the indifference of tjie_ej^to^-a4~4jody,
evidenced by the contemptibly small iMraiker_ of
voters wha answer the summons to the ballot —
and of these few some have been brought thither
by who knows what means! To this public
apathy must be added the abstention of the
middle classes, always difficult to incite to a

ARGENTINE POLITICS 189

common political action, who thus leave a wider
field than is desirable to the machinations of
the professional politician, with his methods,
direct or indirect, of bringing pressure upon
the elector.

I have no hesitation in speaking of the evil.
But at the same time I must point out that if
the mind of the public — such as the intellectual
elite of the nation have made it — experiences
some difficulty in getting used to the slow
methods of organised political action, the inde-
pendent spirit and personal dignity of the citi-
zens are so strong x that a force of public
opinion is gradually evolving which, in spite of
some backsliding, will soon be powerful enough
to impose its decisions on the world of political
intrigue. For instance it. is . ireouentlv said
that the President of the Republic does, in effect,
nominate his successor by reason of his authority
with the State Legislature, and there is a grain
of truth in the assertion. Yet if it were strictly
true, the same party would remain in perpetuity

1 It pleases me to note the triumph of pride over vanity
shown in the fact that the Argentinos have deliberately
renounced the childish folly of orders.

190 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

in power, and this we know is not the case.
Thus public opinion, when it pronounces itself
with sufficient decision, can, with the help of
a wholesome fear of revolt, vanquish all resist-
ance and bring in its candidate. In this way
any eventual abuse of personal influence is, in
effect, prevented, and this is precisely what hap-
pened in the case of the election of M. Saenz
Pefia. I fear that nowhere are institutions
worked according to rule. Before throwing
stones at the Argentine, let us look at our own
deficiencies.

^ The^^eak^^lace^in ^ South American consti-
tutions, as organised on the theory of Jefferson,
appears to us Europeans to lie in the fact that
too much power is vested in the individual. In
ouF continent this w6uld 6pcn the door to the
danger of a reconstitution of the forces of the
past, whose only hope now lies in the possibility
of a surprise. In America a federation of di-
vided Powers offers so many different centres
of resistance (providing always that each State
Government enjoys a real autonomy) to any
attempt at usurpation. The American of the
South is no less attached than his brother of the

ARGENTINE POLITICS 191

North to the principle of autonomy of States.
It only remains for him to make it a reality.

As a matter of fact, moreover, the theoretic
independence of Ministers and Parliament does
not hold together, in view of the omnipotence
of the representative assemblies in matters of
finance. This system has the advantage of
making a series of crises impossible, but a Min-
ister must, and always does, disappear when a
succession of votes proves that he no longer
possesses the confidence of Parliament.

In America, as in Europe, tkg T»rpPff iff t.hp
highest-4)Qw_er_ &t tex... .the_ Go_Yernjnent. I say
" after," because we must believe the Constitu-
tion. It is, however, only too true that the
moral paralysis that distinguishes certain
" popular leaders," whose chief anxiety is to
trim their course to every wind that blows,
leaves to any one who claims to speak in the
name of public opinion a degree of authority
before which the individuality of the pretended
governing body, in spite of its pomp of speeches,
is apt to disappear.

But although the Press plays unquestionably
a very important role in the Argentine, it did

192 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

not appear to me that the evil went as far as
this. Not but what, perhaps, the man who owns
a newspaper is as much inclined here as any-
where to make the most use he can of its in-
fluence. But in a land that calls out the best
in any man, even the Latin, usually so easy a
prey to the designs of the political revolutionary,
manages to preserve enough independence of
character to offer an effective resistance to pro-
jects that are too flagrantly opposed to his own
calmer views.

Argentine statesmen, worthy the name, are
not content to hold opinions of their own; they
are perfectly capable of the tenacity necessary
to put a scheme into execution and carry it
through. Clearly the advantages that go to
make up the success of the Argentine Republic
would count for nothing were there no strong
minds to grasp the higher principles of public
interest and no strong hearts to enforce their
practice. The ArgejJlneJs^ a battlefield where
every kind of moral force,- including politics
and sociology, is now in. the. full heat of action,
and exposed to all the chances and changes
common to weak humanl

ARGENTINE POLITICS 193

Public activity is here, as in all countries,
manifested chiefly by means ot.4*a£liesy a neces- .
sity, practically, which has at least as many
advantages as disadvantages. Casuists have
argued much about the relative qualities of
" human " parties and those of any given intel-
lectual symbol. The Argentine Government is4
not based upon a traditional or historic fact,
but on a theory of right in which originates an
organisation of justice and liberty that can only
pass from principle to practice when the citizens
are capable of clothing its bare bones with the
living sinews of action ; but this fact in no
sense changes the problem, since man without
the intellectual symbol or idea can be only a
disturbing force, and the idea in politics has
no value apart from the man who can give it
life.

The old-fashioned Press of ideas has made
prodigious strides since the days of Armand
Carrel, and the modern reader is more espe-
cially greedy for facts. With these before him
he forms his own opinions, and the most the
writer can do is to prepare the way towards
a given deduction, without being able to dis-
13

194 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

count its acceptance with any certainty. In
reality, tlie Argentine Press is no better and no
worse than that of any free countries; and,
whether as regards news or party politics, the
newspapers are extremely well conducted.1 Not
but that you may find occasional violence of
language, as happens everywhere, but there are
extremes which the public will not tolerate.
There are no pornographic Press and no pic-
tures of a kind to defile the eyes of every
passer-by. On this we may congratulate a race
whose healthy energies find too continuous em-
ployment in the sunshine for them to develop
any tendency towards the excesses of " civilised "
corruption.

The Prensa is, as we all know, the leading
newspaper of the South American continent.
Under the skilful control of its founder, M.
Paz, the Prensa has reached a state of pro-
sperity which, within the limits of its field of
action, makes it the equal of any advertising
agency in the world. It is a paper that has to

1 Thanks to the difference in the clocks, the Buenos
Ayres newspapers are able to publish in their morning
editions news appearing at the same time in London and
Paris.

ARGENTINE POLITICS 195

be reckoned with by every party, for although
not officially attached to any group of politi-
cians, it obviously seeks — while maintaining the
principles of democratic evolution — to hold the
balance between all parties, ready if necessary
to intervene at the critical moment. Just now
its general editor is M. Ezequiel Paz, who seems
in every way capable of carrying on his father's
work. M. Zeballos is credited with being the
fount of inspiration of the paper. The ex-
Minister of Foreign Affairs is at the same time
a literary man, a legal expert, and a historian.
His writings on questions of law are highly
esteemed in Europe. An untimely dispute with
Brazil drove him out of office, and gave him
the leisure he is turning to account now. M.
Paz is enjoying a well-earned rest in Europe,
but he retains supreme control of the sheet; and
a gorgeous palace that he is building in the best
part of Buenos Ayres would appear to point to
an intention of returning to the country before
long. If he does I cannot help pitying him, for
he will require nothing less than the Court of
Louis XIV., or perhaps of Xerxes, to fill this
showy dwelling. The business quarters of the

196 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Prensa are in the Avenue of May, and if smaller
in dimensions, they are no less magnificent. The
building is one of the sights of the city. How
shall I describe it? It would fill a volume.
Every department of the paper is lodged in a
way that unites the most perfect of means to
the end in view. Simplicity of background, a
scrupulous cleanliness, comfort for every worker
therein, with a highly specialised method that
gathers together all the varied workers on the
staff to direct them towards their final end and
aim, namely, promptness and accuracy of news.
With all this there are outside services, such
as a dispensary, so complete it would need a
specialist to catalogue it, and suites of apart-
ments that are placed at the disposal of per-
sons whom the Prensa considers worthy the
honour. I confess that I thought less luxury
in this part of the building would have been
more to the taste of the poor distinguished men
who are lodged there, since a comparison with
their own modest homes would be wholly to the
disadvantage of the latter.

_ The Nation is a party organ in the best sense
of the word, following the exalted traditions of

ARGENTINE POLITICS 197

Bartolome Mitre. It has been compared with
our Temps. My friend Antonio Pinero exer-
cises considerable influence here over the de-
scendants of the great statesman. But for the
quiet and invaluable help given by the Nation, all
of whose interests lay in the opposite direction,1
we should never have succeeded in getting the
law establishing literary proprietorship through
Parliament. It is my duty as well as my pleas-
ure to take this opportunity of offering my
grateful thanks in the quarter where they are
due.

The Diario, in its turn, deserves special men-
tion on account of its editor, M. Manuel Lainez,
senator, who has a rare command of the most
refined of Parisian critical talent, the sting of
which does not exclude mirth. M. Lainez is one
of those journalists who excel in detecting the
weak spot in men and things and take a delight
in driving home the shaft of a caustic phrase.
He dissects with ease, and disguises the depth
of his own knowledge under a thin veil of irony.

1 The Nation publishes a Library of translations of
the best works in French (fifty per cent, of the whole),
English, Russian, German, Italian, to say nothing of
Spanish and Argentine works in the original.

198 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

I know of no more charming talker. Whether
or no his wit has injured his political prospects
is a point I am not able to decide.

Then I must mention the Argentina, which
seemed to me an honest news organ ; and finally,
I must not neglect the photographic papers, the
P. B. T. and the Caras y Carietas, in which the
spoken word gives place to the picture, accord-
ing to the formula lately invented amongst us.
Both have a large circulation.

We all remember the words that Ibsen has
placed in the mouth of his " Enemy of the
People " about papers being edited by their
readers. No doubt the gazette, nowadays, seeks
less to establish an idea than to conform to the
supposed feelings of the masses in whose hands
is the key of success. Its educational influence
has, of course, been in consequence greatly re-
duced; still, a remnant exists. The culture,
slow but inevitable, of the masses must in time
have a good influence on the Press that caters
for them. Photography, when genuine, and the
cinematograph, which vitalises it, have a real
educational value. The trouble is that nothing
is sacred to the Argentine photographer. He

ARGENTINE POLITICS 199

is omnipresent and enjoys the execrable privi-
lege of being at borne in all homes. You give a
dinner-party to friends or relations. With the
dessert there appear some pale persons, draped
in black, who disturb servants and guests to set
up their complicated lenses on the spot that
strikes their fancy. Then comes the blinding
flash and a poisonous puff of smoke, and the
master of the house hastens to thank the in-
truders for the outrage. The diable boiteux,
who lifted the roofs of houses, has been sur-
passed. When an unfortunate Argentine wants
to offer his heart (always accompanied by his
hand) to the lady of his choice, let him begin
by doubly locking all the doors and hermetic-
ally closing the shutters, if he wishes to be safe
from intrusion!

I alluded just now to the voting of the Law
of Literary Property.1 As may be supposed,
such an excellent Act was not carried through
without long preparation. I could give a list
of men who, on both sides of the ocean, worked
in favour of this act of justice and literary

I 1 regret to say that Brazil is backward in this respect.
Let us hope she will not let Russia get ahead of her!

200 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

honesty. From the moment that Argentine
statesmen realised that purely intellectual la-
bour had proprietary rights in the same way
as every other kind, and that to defraud its
owners of the proceeds was to place themselves
outside the pale of civilisation, they made it a
point of honour to yield to the representations
made to them from all parts of the world. Is
it not extraordinary that a law which was dia-
metrically opposed to the interests of persons
particularly well placed to defend them should
have been voted unanimously without a single
protest? All honour to the Argentine Eepublic,
not only for the act itself, but for the nobility
with which it was performed.

It would be an affectation on my part to pass
over in silence the public which did me the
honour to come to listen to my lectures on demo-
cratic evolution as it manifests itself in history
and in contemporary events. The subject is not
wildly amusing. It is, however, one of those
that are of surpassing importance to-day, and
none can ignore it. Unfortunately, the general
public cannot acquire any trustworthy know-
ledge of it by scrappy reading indulged in

ARGENTINE POLITICS 201

between the hours of the day's work; and if in
the tumult of party passion the public are to
be of any real service to their Government in
solving it, the problem calls for more than a
hasty and summary judgment founded on in-
sufficient data. And yet was it not too much
to expect of people who are engrossed all day by
their own affairs to come to listen to the state-
ments of a public man, against whom there must
necessarily be some prejudices on a question of
pure doctrine? The majority of workers are
not free of an afternoon, and the " upper classes,"
even the most cultured — in Europe, at least, —
are too distrustful of democratic movements in
general to waste an hour on a subject that
worries them. Happily, the history of Ameri-
can peoples has never been embittered by race
hatred engendered by centuries of oppression,
and revolts of which it is to be hoped that we
have now seen the end. In the North, as in
the South, a formula frightens nobody. So-
ciety has been built up on a new idea embodied
in language that was once the terror and scan-
dal of the Old World. When put in practice,
however, these ideas and their verbal expression

202 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY.

have stood the test of a century of trial ; and the
" practical " men of the new continent, while no
less alive to social needs than any others, are,
perhaps, more ready than the rest of us to make
an experiment that can be recommended by right
and by reason. There is here neither middle class
nor aristocracy in the sense that we attach to
those terms in the Old World. All are workers
who, having reached the top rung of the ladder,
are ready to hold it steady for other feet to
climb, rather than to overturn it and retard the
advance of those behind.

Thus, beside the small aristocracy formed of
the last vestiges of the original Spanish colony,
I had the pleasure and honour of finding a large
public of European culture and wide intelligence,
eager to hear what any European might have to
say about an idea whose course he was honestly
seeking to trace, whether bearing on the political
and social experiences of Europe or on the more
or less rational experiments of which their own
land is the theatre. Their unbiassed criticism
and independent opinions are all one could hope
to find in an audience one is trying to influence.
The very best public possible, prepared to sur-

ARGENTINE POLITICS. 203

render or resist according to the intrinsic value
of the arguments presented. The element of
resistance came, perhaps, from the feminine sec-
tion, slightly actuated by snobbishness, and
either holding itself aloof by way of protest
against the possible utterance of ideas too bold
to be acceptable, or attending the lectures in
order to get some understanding of the subject
so as to discuss it afterwards.

As regards language, there was no difficulty.
Every one here understands French, reading and
speaking it like the speaker himself, and show-
ing by their gestures that no shade of meaning
was lost on them. What better could one wish?
By the grace of winged words the mind of France
has flown across the ocean, and we may rejoice
in the fact and found great hopes for the fu-
ture on it. It is therefore with the greatest
pleasure that I offer my heartfelt gratitude to
this admirable audience for their constant kind-
liness and for the encouragement that I found in
their remarkable idealism and determination.

CHAPTER VIII

PAMPAS LIFE

VERY capital is a world in itself
— a world in which national and
foreign elements blend; but to
understand the life of a nation
one must go out into the country. A vast terri-
tory, ten times the size of France, extending
from Patagonia to Paraguay and Bolivia, will
naturally offer the greatest diversity of soil and
climate, representing differing conditions of
labour as well as of customs and sometimes of
morals. Our ancient Europe can in the same
way show ethnical groups with sufficiently
marked features (such as in our French pro-
vinces) which a long history has not been able
to destroy or even to modify.

It is quite another matter when, on a conti-
nent with no history at all, you get men of
every origin spread over it, brought thither by

204

PAMPAS LIFE 205

a community of interest and in the hope of cul-
tivating the soil by their labour. I have already
said what racial characteristics subsist. The
colonist will, of course, at first do all he can
to remain what the land of his birth has made
him ; the first evidence of this is his tendency to
fall into groups and form national colonies.
But the land of his adoption will in time surely
force upon him the inevitable conditions of a
new mode of life, the very necessity of adapting
himself to changed conditions making of him a
new creature, to be later definitely moulded by
success.

The Pampas are not the Argentine. They
form, however, so predominant a part that they
have shaped the man and the race by imposing
on them their organisation of agricultural la-
bour and the development of their natural re-
sources. Whilst manufactures are still in a
rudimentary state and are likely to remain so
for a long time to come owing to the lack of
coal, the Pampas from the Andes to the ocean
offer an immense plain of the same alluvial soil
from end to end, ready to respond in the same
degree to the same effort of stock-raising or

206 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

agriculture. An identical stretch of unbroken
ground, with identical surface, identical pools
of subterranean water, no special features to
call for other than the unchanging life of the
Campo.

Naturally, the first experiments were made in
the most rudimentary fashion on the half-wild
herd^of cattle that could not be improved unless
the European market were thrown open. As
soon as this outlet was assured the whole effort
of skill and money was directed towards the
improvement of stock, and the progress made
in a few years of work far exceeded the bright-
est hopes of those early days. And as at the
- same time a powerful impetus was given to
Pampas from one end to the

other of their vast extent immediately took on
a dual aspect ij^attle.. lawns (herds grazing on
natural or artificial pastures), and acres -of grain
(wheat, oats, maize, and flax) — this is the only
picture that the Pampas offer or ever can offer
to the traveller. The system of cattle-breeding,
primitive in the extreme at a distance from rail-
roads, improves in proportion as the line draws
nearer; wherever the iron road passes there is

PAMPAS LIFE 207

an immediate development of land under
cultivation.

All this goes to make up a man of the Campo
—the estanciero, colonist, peon, gaucho, or what-
ever other name he may be called. Certain con-
ditions of living and working are forced upon
him from which there is no escape. Whether
landed proprietor, farmer, servant, or agricul-
tural labourer, the vastness of the plain which
opens in front of him, the distance between in-
habited dwellings, the roughness of the roads,
leave him no other means of communication but
the horse, which abounds everywhere and can
be unceremoniously borrowed on occasion. The
man of the Campo is a horseman. He is cer-
tainly not an elegant horseman, whose riding
would be appreciated at the Saumur Cavalry
School. No curb ; only a plain bit is used, whose
first effect is to bring down the animal's head
and throw him out of balance, whilst his rider,
to remedy this defect, raises his hands as high
as his head. To the unsightliness of this picture
is added an unstable seat. As very often hap-
pens in similar circumstances, instinct and
determination more or less making up for all

208 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

mistakes, the rider manages approximately to
keep on his beast's back, thanks partly ^P the
fact that the horse is rarely required to go at
more than a moderate pace over level ground. The
hoof never by any chance can strike on a stone,
though it may be caught in a hole; the active
little Creole horse excels in avoiding this danger.
One can ask no more of him. (I shall have
something to say later of the way wild horses
are broken in.)

On his enormous saddle of sheepskin, the peon
or gaucho, his hat pulled well down over his
eyes, his shoulders draped in the folds of the
poncho, — a blanket with a hole in it for the head
to pass through, — is encumbered with a whip
whose handle serves on occasion as a mallet, and
a lasso, with or without metal balls, coiled be-
hind his saddle. He makes a picturesque enough
figure in the monotonous expanse of earth and
sky, where rancho or tree, beast or man, stand
out in high relief against a background of glaring
light. Without sign or syllable, his eyes fixed
on the empty horizon, the man passes through
the silence of infinite solitude, rising like a ghost
from the nothingness of the horizon at one point

PAMPAS LIFE 209

to sink again into nothingness at another. When
riding in a troop, they talk together in low tones.
There are none of those outbursts of fun that
you might expect in a land of sunshine. It is
the gravity natural to men brought face to face
with Nature in the pitiless light of sky and earth
where no fold or break in the surface arrests
the glance or fixes the attention.

Still, there are those gigantic herds of horned
cattle or horses which fill an appreciable portion
of the melancholy plain — " green in winter, yel-
low in summer." I say nothing of the great
flocks of sheep because there were none in the
districts which I visited. When you talk of a
herd of ten thousand cows, you make some im-
pression on even a big farmer of the Charolais.
Well, I can assure you that out in the Pampas
ten thousand head_j3f_£attle is a small affair.
You see a dark shadow that rises on the hori-
zon that might be either a village or a group of
haycocks, until the vague shifting of the mass
suggests to your mind the idea of some form
of life. The lines show clearer, groups break off
and stand out, pointed horns appear, and at
last you find you are watching the tranquil pas-
14

210 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

sage of a monstrous herd, whose outlines are
stencilled in black upon the whiteness of the
sky-line like the Chinese shadow pictures I saw
on one occasion at the Chat Noir (in Mont-
martre) when the flocks of the patriarchs were
flung upon the sheet. So distinct are the shapes
here that you lose the sense of distance and are
astonished at the harmony of nonchalant im-
pulse, as irresistible as slow, which can thus set
in movement this huge living mass and make
it pass before us like a vision of Fate. The
dream fantasy is the more striking because it
changes so rapidly. Withdraw your eyes a mo-
ment from the picture, and it is entirely altered.
The heavy mass of migrating cattle seems now
to have taken root at the opposite extremity
of the horizon, whilst in the depths of the lumin-
ous distance shadowy patches of haze more or
less distinct betoken further living bodies, some
stationary, some in motion. These are mirages
of the Pampas of which none takes any heed;
but upon me they made a powerful impression,
for I saw in them the whole tragedy of this
land, from the tuft of grass on which the eyes
of the beast first saw the light down to the

PAMPAS LIFE 211

last step of that fateful journey which ends at
the slide of the slaughter-house.

The rapid travelling of the motor-car mul-
tiplies one's point of view. The vast estates on
the Pampas, which run from two to a hundred
square miles in extent, are further divided into
large sections bounded by wire fencing to limit
the wandering of the herds. The roads are
marked out by a double row of wire. What
dust and what mud may be found thereon, ac-
cording to weather conditions, may be imagined,
since there is not the smallest pebble to be found
there. Yet vehicles do, it appears venture along
these paths, and even arrive at their destination.
You may also meet flocks of sheep and oxen on
them, and families of pigs engaged in breakfast-
ing on a sheep that has been relieved of its
skin. In less than an hour its bones, picked
clean, are scattered along the way, where in
process of time they will contribute precious
phosphates to the soil. Naturally, on such a
" road," the automobile does not yearn to travel ;
rather does it prefer the green smoothness of
the immense prairie. Here there are no police
regulations to annoy the motorist. No other

212 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

law but your own fancy and a certain thought
for the savoury lunch that is awaiting you at
the next estancia. When you reach it you will
discover that the monstrous herds on the hori-
zon were merely these gentle creatures, placid
in their happy ignorance of the fell designs that
are the hidden causes of man's kindness to them.
Do we astonish them? Or are they wholly in-
different? Their eyes are fixed on our panting
machines as ours are on the grazing beasts, and
not a spark is struck by the meeting of the two
intelligences, the one so calmly definite and the
other too soon checked in its effort to under-
stand. Obedient to the rebenque (whip) of the
peon, the herd, which in motion looks so threat-
ening, allows itself to be stopped or led by the
cries and rapid movements of the horsemen go-
ing at a hand-gallop. The sight of any object
that waves in the wind (whether coat or poncho)
is equally effectual.

If one expects the cows, which are penned for
milking (three quarts a day as an average), the
only apparent relations between man and beast
consist in the easy use of this instrument of
terror. Nothing is done for the flock except to

PAMPAS LIFE 213

provide the mill which automatically feeds the
water-troughs, and to see to the safe arrival of
the bulls intended to improve the breed, and to
select those from the herd destined for the freez-
ing machines; for all their other needs Provi-
dence is expected to provide — quite a different
regime from that prevailing in our French stock-
farms. Of shelter against wind or sun there is
none. The grass is there when the drought has
not burnt it up, also an ugly thistle which no
one troubles to pull up and which sometimes
overruns the pasture. Of Nature's scourges, the
drought is the most to be feared, for it falls
with fearful suddenness on great stretches of
the Campo. In the absence of rain, neither turf
nor forage nor harvest can be looked for; for
the cattle, death is certain. Winter in any case
is a hard season for them. Their coats lose
their gloss, their flanks fall in, and their pointed
bones witness to their sufferings, which the icy
breath of the pampero does nothing to assuage.
With the spring comes the hope of rain. But
if this hope is betrayed, nothing can save innu-
merable herds from starvation and death. For-
age is always stored for the more precious of

214 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

the stock, but to feed the herd is out of the
question. The Pampas then become one vast
cemetery where hundreds of thousands of dead
cattle are lying in heaps beyond all possibility
of burial. It is the custom to leave the body
of the beast that dies by the way to the tender
mercies of the wind and the sun, the rain and
the earth, into whose wide-open pores the re-
mains are little by little absorbed. The birds of
prey and dogs are valuable assistants but wholly
insufficient. One of my friends told me that it
was by no means uncommon for the dogs to re-
turn to the farm from the Campo bearing a
horrible smell about them. For my part, if I
was often revolted by the spectacle of putrefy-
ing carcasses lying about the Pampas and seen
either on my walks or from the railway-train
— some even lying festering in pools close to
dwelling-houses — I cannot say that my olfactory
nerves were ever troubled. I occasionally spoke
of the danger of poisonous fly-bites, but I got
only vague replies.

In my personal experience, whenever I met
something disagreeable on my walks about the
Pampas, the carcass was invariably completely

PAMPAS LIFE 215

mummified, the skin being so thoroughly tanned
that the object might have been carefully
prepared for a museum of comparative ana-
tomy. But when death was recent, and the
summer season had set in, with its attendant
flies, I should certainly avoid the neighbour-
hood.

It will surprise no one to hear that I took
the liberty of calling the attention of two or
three statesmen to the dangers of this unfortu-
nate custom and the detestable impression it is
bound to make on travellers. The reply invari-
ably was that the Argentine was suffering, and
would, no doubt, continue to suffer for some time
to come, from a lack of hands and that the
thousands of animals which under normal con-
ditions perished in the Pampas could never find
grave-diggers. When, therefore, a dry season
killed off as many as ten thousand sheep on a
single ranch, there was no alternative but to
bow to the inevitable.

We see that cattle-rearing in the Argentine
has its ups and downs. At every turn Nature
intervenes with its elements of success or dis-
aster. Man's role is to furnish a minimum of

216 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

labour, and by the force of circumstances, he is
compelled to reckon on quantity for his modi-
cum of success; but the fact does not prevent
his successful efforts to improve the quality. As
I have already said, he will give any prize to
secure a fine strain. It is naturally from Eng-
land that he gets his stock for breeding, since
the customers for his meat are chiefly English.
On all hands I was told that the results were
most satisfactory. As regards their breed of
horses, the result is manifest. But as for the
cattle, I take the liberty of disagreeing with
those who declare that the Argentine can send
to our slaughter-houses at La Villette meat as
fine as our own at half its price. If, however,
I am firmly convinced that our palate would
not readily be satisfied with the frozen meat
that seems to please the English, I am quite
aware that there is a distinction to be drawoi
between the choice beasts, generally magnificent,
that make such a show at exhibitions and the
common run of the average flock, amongst which
truth compels me to admit there are some very
indifferent animals. It will require a long time
and a change of system on the cattle-rearing

PAMPAS LIFE 217

farms for the Argentine ever to equal the fine
products of our French breeders. It cannot be
otherwise as long as the young animal, bred
somewhat at haphazard and born on the open
camp between the corpses of some of its rela-
tions, is left to grow up "as" best it can, exposed
to every change of temperature. Everywhere I
came upon young calves abandoned by their
mothers as soon as born, and only sought out
when the time for feeding came round; it can-
not be said that the stock would bear comparison
with the average produce of a Norman or Charo-
lais byre. Not all the quality of its mother's
milk will suffice to make up for the ground lost
by neglect.

As I have said, the troops of horses seem to
have lost the least. I speak less of their appear-
ance than of their action, which often seemed
to me remarkable. You cannot imagine the
pleasure it is to glide swiftly across the Pampas
in a motor-car with a troop of young horses on
either side of you, neighing and galloping to
keep up with the machine. But do not, pray,
call them " wild horses."

Tradition to the contrary notwithstanding, I

218 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

believe there are no wild horses in the Argen-
tine. There are horses, and there are horsemen
who treat them brutally under the pretext of
breaking them in. This is a survival of ancient
times which not even the universality of the
horse in civilised countries can destroy. Any
English squire will get more out of a young
horse by quiet skill and kindness than can ever
be obtained by the useless and cruel lasso, to
which I shall return later.

I have shown you the Pampas alive with the
swarms of their new civilisation. We are far
enough from the romantic descriptions so dear
to story-tellers. We all know now that the
redskin of North America bears no resemblance
to the portraits painted of him by Chateaubriand
or Fenimore Cooper. The Pampas, in full pro-
cess of evolution, are getting more human and
losing their distinctive features. They were
once as bare, to quote the joke of a poet, now
a member of the Academic Franchise, "as the
speech of an academician " ; man has undertaken
to raise up orchards, groves, and even forests.
Once they were the refuge of more or less in-
nocent beasts. The son of Adain, by the mere

PAMPAS LIFE 219

fact of his presence, treads out all life tliat can-
not be made of use to himself.

I said that the omltu was the only tree that
flourished in the Pampas, for the simple reason
that the locusts devour every other vegetable
product, including clover, crops, and trees of all
sorts. The damage caused by these insects,
which descend in clouds and destroy in a mo-
ment the harvest, is only too well known by
our Algerian colonists. Wherever the cloud de-
scends vegetation vanishes. In a few hours
every leaf is gone from the tree, and only the
kernel, clean and dry, is left on the branch as
a mute witness of the irreparable disaster. I
did not see the locusts, but I was shown the
result of their work, most conscientiously car-
ried out. Men who have put long months of
toil into their land see, with impotent rage, all
the fruit of their toil swept off in the twinkling
of an eye. The Government lays out some mil-
lions yearly to assuage in some sort the mischief
done. But the only remedy applied up to the
present consists in making such a din on the
approach of the baneful host as to induce them
to go on farther and land at a neighbour's. As

220 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

altruism, this course is not above reproach.
Another way is to dig ditches in which to bury
them alive, but this is mere child's play. If
you inquire the origin of the scourge you will
get the sulky reply that the pest comes from
Chaco, and that some men have travelled thither
to verify the statement, but the country proving
impenetrable, the project has for the moment
been abandoned. I hasten to place these insuf-
ficient data before the European public.

Alone victorious over the locusts by the re-
pugnance it inspires, and over man by its glori-
ous uselessness, the ombu here and there spreads
its triumphant arms near some ranch; occa-
sionally, on the pasturage of the Campo, it may
be seen extending its shelter to some quadruped
that shuns the rays of the sun. Around his
estancia the farmer plants his orchard and his
ornamental thicket, which will flourish or not at
the will of the insects. After the passage of the
destructive horde it requires at least two years
for the country to recover. The eucalyptus,
owing to its rapid growth, gives very good re-
sults, but the favourite tree in the Pampas is
the paraiso — the Tree of Paradise — which is ad-

PAMPAS LIFE 221

mirable rather for its flower than its form, and
withstands to some extent the locust, through
sheer force of resistance. Occasionally one
comes upon a small wood, in which the ornevo
— the cardinal — sings and the dove coos.

For the Campo has a whole population of run-
ning or flying creatures, whose principal virtue
is that of being satisfied with little in the shape
of a shelter. The gardens and parks of the
estancias provide a natural asylum for a world
of winged songsters, in whom man, softened by
isolation, has not yet inspired terror.

But the Pampas in their nudity are not with-
out signs of life. There is the guanaco, smaller
than the llama, larger than the stork, which has
already retreated far from Buenos Ayres. Tb£L
grey ostrich, formerly abundant, has been tied-'
mated by the lasso of the gaucho, who, at the
risk of getting a kick that may rip him open,
attacks the beast that struggles wildly in the
bonds of the cruel rope, drags out his hand-
somest feathers, and then lets him go. The
really " wild " ostrich has disappeared from
the Pampas. Numbers may be seen from the
window of the train, but they are all con-

222 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

fined in fenced parks, and are really in
captivity.

I cannot be expected to give a list of all the
creatures that swarm on or under the soil of
the Campo. There is nothing to be said about
the pr^irie-dpg, which has been systematically
destroyed on account of the damage it does. I
must mention the tatou, a small creature with
a pointed muzzle, something between a lizard and
a tortoise, and with the shell of the latter. It
burrows into the ground, as certain of our Euro-
pean species do. The gaucJio considers its flesh
excellent, declaring that it tastes like pork. Per-
haps the surest way of getting the taste of pork
is to address oneself to the pig himself, here
popularly known as the " Creole pig," a lovable
little black beast that plays with the children
in tiny muddy pools in the neighbourhood of
the ranches.

Passing by theJiar.e. (imported from Europe),
the small partridge, and the martinette (Una-
mou), to which I shall return presently, I may
mention the plover (abundant) and the birds
of carrion, which settle all disputes for the pos-
session of the ground according to the dictates

PAMPAS LIFE 223

of a boundless appetite, and the small owl, so
tame that it rises every few yards with a cheer-
ful cry to come down again a few yards farther
on, following all your movements with a ques-
tioning eye. At the mouth of its burrow, or on
the stake that marks the boundary of the ranch,
its pretty form is a feature in the landscape.
Finally, I must not forget the ornevo, to be
found near the estancias and in the woods, a
charming, tame little bird, that chatters all the
time like a good many people, and builds a mud
nest in the branches, in the shape of an oven
divided into two apartments, whose tiny door
opens always to the north, whence comes the
warmth. If you lose yourself in the forest you
need no compass but this. The gauchos hold
the bird in pious respect. Legend has it that
he never works on Sundays at his nest. Here
is one who wants no legislation for a repos Tieb-
domadaire any more than he does for the regula-
tion of the liquor sale. Oh, the superiority of
our " inferior brethren " !

I heard a good deal about the great lakes in
which thousands of black-necked swans and rose-
pink flamingoes may be seen at play. I was never

224 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

able to visit these fascinating birds. To make
up for this M. Onelli presented me with two
handsome black- throated swans, which, how-
ever, were not able to stand the climate of
Normandy.

Having thus sketched the principal features,
it remains to fill in the picture of the ranch
and estancia. I have shown you the primitive
cabin of the Kobinson Crusoe of the Campo. I
have drawn a picture of the colonist and the
gaucho; it is not necessary to go back to him
again. I have shown the diverse elements of
his existence. The railway has not changed
anything in it except by abolishing the inter-
minable rides of earlier days and the tiresome
monotony of convoying freight waggons to the
town markets. The railway, moreover, brings
within reach of the ranch the conveniences of
modern furniture.

In the huts of the half-castes, near Tucuman,
the only piece of furniture I saw was a pair
of trestles, on which was laid the mat which
served as seat, bed, or table — the kitchen being
always outside. In the Pampas, dwellings that
look modest, and even less than modest, gen-

PAMPAS LIFE 225

erally boast an easy-chair, a chest of drawers,
with a clock, a sewing-machine, and gramo-
phone, which, when fortune comes, is completed
by a piano. The gramophone is the theatre of
the Pampas. It brings with it orchestra, song,
words, and the whole equipment of " art " suited
to the aesthetic sense of its hearers. Thus on
all sides dreadful nasal sounds twang out, to
the great joy of the youth of the colony.

The morals of the Campo are what the con-
ditions of life there have made them. Men who
are crowded together in large cities are exposed
to many temptations. When too far removed
from the restraint of public opinion, the danger
is no less great. In all circumstances a witness
acts as a curb. In the Pampas as it used to
be, the witness, nine times out of ten, became
an accomplice. Between the menace of a dis-
tant and vague police force and the ever-present
fear of the Indian, the gaucJw became a soldier
of fortune, prepared for any bold stroke. With
his dagger in his belt, his gun on his shoulder,
and the lasso on his saddle-bow, he rode over
the eternal prairie in search of adventures, and

ready at any moment for the drama that might
is

226 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

be awaiting him. To his other qualities must
be added a generous hospitality, that dispensed
to all comers his more or less well-gotten goods ;
he had in him the material for an admirable
leader in revolutionary times. I saw no revo-
lutions, and I hope the Argentine has finished
with them for ever; but the periodic explosions
that have taken place there are not so ancient
but that an echo of them reached my ear. I
shall leave out of the question, of course, all
more remote circumstances that might serve at
hazard to put a body of adventurers in motion.
You were on the side of General X or General
Z, according to the hopes of the party; but, in
reality, that had little to do with it. When
the signal was once given a military force had
to be organised, and the means adopted were
admirably simple. Any weapon that could be
of use in battle was picked up, and a band
would present themselves at the door of an
estancia.

" We are Jtor General X. All the peons here
must follow us. To arms ! To horse ! "

And the order would be obeyed ; otherwise, the
estancia and its herds would suffer. With such

PAMPAS LIFE 227

a system of recruiting, troops were quickly col-
lected, and a few such visits would suffice to
bring together a very respectable force of men.
My friend Biessy, the artist, with whom I had
the pleasure of making the journey, witnessed
just such a scene one day at an estancia which
he was visiting. He was chatting with the over-
seer when the man, hearing a suspicious sound,
flung himself down and put his ear to the
ground. A moment later he rose, looking
anxious.

" There are horsemen galloping this way.
What can have happened? " And sure enough,
a minute later, there appeared a band of men
so oddly equipped that at first they were taken
for masqueraders. It was carnival time. The
leader, however, came forward and called on
the overseer to place all his peons at the service
of the revolutionaries. Biessy himself only es-
caped by claiming the rights of a French citizen.
And do not imagine that all this was a comedy.
The dominant sentiment in their camp was by
no means a respect for human life. On both
sides these brave peons fought furiously, asking
no questions about the party in whose cause

228 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

they happened to be enrolled. The overseer of
a neighbouring estancia, who was talking with
M. Biessy when called to parley with the revo-
lutionaries, was shot dead a few hours later for
having offered resistance to them.

If men are thus unceremoniously enrolled — I
use the present tense because one never knows
what may happen — it may be imagined the
horses are borrowed still more freely. A curi-
ous thing is that when the war is over, and
these creatures are again at liberty, they- find
their way back quite easily to their own pastures.

The overseer of one estancia told me that the
last revolution had cost him 600 horses, of which
400, that had been taken to a distance of from
200 to 300 kilometres, returned of their own
accord. How they contrive to steer their course
over the Pampas, with their inextricable tangle
of wire fencing, I do not undertake to explain.
When I inquired of the overseer whether it were
not possible to steal one of his horses without
being discovered, he replied, " Oh, it is like pick-
ing an apple in Normandy! It often happens
that a traveller on a tired horse lassoes another
to continue his journey. But on reaching his

PAMPAS LIFE 229

destination lie sets the animal at liberty, and
he invariably makes his way back to the herd."

I have already spoken of the time when the
gaucho would fell an ox to obtain a steak for
lunch. In some of the more remote districts it
is possible that the custom still subsists. But
it is none the less true that a growing civilisa-
tion and the railway, which is its most effectual
and rapid instrument, are changing the gaucho,
together with his surroundings and his sphere of
action. The gaucho on foot is very like any
other man. His flowing necktie of brilliant
colour, once the party signal, has been toned
down. His poncho, admirably adapted to the
climatic conditions of camp life in the Campo,
is now used by the townsmen, who throw it over
their arm or shoulder according to the varia-
tions in the temperature. The sombrero, like the
slashed breeches or high boots, is no longer
distinctive. There remains only the heavy stir-
rup of romantic design, more or less artistically
ornamented, but now often replaced by a simple
ring of rope or iron. The days of roystering
glamour are passed. The heavy roller of civili-
sation levels all the elements of modern exist-

230 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

ence to make way for the utilitarian but
insesthetic triumph of uniformity. Yet a little
longer and the life of the Campo will be nothing
but a memory, for with his picturesque dress
the type itself is disappearing.

The modern gaucho has preserved from his
ancestors the slowness in speech, the reserved
manner, and scrutinising eye of the man who
lives on the defensive. But to-day he is thor-
oughly civilised, and can stroll down Florida
Street, in Buenos Ayres, without attracting any
attention. It is in vain that the theatre seeks
to reproduce the life of the Campo, as I saw it
attempted at the Apollo. What can it show us
beyond the eternal comedy of love, or the ab-
surdities of the wife of the gaucho who has too
suddenly acquired a fortune? Both subjects
belong to all times and all countries, in the
same way as every dance and every song are
common to any assembly of young humanity.
Long before the gramophone was invented the
guitar was the joy of Spanish ears to the farthest
confines of the Pampas. Between two out-
breaks of civil war, when men were rushing
madly to meet death, joyous songs and plaintive

PAMPAS LIFE 231

refrains alternated beneath the branches of the
onibu, where the youth of the district met, and
the sudden dramas of the ranch made them
the more eager to drink deep of the pleasure
they knew to be fleeting. They danced the
Pericou and the Tango, as they still do to-day;
but the audacious gestures in which amorous
Spain gave expression to the ardour of its feel-
ings have now passed into the domain of his-
tory. The " Creole balls," where may be seen
graceful young girls in soft white draperies,
dancing in a chain that resembles our Pastour-
elle, have been reproduced on postcards and are
familiar to all. There are, there will ever be in
the Pampas — at least, I fondly hope so — grace-
ful young girls dressed in white and destined
to rouse the love instinct which never seems to
sleep in an Italian or Spanish breast. But the
trouble we take to reconstruct on the stage, for
the edification of travellers from Europe, the
real Tango, in all the antique effrontery of its
ingeniousness, proves that the heroic age, made
up of the naif and the barbarous, is fast losing
its last vestiges of character in the wilderness
of civilised monotony. The Tango is disappear-

232 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

ing rapidly. On the other hand, at Rio de
Janeiro, in the flower of my seventieth year,
I actually figured in the official quadrille of the
President of the Republic, to the shame of French
choregraphy. Alas! alas!

CHAPTER IX

FARMING AND SPORT

OMAN civilisation ended in those
lat if undia which, amongst other
causes, are usually considered to
have brought about the ruin of
Italy. The immense estates of the Argentine
Campo were not built up, however, by the ex-
propriation of small farmers, as was the case in
decadent Rome. They are simply the result of
wholesale seizure of land at the expense of the
savages who were incapable of utilising it.
Without discussing the origin of all landed prop-
erty, or to what extent our legal principles
and our practice agree, I simply note the fact
that the conquistadores and their descendants
set down as res nullius whatever it suited them
to appropriate.

The principle once established (this is the
commencement of every civilisation), there re-

233

234 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

mained only to fix the approximate extent of
land likely to satisfy the appetite of the Euro-
pean newcomer. Do you remember a fine story,
by Tolstoy, of a man who was given, by I know
not what tribe of the steppe, as much land as
he could walk round in a day? Once started,
the sole idea of the poor wretch was continually
to enlarge the circumference. It was only
at the price of a tremendous effort that he com-
pleted the circle, falling dead at the moment of
accomplishing his journey. The first settlers,
who followed the Genoese, took probably less
trouble, though their greed was as great. But
as the land depends for its value on labour, the
result for Tolstoy's hero and for the conquis-
tadores was not so very different. Thus, when
the first ploughshare turned the first sod, the
estate, whatever its proportions, had to bear some
relation to human capacity. The large domains
of to-day — measuring from two to a hundred
square miles — have proceeded from still larger
ones, and gradually, as the much-needed labour
comes forward to undertake the task, we shall
see the further cutting up of preposterous
holdings.

FARMING AND SPORT 235

This is inevitable in the near future, and this
alone will render possible scientific farming,
which is highly necessary for the development
of agriculture. A farmer who knows nothing
of manure of any sort, who is making his first
experiments in irrigation, and who burns his
flax straw for want of knowing how to utilise
it, will, for a long time to come, continue to
swamp the markets of Europe with his grain and
his meat, but only on condition that he is satis-
fied with small profits and gives quantity in
place of quality. These are the conditions of
life on the Campo, such as I have tried to sketch
them.

It remains for me to introduce the chief agent
in this huge movement of cattle-rearing and
agriculture, who, in his own person and that of
his overseers, administers the Pampas ; he is the"
owner of the estancia, the estanciero.

The word estancia — since it represents some-
thing non-existent with us — is not easy to trans-
late. Let us put it down as the most sumptuous
form of primitive ownership. I might call it
the seat of an agricultural feudalism if the peon
were a man to accept serfdom — something

236 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

resembling a democratic principality, if the two
words can be coupled together.

When we meet him on the boulevard, the
estanciero, who talks of his immeasurable estate
and his innumerable herds, seems to us a fabu-
lous creature. It is quite another matter to see
him on horseback amidst his peons in the Pam-
pas, which, in default of the customary features
of private property, appears in its nakedness to
be nobody's land — that is to say, everybody's
land.

The contrast between the estanciero's per-
sonal refinement and the English comfort of his
family abode, and the primitive rusticity of the
surrounding country, suggests the inconsist-
encies of barbarism undergoing the civilising
process.

As I have already observed, the results ob-
tained are due to a progression of efforts in
which the chief, even if assisted by an overseer,
necessarily plays a large part. For although it
is easy to dazzle the European with fantastic
figures, without sacrificing the truth, it is wise
to remember that success is not automatic, and
that from the elements alone (to say nothing of

FARMING AND SPORT 237

locusts) serious difficulties are to be expected.
M. Basset, whose competence is beyond ques-
tion, told me that, having lost money in conduct-
ing experiments on a large estate, he decided
to sell the place. In the meantime land had
gone up in value, and he was able to recover
himself on the sale of the unworked plots. " I
should have made a lot of money," he concluded,
" if I had not farmed any of my land." This
shows that in the Argentine, as elsewhere, there
are risks to be run. The estanciero takes these
risks, but if he were content to wait on chance to
enhance the value of his land, he would not
contribute as largely as he does to the wealth
of the Eue de la Paix.

We are always being told that the word
dearest to Creole indolence is manana (" to-
morrow"), but the exigencies of economic suc-
cess tend to modify customs. The Argentine,
like the Yankee, is more and more inclined to
do over-night the work that might be put off
to the morrow. At all events, absenteeism is
unknown on the estancia, for this would spell
ruin at short notice. It is true the estanciero
has the reputation of mortgaging freely his

238 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

estates, and, when a good harvest makes it pos-
sible, of hastening to purchase more land so as
to increase his output. What can I say, unless
that every economic error must be paid for
sooner or later, and that in spite of whatever
may remain of " Creole indolence/7 all are forced
in the end to seek their profits in an improve-
ment of the system of cultivation?

Grand seigneur I called him — a grand seigneur
on colonial soil, wrhere his dwelling is a rustic
palace that is something between a farmhouse and
a mansion. Simple in structure, wood being the
principal element, it is built on the ground-floor,
colonial fashion. The comforts of English life
are reflected in the large rooms, and both furni-
ture and the domestic arrangements are admir-
able. Large and rich pieces of furniture belong
to the days when difficulties of travelling made
a provision of the sort indispensable. Large
bookcases, filled with heavy volumes, denote a
time before the coming of the railway to scatter
on the winds leaves from the Tree of Knowledge.
Here is every inducement for reflection — paint-
ings, or, rather, pictures; massive plate, gold-
smiths' work won as prizes in cattle shows,

FARMING AND SPORT 239

whose medals fill large frames, to say nothing
of photographs of prize beasts. And, better than
all the rest, was the hospitality of other times.
Now that every one travels without ceasing,
the ancient hospitality has lost its savour. There
still linger vestiges of it in those countries where
civilisation is not advanced enough to protect
the traveller from unpleasant contingencies.
Let me hasten to add that amongst these one
need not count the risk of starvation in an
estaneia. No doubt the abundance of cattle
counts for something. In any case, the estan-
ciero is admirable in this respect. I wish I
could give unstinted praise to the upchero, the
asado, of which I have already spoken. But I
shall not be able to do that until the Argentino
has got out of the habit of handing the meat
to the cook while it is still warm, for this re-
quires a power of mastication which European
debility denies to our jaws.

All kitchen-gardens are alike, and you cannot
expect to find the pleasure-gardens of an estaneia
laid out by a Lenotre. Even if that miracle had
been worked, what good would it be when the
locusts had passed over it? In one estaneia,

240 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

near Buenos Ayres, considered the handsomest
in the Argentine, which the kindness of its owner
throws open to any foreign visitor, I beheld a
park of a thousand hectares, where, amid the
groves of tall trees, animals wander, giving the
illusion of wildness. The grey ostriches that
are there imagine, perhaps, that they are free.
We admire some handsome bulls which are
stalled here. The eucalyptus, planted some-
times singly and sometimes in broad avenues,
towered above us at a height no other tree could
rival. In this favoured spot the rich vegetation
has nothing to fear from the locusts. Every
species grows freely, as it will. For this rea-
son, the overseer, anxious we should miss none
of the rare species on which he prides himself,
led us, with an air of mystery, to the edge of
a low hill, where, with an authoritative ges-
ture, he stopped us before an ordinary-looking
tree, destitute of leaves, which had to me a
familiar air.

" Yes, it is an oak you are looking at. An
old European oak in the Argentine. What say
you to that? "

I admit with prejudice that it is an oak,

FARMING AND SPORT 241

though at the same time confessing that I have
seen others more favourable. And at the risk
of being misunderstood, I acknowledge that it
is not European flora that most interests me in
the Argentine Republic.

The special feature of this fine park is the
quarter reserved for the bulls.^ The specimens
I saw, which were led past us, are magnificent
beasts, bearing witness to methodical and pro-
longed selection. The best English breeds are
gloriously represented, not only in the beasts
imported from Europe, but also in Argentine-
bred animals, which would do honour to any
country.

The management and staff of the stables are
entirely English. Stallions of world-wide fame
are paraded by English stud-grooms that we may
admire beauty of line united to beauty of action.

Now we were to see the trainers at work, not
upon " wild " horses, since they belong to by-
gone days, but simply upon young animals that
have not yet been ridden. As a matter of fact,
the problem here is exactly the same as with
us, but T venture to think that our system is
vastly superior. The colts are collected in an

16

242 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

enclosure called the corral. Pray do not con-
jure up a picture of Mazeppa's steed, with fiery
eye and bristling mane, as depicted in the fa-
vourite chromo. There is nothing here but
ardour of youth and grace of movement. The
object is to accustom the horse to man and his
needs. This our Norman boys quickly achieve
by a mixture of skill and kindness which does
not preclude firmness of hand. The system of
the Argentine peon is very different. First he
catches the neck of the animal in a noose and
leads him out of the enclosure to a piece of
rough ground. There, with a few movements of
the lasso, the limbs are so tied that the simplest
movement must make the unfortunate victim
lose his balance and bring him heavily to earth
at the risk of breaking his bones. The creature
is terrified, naturally. Meantime, five or six
men run in upon him — each an expert in .his
own way; and when he is so bound he can no
longer move, the bit is adjusted and a sheepskin
saddle adroitly buckled. All that now remains
is to set the animal on his feet so that the
horseman may mount. The rope is then re-
laxed as swiftly as it was tightened, and the

FARMING AND SPORT 243

colt, on his four feet, firmly held by the head,
his eyes blindfolded, might perhaps get over his
fright if his two forefeet were not still tied to-
gether by a last knot to prevent him running
away. The peon gives the signal, and as the
last loop is removed he leaps into the saddle
and urges his mount straight ahead with the
air of riding a savage brute and with a lavish
use of his riding crop. Two horsemen, called
" sponsors," accompany him, rending the air
with their cries and beating the creature with
pitiless crops. By the time he has travelled
two hundred yards in this way the horse is mad
with terror, and asks nothing better than to be
allowed to stop. Perhaps there are exceptions;
I did not happen to see them. On the other

hand, I did see poor beasts that offered not the

- — -—

slightest resistance, and whose angelic gentle-
ness should have disarmed the executioner. It
appears that when this pejrjLorjiiance has been
gone through five or six times the colt surrenders
unconditionally. In the days when horses were
wild upon the prairies these practices might
have had some excuse. Nowadays we have
different ideas.

244: SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

All these branches of work require, as may-
be supposed, a fairly complete set of buildings.
Consequently, around the farmer's house there
are outbuildings of every style of architecture
which make the estancia a sort of small village,
whence radiates the work undertaken on the
Pampas. Thus ordered and thus spent, life in
the fields is a " solitude " broken every moment
by great herds and gauchos ever on the march.
It has nothing to daunt even a man who is
anxious not to lose touch with his fellow-
creatures in these days of extreme civilisation.
Therefore it is not surprising that a stay of
some months at the estancia forms an agreeable
part of the programme which the daily life of
the Argentine landholder forces on all his
family. The railway is never far off, since it
brings colonists and is responsible for the whole
agricultural movement. Railway construction
proceeds at the normal rate of about five hund-
red kilometres per annum. The provinces of
Buenos Ayres, of Cordoba, of Santa Fe", which
alone furnish eighty per cent, of the agricultural
exports, are naturally the most favoured; and
also, naturally, it is on the Pampas, the ini-

FARMING AND SPORT 245

mense reservoir of fertilising energy, that is
concentrated the maximum of labour for the
extension of the means of communication that
are so swiftly and richly remunerative.

Thus it is not too difficult to move about in
the Campo. Moreover, the motor-car — running
now on a road, now on the great green carpet
where movable gates provide a passage through
the wire fencing — facilitates a pleasant inter-
change of neighbourly relations. I have said
that absenteeism is unknown in the estancia.
Often the head of the family, when kept for
some reason in the city, confides the manage-
ment of the estate to one of his sons, who in
this way turns to magnificent account the grand
energy of youth and manhood in intensely inter-
esting work. What more natural than for the
family to gather in the fine summer months be-
neath the shade of the farms, amid its herds
so full of life, to enjoy the beauty of the harvest
ripened with the warm kisses of the sun? The
rides are unending beneath the pure sky of the
long mornings, in the strengthening breeze which
sets the blood coursing through the pulses with
renewed force. In Brazil I heard people pity

246 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

the Argentines because they lacked the resource
of the mountains in the great heat of summer.
The Andes are, indeed, too far distant even with
the railway that now crosses them. (The Trans-
andine line is now working between the Argen-
tine and Chile — forty hours' run from Buenos
Ayres to Valparaiso or Santiago.) But the
costly pleasures of a sojourn at Mar del Plata
are quickly exhausted. The estancia offers a
beautiful retreat of active and fruitful peace.
There are visits to the farmers who, little by
little, are coming to reside on the domain of
the estancia (purchasing the ground originally
taken on lease, and grouping themselves in such-
wise that villages are in process of formation),
or the continual inspection of the herds (rodeo).
Another occupation is watching over the har-
vest which spreads across the Pampas. There
are daily pretexts for trips that combine pleas-
ure with usefulness. The tall ricks grow in
numbers, the grain falls to the snorting meas-
ure of smoking engines, the lean native cattle
of the Pampas yield their place to monstrous
Durhams, to Herefords, with their handsome
white heads, to Percherons, to Boulonnais, to

FARMING AND SPORT 247

Lincoln sheep, with their heavy fleeces. It is
by no means certain that the amusements of
Trouville or Vichy are superior to those of the
estancia. We may be allowed to think that the
" gentleman-farmer " has chosen the better
part.

I have said nothing of game^hooting. We
must admit that in this respect the resources
of the Pampas are greater than those of France.
Hares and partridges are on the programme,
as they are with us. M. Py told me he had
tried to acclimatise the quail — in vain. Some
thousands of birds were let loose in a selected
part of the Pampas and disappeared for good.
The history of the hareis very different. About
fifty years ago some Germans liberated a few
couples at various points of the Pampas, and
the same animal which at home produces only
one or two young each year began to swarm
like the rabbit. Several families every year—
and what families! The result, disastrous for
farming, is that from eighty to a hundred hares
may be reckoned to every hectare, and you can-
not walk on the Pampas without perceiving a
pair of long ears that spring up out of the grass

248 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

every moment. The flesh has a poor reputation,
perhaps for the reason that here they neglect
that elementary operation which follows im-
mediately on the death of the animal in our
country. The partridge, smaller than ours, is
a solitary creature. Its flesh is white and
rather insipid. The martinette (tinamou), a
sort of intermediary between the partridge and
the pheasant, is the best of the Pampas game.
One may hunt it without turning to right or to
left — certain always of not returning with
empty hands. The favourite amusement is the
rabat, or the "rope," and shooting from the
motor-car.

For the rabat horsemen are needed. A dozen
or two of peons ride off at a gallop in no matter
what direction, since the game is everywhere, to
meet at a point out of sight and return at the
top of their speed to the sportsmen. Then, long
before you hear their shouts or see their out-
lines on the horizon, there suddenly appears
along the uncertain line at which earth and sky
meet a swarm of creatures which rush and cross
each other in every direction. Whether the
mass is near or far off it is impossible to say,

FARMING AND SPORT 249

since there are no objects to measure by. If
far, all these black spots on the luminous back-
ground may be horns. To our inexperienced
eye they give the illusion of a herd of oxen.
Then suddenly the truth becomes manifest.
You have before you some hundreds of hares,
which will quickly be within gunshot. But the
animal is sharp to discern the danger, and, in
less time than it takes to write it, the troop that
was heading in a mass straight for the line of
fire melts away until only the foolish ones at
the back are left to continue their course with
the acquired momentum. In this way the car-
nage, which promised to be terrible, resolves
itself into ten or twelve more or less lucky shots
apiece. This is inevitable, since the wire fence
which effectually stops horses and cattle is
powerless against running game. The day when
the destruction of the hare is decided upon,
which is certainly desirable, it will only be
necessary to fence in three sides of an enclosure
and drive the game towards the opening. In
the present state of affairs the mere sight of
three or four hundred hares running straight
towards the guns, even though they make a right-

250 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

about turn just in time, is an entertainment
much appreciated by Europeans.

Shooting a la corde has a different aspect.
The mounted peons form up to make a line of
beaters a hundred yards apart. But, unlike our
own battues, the beater precedes the shooter, in-
stead of walking towards him. The reason is
that every peon is attached to his comrade to
right and to left by a rope of twisted wires,
which sweeps the ground and puts up every liv-
ing creature to the guns, which follow behind
at the pace of a horse's walk. The hare does
not wait till the rope reaches him. Often he
gets away out of reach. But ther^ is such an
abundance of game that none misses the animal
that may escape. The important point is for
the peons to keep well in line, else huntsmen
and horsemen are likely to get a charge of lead.
At the Eldorado, M. Villanueva's place, this
happened twice or three times in the same day.
The partridge (always flying singly) and the
martinette are never weary of marking time.
They run before one without haste, and appar-
ently determined not to fly away.

It occasionally happens that a sportsman tires

FARMING AND SPORT 251

of his game and wants to end it. Several times
I left the line of guns and ran upon the enemy,
which, without any excitement, still kept its dis-
tance and never gave its pursuer the satisfaction
of seeing it even hasten its step. You look
around for a stone, a bit of wood, or a lump
of earth, which should have the effect of driv-
ing off the creature. On the Pampas is neither
pebble, nor stick, nor clod of earth. You have
no resource but to swear and make violent ges-
tures that have no effect at all. The marti-
nette, too, has a way of glancing sideways at
you which expresses a profound contempt for
the entire human race. All generous minds are
sensitive to rudeness and feel a just vexation
when thus treated. The rapid chase is the more
painful that you have very soon before you sev-
eral martinettes and as many partridges which
fly backwards and forwards, leaving you in doubt
at which to point your weapon, while, at the
same time, you know that in leaving the line
of fire you expose yourself to all the guns which
may be tempted, by fur or feather, to aim in
your direction. There is only one way out of
this critical situation that I know of. It is to

252 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

fling your cap at the running bird. He will

off then and keep his distance.
The victory would be yours afterwards were
it not that the chase under a sun that would

*

seem hot even in summer has left you out of
;, \ breath. To take aim while struggling for breath
is to risk missing the bird. Happily, both part-
ridge and martinette have a straight, low, and
heavy flight, which permits you to return to the
estancia without dishonour. Such are the peri-
patetics of this amusing form of sport, in which,
all along the line, firing is incessant. The steady
walk of the guns is only checked by the rope
getting caught occasionally on some tuft of
grass, or by an encounter, not at all rare, with
the carcass of horse or ox in process of decom-
position. Having left on his own initiative, he
at least escapes from man's ferocity. You pass
without even having to hold your nose, so thor-
oughly does the strong, purifying air of the
Pampas carry away in its boundless currents
every germ that cannot be returned to the soil
to perform the eternal labour of fertilisation.
On all sides the last vestiges of clean and fretted
bones tell us how lives now ended are taking on

FARMING AND SPORT 253

new forms of life, and in the gentle murmur of
the grass that bends to the breeze the huge white
skeletons that brave the blue of heaven have all
the eloquence of philosophy in their tale of the
supreme defeat of living matter beneath the
irresistible triumph of fatality.

With no other break in the horizon but the
distant ombu, a group of paraisos, a ranch, or
travelling herd, the murderous band pursues its
way. The walking is good, and the motor-car,
which follows slowly in the rear, is at hand to
pick up the weary sportsman. But before that
point is reached one is tempted to cast off, little
by little, articles of clothing which rapidly be-
come a burden under the sun's rays. A shirt
and trousers are already much. Even so, a rest
becomes necessary, and those who have any
acquaintance with M. Villanueva will guess that
there was present a cart laden with refresh-
ments. Halts like these, in the precious shade
of the car, are not without charm, if you have
taken the wise precaution to put on something
warm. When the incidents of the day have been
thoroughly discussed the chase is resumed, but
if you are really done up do not imagine your

254 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

fun is over. The auto will take your place in
the line of march behind the rope of peons, and,
apart from the game of running after marti-
nettes, nothing is changed. The endless prairie
is so truly a billiard-table of turf that not a
jolt need be felt, and, after a few attempts, one
gets the knack of firing from the car with a
good average of successful shots. The hare suf-
fers most ; martinette and partridge get off more
easily. It must be admitted that the experi-
enced chauffeur is a powerful auxiliary. In any
case, if you are shooting the less brilliant, the
pleasure of sport in repose, varied by all sorts
of unforeseen circumstances, more than compen-
sates for the misses and lends a flavour to the
sport that is lacking in European shooting
parties.

Better still — the day is slowly dying: soon the
party will break up, but the shooting will go on
all the same. The silent peons come up to say
good-night. Dumbly, with courteous gestures,
final greetings are exchanged, and then the order
is given to set the helm for Eldorado. But
there is still light enough to see by. So here we
are zigzagging across the Pampas in complicated

FARMING AND SPORT 255

turns and twists, as one spot or another appears
more favourable for game. And the slaughter
is terrific, for hares abound. Martinette and
partridge, with their dark plumage, have nothing
to fear from us now. In the faint light of the
setting sun the hare makes still an admirable
target, and plover and. falcon offer supplemen-
tary diversions. The gay little owl alone finds
grace with the guns. And when the "dark
light" of the poet left us no resource but to
shoot at each other, pity or perhaps fear of the
last agony sufficed to make us hold our hand.
The gentle horned beasts moved out of our way,
fixing on us their stupidly soft eyes, and leav-
ing us wholly remorseless, while in the fresh-
ening breeze and empty blackness of sky and
land we burst in upon the lights of hospitable
Eldorado. ^/

This simple tale of a day's sport in the Pampas
has no other merit than that of being strictly
accurate. The Argentines might very well con-
tent themselves with the pleasures they have
ready to their hand at all seasons of the year,
for in these regions, half-way between barbarism
and civilisation, the gamekeeper is unknown.

256 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

But man can never be content with what is
offered to him. Therefore the wealthy estan-
ciero takes infinite trouble to get thousands of
pheasants sent out to him from our coverts, so
that he may breed them in his preserves. In
districts that are not menaced by the locusts the
birds will be let loose shortly in the woods, and
the Argentine will then pride herself on shoot-
ing such as that of Saint-Germain. It is be-
cause of this approaching change that I have
set down these impressions of a day's sport in
conditions which will soon belong to a vanished
age.

CHAPTER X

ROSARIO AND TUCUMAN

| HE traveller with only a few weeks
at his disposal in this immense
country of overflowing activity
cannot pretend to make a very
profound and detailed study of it. I am here
setting down only those things that I saw, but,
at the same time, I endeavour to show their
significance, and to give some idea of their social
import, while leaving my readers to judge for
themselves. It is, of course, the subjective
method, and is full of pitfalls, but it is, also,
useful inasmuch as it sheds much light on the
subject if used with discrimination. My friend
Jules Huret, who has been inspired to reveal to
the criminally incurious French public certain
countries which they persistently ignore, takes
all the time he needs to collect a voluminous
amount of material, which he then proceeds to

17 257

258 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

place before his readers in accordance with the
strictest canons of the objective method. We
know how successful he was with North America
and Germany. He has marshalled before us so
orderly a procession of men and things, that
to my mind he has defeated his object, and left
us no inducement to undertake the journey for
ourselves and to obtain first-hand impressions
by the direct contact which is worth all the
books in the world. Huret is now publishing in
the Figaro the result of a year's close study of
the Argentine. He has taught and will still
teach me much, no doubt, and I strongly re-
commend every one to read his admirable work.
But in their way I still venture to claim for my
unpretentious notes the virtue of creating in
my readers a desire for further information, for
the simple reason that they will assuredly want
to test my views in the light of their own ex-
perience. Humanity, nowadays, is moving at
high speed, and the chief interest that most men
attach to each day's events is the opportunities
they may afford for to-morrow's energy. But
the real value of the " event of the moment," to
which the Press attributes more and more im-

ROSARIO AND TUCUMAN 259

portance, lies in the revelation it may bring of
those general laws that we must all understand.
Hence the living appeal made by cursory reflec-
tions, irrespective of what may be the verdict
of the future thereupon, since our " truths " of
to-day can never be more than successive elim- ^
inations of errors.

These generalities are intended to explain the
spirit in which I prepared to leave Buenos Ayres,
and drew up an itinerary that was necessarily
curtailed by the limited time that remained to
me. I had been told : " At Cordoba you will
find a city of monks; Mendoza affords a charm-
ing picture of fine watercourses lined with pop-
lars, vines in profusion, and a remarkable equip-
ment for the wine industry; at Tucuman, there
are fields of sugar-cane with dependent refineries
and, also, the beginnings of an extensive forest."
With irrigation-works, poplars, vines, monks
even, I was already familiar: so without hesi-
tation I headed for Tucuman, with a brief halt
at Rosario, the second city of the Argentine
Republic.

\^r

In its external aspect Rosario de Santa Fe
differs but little from Buenos Ayres. There is

260 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

the same florid architecture, the same desire to
do things on a large scale, the same busy spirit,
though naturally on a smaller scale. Rosario
exists by reason of its port, which commands the
Parana. The prodigious extension of the town
is due to the building of numerous railway lines,
which have produced an enormous development
of agriculture in the provinces of Santa Fe, Cor-
doba, and Santiago del Estero. The cereals
grown in these provinces, representing one half
the total exported by the Argentine, are carried
by these railways, whilst the Parana furnishes
a waterway several thousands of kilometres in
length for coasting vessels on the upper river
and from Paraguay as far as the mouth of the
Eio. A volume might be written of its docks,
built by a French firm under the management
of M. Flandrin, a compatriot and native of my
own Vendean village. There is a peculiar charm
about meetings of the sort. A journey of many
days has brought you to the unknown land,
where, with the help of some imagination, any
strange event is possible. After sundry adven-
tures, the curtain rises, and the first face that
meets your eye, the first voice you hear, belong

R08ARIO AND TUCUHAN 261

to your native place. Names, scenes, and
memories rush in upon the mind with a train of
unexpected impressions and emotions.

To think I had come all this way to be con-
fronted with that special spot of earth to which
through all travels and all life's changes we re-
main so firmly bound! Far away in the dis-
tant Brazilian mountains, I met a charming Ven-
dean woman, whose tongue had kept that accent
of the langue d'oil which belonged to Rabelais.
When Sancho, from the height of his waggon,
beheld the earth no larger than a grain of millet,
his sense of proportion was truer than ours.
Only, instead of being so many hazel-nuts upon
the millet, as Sancho thought, men are, in reality,
merely imperceptible particles in a restricted
space, bound to collide at the least movement.

My philosophy did not prevent my feeling
great pleasure at meeting M. Flandrin, who is
as unpretentious as he is kind, and who is
a credit to his native land. We made a tour
of inspection of the docks, and the inevitable
trip by boat round the harbour. All I can say
of the port thus hastily seen and already de-
scribed in many technical publications is that,

262 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

in spite of tremendous natural difficulties, it has
been satisfactorily accomplished, thanks to the
tenacity of the engineers and the admirable
method adopted.1 Moored alongside the quays
were a number of English and German cargo-
boats (amongst which, I saw but one French,
alas!) taking in grain at the rate of 800 tons
per hour. The docks were begun in 1902. They
were designed to cope with an average tonnage
of 2,500,000, and it was at that time believed
impossible to attain that figure before some
thirty years at least. By 1909, however, it had
been reached and passed, and a contract for
their enlargement was immediately given to a
French firm. Under these conditions, it is easy
to understand how a town numbering 23,000 in-
habitants in 1869 should, in 1910, contain nearly
200,000. This, also, explains a rivalry that ex-
ists between the second city of the Republic and
Santa F6, the historic capital of the province.
Rosario complains, with some show of reason,

1 To give an idea of the capacity of the port : there are
5 kilometres of quays and 81 kilometres of railroad to
serve the docks. The large elevator measures 3000 cubic
metres. It can handle 50 tons from the Parana and 500
tons from the railway per hour.

ROSARIO AND TUCUMAN 263

that the enormous fiscal contribution paid by
her to the national exchequer does not procure
for her the advantages to which her population
entitles her. The deplorable deficiency of schools
in Bosario is more especially a subject of loud
recrimination. I cannot but think that this
claim will be before long admitted. As for the
esthetic future of the city, I can say nothing.
When I saw it, it was disfigured in every direc-
tion by extensive road-making operations, thanks
to which there will, in all probability, be open
spaces enough, one day, to arouse the admiration
of visitors. An excellent and modern hotel
seems a good augury for the future. As usual,
the welcome I received far exceeded anything I
could have expected. But the municipal im-
provements scheme had occasioned a fever of
speculation in land values, and the one subject
of conversation was the fabulous fortunes to be
realised in this way — so much so, indeed, that
I was strongly tempted to spend a few sous on
a plot of land which by now or a little later per-
haps might be worth a hundred millions.

If Rosario has made a fortune out of the in-
credible increase of its corn harvests, it must

264 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

not be supposed that cattle-rearing is neglected
in the province of Santa Fe. By a fortunate
coincidence, I arrived on the day of the open-
ing of the great annual Cattle Show. The
President of the Agricultural Society happens to
be one of the most distinguished politicians, not
only of the province but of the Republic, and,
by his kindness, I was able to glean much in-
formation on general topics, and, at the same
time, inspect some samples of agricultural pro-
duce that would not have been out of place in
the first of our European shows. The surround-
ing provinces, including that of Buenos Ayres,
had sent up some of their finest specimens of
horses and horned cattle. As usual, there was
a superabundance of British breeds to be seen;
but our Norman horses were well represented,
too. To tell the truth, the dual capacity of my
guide, who was no less eminent as statesman
than as cattle-breeder, caused politics to some-
what overshadow agriculture in our talk, and I
found out that Sefior Lisenadro de la Torre was
the leader of a party that is aiming at the over-
throw of the Cabinet now in power, whose
majority, he informed me, was based on those

ROSARIO AND TUCUMAN 265

very administrative abuses that I had already
noted. The tendency is to use and even abuse
authority to coerce the electors, who are un-
organised for the defence of the public interests
against private ambitions,1 " an evil that spreads
terror/' as may truly be said, and one of which
Rosario does not hold a monopoly. On this
theme the clear-headed politician, with his con-
cise manner of speech and decided tones, gave
me a rapid sketch of the situation by a
brief examination of the enemy's country. And
I rejoiced to see that abuses common, more or
less, in all old countries, and whose remedy lies
only in private endeavour, have in this new
community of the Argentine provoked the same
keen intelligence and determination as others
which I noted. Under whatever form of govern-
ment, the worth of a country lies in its men —
that is, in its sum total of disinterested activity.
A race that can show the development of intelli-

1 Speaking of a recent election, a well-known leader in
the province of Buenos Ayres said : " I have been re-
proached with spending money. I silenced my enemies
by asking them what other means of action they had left
me." Making due allowance for exaggeration natural
enough in the circumstances, the words contain a hint
that may be usefully retained.

266 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

gence and character that have so struck me
in the course of this journey can afford to await
with tranquil courage the solutions of the future.

As it is my desire to leave no dark corners
unexplored, I must make a reference to the
strange hints of revolution that I heard at
Hosario and, later, at Tucuman. "A certain
military leader would be displeased if full satis-
faction were not given him. There was every
reason to fear a movement. Dispatches from
the Government recommended a careful guard
over rifle magazines," etc. I was, however,
pretty soon convinced that all these rumours
were but the expiring echo of a bygone condition
with very little foundation in actual fact.

Here in Rosario we are not far removed from
the life of Buenos Ayres. To-day the distance
from one city to the other (300 kilometres) can
be covered in five hours. The last part of the
journey, which terminates at Tucuman (1100
kilometres from the capital), gives us the im-
pression of a complete change of country. At
daybreak, in full sunshine, the first discovery I
made was that we were travelling through a
cloud of dust that entirely concealed the land-

ROSARIO AND TUCUMAN 267

scape. With a kindness for which I can never
be sufficiently grateful the President of the Re-
public, Senor Figueroa Alcorta, had lent me his
own coach for the journey. I slept in an ex-
cellent bed, with windows carefully closed and
blinds drawn. But the Argentine dust knows
no obstacles. For this reason the prophecy in
the Book that we shall all return to dust seems
to me already fulfilled. My beautiful bedroom,
my luxurious dressing-room, with its welcome
douche, my clothes, my luggage, and my person,
all were wrapped in a thick veil of fine red
dust, ugly in appearance and dangerous to re-
spiration. Yes, while I was sleeping in all con-
fidence, the imperious dust had taken possession
of train, passengers, and all that was visible to
their dust-filled eyes. The stations : merely a stack
of red dust; man: a vermilion-coloured walk-
ing pillar; the horseman, or vehicle: a whirl-
wind of dust. Horror! to my wrath a beautiful
white shirt was discovered blushing rosy as a
young girl surprised. I washed with red soap
and dried with red towels my carmine-coloured
face. Here is the explanation of the complexion
of the Indian!

268 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Tucuman is in sight — Tucuman, the land of
Cacombo, the faithful servant of Candide. None
can have forgotten that the Governor of Buenos
Ayres, moved by the beauty of the lovely Cune-
gonde, was on the point of despatching Candide
when he was saved by Cacombo. But what fol-
lows marks the difference between Candide's
times and our own, for Candide and Cacombo
in their flight paused in " a beautiful meadow
traversed by streams of water/' where befell the
double adventure of the monkeys and the mumps,
whereas for us meadow, rivulets, monkeys, and
mumps all resolve themselves into universal
dust. I strain my eyes to discern some features
of the country: a dismantled forest is dying in
the dust; some lean cattle are grazing, on clay
apparently ; enormous cactuses, like trees ; flocks
of small white birds with pink beaks, known as
"widows" (vimdas)} and, from time to time,
the beauty of a flight of cackling parrots, making
in the sunlight flashes of emerald in the dusty
air.

The Marseillaise! the Tricolor! the Governor,
the French colony ! — this is Tucuman's reception
of me. Handshakes, salutes, welcoming words

ROSARIO AND TUCUMAN 269

with affectionate references to the distant father-
land. An admirable official motor-car, but
execrable roads where the best of pneus finds
so many obstacles to jump that it becomes
quite dizzy, as is shown by its continued stagger.

The first impression given by Tucuman after ^
the jolting and shaking of the road is that of
ajcolonial land. Everywhere the " half -house,"
hastily put up, but rendered charming by its
patio, and comfortable by the disposition of its
rooms to take advantage of the shade. The In-
dian half-caste is king in Tucuinan, " the Garden
of the Republic," whose women, they say, are
more beautiful than flowers. Everywhere, in
fact, one sees bronzed faces in which two im-
passive black eyes shine with the brilliance of
the diamond. A long, lingering glance which
says, I know not what, but something that is
totally un-European. Simplicity, dignity, with
few words, slow gestures, an imposing harmony
of bearing. I know not whether one day the
dominant race will succeed in modifying or
effacing the native traits. At present, nothing
seems to touch the indelible imprint of American
blood. A few of the women are very handsome.

270 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

The French colony in Tucuman is larger than
I thought. I shall see it when I return from
Santa Ana, where I am going to visit M. Hille-
ret's manor. As we pass, I notice broad avenues
well laid out: the Place de FIndependance, on
which there stands the statue of General Bel-
grano, in remembrance of the battle of Tucuman
(1812), and the new palace of the Governor,
which is impressive. From sixty to eighty
thousand inhabitants. The town very commer-
cial. The country broken, with high mountains.
Fertile plain suitable for growing sugar-cane,
tobacco, oranges, and the most beautiful
flowers. Large and noble forests that are be-
ing ruthlessly devastated to supply fuel for
factory furnaces. Uninterrupted cane-raising
all the way to Santa Ana, where M. Hilleret,
who came to the Argentine as a labourer on
the railway, set up a sugar factory,1 thanks to
which — and to Protection — he was able, at his
death, to leave a fortune of a hundred millions.
We were magnificently received in a hospitable

1 The sugar industry in the Argentine is but fifty years
old. There are 70,000 hectares now under cane, with 31
refineries, the majority of which are in Tucuman. The
total output is estimated at 130,000 tons.

ROSARIO AND TUCUMAN 271

mansion that betrayed the taste of a Parisian
architect.1 A park and garden bearing traces
of a recent attack from locusts. Specially
beautiful were the tufts of bamboo, and the
false cotton plants with their big balls of white
down, amid which a tiny grey dove cooed softly
like a wailing child.

What can I say of the factory that has not
already been said? It is admirably managed.
The cane is automatically flung on a slope down
which it drops beneath heavy rollers. Two thou-
sand workmen are employed, half-castes for the
most part — a few are pure Indians, — and a small
number of French foremen. There is a pic-
turesque scene in the town of a morning, when
troops of women, old and young, followed by a
procession of children, come to market and fill
their wooden or earthenware bowls with provi-
sions, balancing them on their heads; their parti-
coloured rags, gaily patched, add a piquant
touch to the faces, whose firm lines seem set
in bronze, all vitality and expression being con-

1 Was it not surprising to find in the hall of a Tucuman
house casts of some of the best busts of the Louvre and
Comedie Franchise?

272 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

centra ted in the dark fire of their eyes. The
workmen's quarters are indescribable slums. On
both sides of a wide avenue there are rows of
tiny low houses from which the most rudi-
mentary notions of hygiene or of comfort are,
apparently, carefully banished — dens rather than
dwellings, to speak accurately, so destitute are
they of furniture. Women and old men sit im-
movable in the dust, the ~bombilla between their
lips, in an ecstasy of mate. Children moving
about an all fours are scarcely distinguish-
able from the little pigs which are grubbing
in the rubbish-heaps. Ineffable smells issue
from boiling cauldrons and stewpans, whilst in
the darkness of the doorway the nobly draped
figure of the guardian of the hearth stands,
speechless and motionless, surveying the scene.
According to European ideas, these folk are
wretched indeed. Yet the climate renders ex-
istence easy and they appear to find quiet pleas-
ure in it. We may be permitted to imagine for
them a happier future and higher stage of civi-
lisation, which they will achieve when they draw
a larger share of remuneration from the monu-
ment of labour their hands have helped to put

ROSARIO AND TUCUMAN 273

up. Laws for the protection of labour are un-
known in the Argentine, which is explained by
the backwardness of industry there. Although
life beneath this beautiful sky must undoubt-
edly offer many conveniences, and although the
mill-owners whom I met seemed to me both hu-
manely and generously inclined, factories such
as those I visited can scarcely exist much longer
without the labour question being brought be-
fore the legislators. Members of Parliament
with whom I discussed the point appeared fa-
vourably disposed, though inclined to defer
remedies indefinitely.

The fields of sugar-cane can be visited with-
out fatigue by train. We passed teams of six
or nine mules — up to their knees in dust — on
their way to the factory with loads of cane grown
at a distance from the railway. The drivers,
sitting postilion-wise on their leaders, raised
their whips with threatening cries that made the
lash unnecessary. But who could have imagined
that it took so much dust to manufacture sugar!
Out in the fields the peons, armed with the long
knife that is always stuck in the back of their
belts, cut the cane and with two dexterous turns

X8

274 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

of the blade divide it into lengths for the presses,
leaving the foliage and part of the stalk for
the cattle. At the wayside station there were
five or six dilapidated cabins, in which the nu-
merous progeny of the cane-cutters seemed to
be thriving. In appearance they formed a tem-
porary encampment, nothing more. The huts
are made out of odds and ends picked up at
haphazard, and follow a simple principle of
architecture which requires a space of some
twenty or thirty centimetres between the floor
and the palisade — for it can scarcely be called
a wall — to insure a circulation of air. Thus,
one could, at a pinch, sleep in the place without
arousing the smallest envy in the four-footed
beasts that are happily slumbering under the
starry heavens. Children, pigs, and donkeys live
together in friendly promiscuity. Women, bear-
ing in their arms their latest-born, appear on
their threshold dumbfounded, apparently, at the
sight of strangers. In my own language, I ask
one of them for permission to glance at the
interior of her hut. She stands aside, and I
look in, not venturing more than a single step.
The only attempt at furniture is planks laid

R08ARIO AND TUCUMAN 275

across trestles, with rags of clothing (incredibly
dirty) doing duty for mattress or blanket. A
movable stove adapted to open-air cooking, and
four stakes in the earth, on which are laid bits
of anything that comes handy, with tree trunks
for seats — this constitutes a rough-and-ready
dining-room. Scattered about on the ground
are different utensils for the use of man and
beast. Then a commotion. A naked baby, who
is sucking a sugar-cane, suddenly sees its treas-
ure carried off by a lively little black pig. A
fight and loud screams. Biped and quadruped
come to blows, and the effect of excitement on
the dormant functions of infant life is such that
it is the child who succeeds in worsting the pig.
The latter noisily protests. Then, there being
no such thing as Justice on earth, it is the
child who is carried off and set on the heap of
rags whose odorous dampness will at nightfall
soothe its sleep.

M. Edmond Hilleret, the eldest son of the
founder of the factory of Santa Ana, had Jn^
vited us to a tapir-hunt. To camp out in the
forest for three days did not in the least daunt
us, but a member of the Society for the Protec-

276 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

tion of Animals having urged upon me the
shamefulness of letting dogs loose upon so in-
offensive a beast, and Providence, with the same
intention probably, having smitten our hunter-
in-chief with appendicitis, followed by an opera-
tion, our shooting was directed humbly against
the parrots. I speak for my companions ; as for
my own part, I announced the most pacific in-
tentions towards the birds of the forest.

Peons on horseback and light carts start off
in an ocean of dust. The only way is to get in
front of the procession and leave to your friends
the duty of swallowing your dust. As a lack
of altruism on the part of my comrades had
inflicted this experience on me as we went, I
took care to return the compliment on the way
back. The forest, which belongs to the factory,
is generally denominated " virgin " for the sake
of effect. But my regard for truth compels me
to state that it was not even demi-vierge, for
there are herds grazing in the clearings, peons
keeping watch, and woodcutters and colonists
unceasingly busy dragging away its veils with
a brutality that is never slaked. Such as it
is, however, with "its inextricable wildnesses,

ROSARIO AND TUCUMAN 277

through which only the axe can clear a way,
with its tall, flowering groves, its ancient trees
covered with a luxuriant parasite growth that
flings downwards to earth and upwards to
heaven its showers of lovely colour, it is mar-
vellously beaufiful. The wonder of it is this
haze of parasites, so varied in species, in colour,
and in growth, with their invincible determina-
tion to live at all costs, which wrap the giant
tree from root to highest twig in a monstrous
profusion of new forms of life. The dead
branch on which we trample has preserved, even
in decomposition, the frail yet tenacious creeper
whose blossoms had crowned it high aloft. The
tree is no longer a tree : it is a Laocoon twisted
in a fury of rage beneath the onslaught of an
ocean of lives whose torrents recognise no bar-
riers. Whichever way one looks, hairy monsters
are agonising in despairing contortions, victims
of a drama of dumb violence; and the spectacle
conveys a keen realisation of the eternal struggle
for life that is going on all around us, from
the summits of these verdant heights to the sub-
terranean depths whence issues this living force.
And, as episodes in the universal tragedy, the

278 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

brilliant colouring of lovely birds lights up the
gloomy enchantment of the silent tumult of
anguished lives whose effort after mastery can
only end in death. Having not yet learnt to
know man's baseness, the royal magpies of Para-
guay, with their startling plumage, pause on
the branches close beside our path to gaze on us
in, perhaps, the same astonishment as we on
them. But already in the great clearing shots
resound, betokening the salute of the first ar-
rivals to the denizens of the forest Now, my
parrot friends, make for the fields as fast as
you can, out of reach of the horde of enemies!

But it is precisely these clearings that the
parrot loves, for here he, like us, can satisfy
his appetite. When his tribe descends upon an
orchard, good-bye to the fruit harvest. We were
in a vast clearing, inhabited by a small colony
of farmers, whose huts are built along a rivulet
on the slope of a meadow. Here are fields of
maize covered with dead stalks. The cattle
wander freely where they will. In an orchard
stands an orange-tree, the tallest I have seen,
full of golden balls. Hard by a well, on a
wooden post, there sits a green parrot, with red

ROSARIO AND TUCUMAN 279

poll, his plumage ruffled, his eye full of contempt
for the human race. Attracted by the noise,
two women come out from a dark hut. Gossips
probably, though what they can find to talk
about in such a spot it would be hard to guess.
One of them attracts attention by the beauty
of her form, the nobility of her pose, and the
warm, coppery tint of her face. She is a Creole
equally removed from the two races. Her thick
hair, intensely black, falls in a plait upon her
shoulders. Instinctively she has twisted pink
ribbon — found, probably, in a box of biscuits —
in her hair, where it makes a line of light in
the night of her tresses. Erect in the simplicity
of the semi-savage, without a word, without the
least acknowledgment of our presence, and with-
out a trace of embarrassment or affectation, she
stands looking at us, desiring, apparently, no
better occupation. Her features are regular and
delicate, according to the canons of European
aesthetics. Two or three pock-marks make a
startling patch. All the soul of the native race
is visible in the dark light of her eyes, heavy
with feelings that belong to an epoch too prim-
itive to be comprehended, even dimly, by our

280 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

aged and vulgar civilisation. That surprising
pink ribbon and the shyness — like remorse for
some unknown crime — expressed through the
ingenuous and compelling eyes, are probably the
secret of her charm. Whatever it springs from,
the effect is the same. Whether girl or woman
it would be hard to tell. This uncertainty often
gives its brilliance to feminine power.

I tear myself from contemplation of the lady
and wander into the forest in the wake of the
chattering birds, carrying with me, by way of
viaticum, an orange whose freshness and per-
fume have left me a souvenir no less delicious
than that of the charm of the young beauty. I
was slowly returning to the glaring sunshine of
the clearing, absorbed in admiration of a flight
of bright-plumaged parrots, when a vexatious
gunshot brought me back to the realities of our
sinful race. One of our party had concealed
himself among the brushwood at the foot of the
tree in which the birds were holding their parlia-
ment. The danger of the institution was in-
stantly apparent, for five birds fell to the
murderous lead. I still hold with parliaments,
however, and with parrots which debate in the

ROSARIO AND TUCUMAN 281

branches. I know not what they find to talk
about, but, judged by the criterion of noise
adopted at home, it must be of great importance.
When we teach them to speak our language, I
am aware they utter the words but attach no
meaning to them. I have known humans to do
the same without the birds' excuse. Moreover,
a very remarkable trait in the parrot's character
is that he is altruistic in the last degree, and
will face any danger to assist a friend in dis-
tress by voice and gesture. When one is
wounded, the rest, who have at first flown off
in alarm, return with loud cries to the scene,
abusing the sportsman and calling on deaf gods
for justice. If further volleys make fresh vic-
tims, the flock will not give up its work of pity,
thus exposing themselves to further slaughter.

All this is to explain how it was that, on my
return to the place I started from, I saw on the
ground a beautiful green parrot with a crimson
head, lying now in the stillness of death, while
two or three of his friends limped and fluttered
round him, hurling maledictions at the human
race, I fear they all figured later on the supper-
table of the colony. The young woman with

282 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

the pink ribbon, for whom the scene probably
offered nothing new, stood and gazed at us as
if we were the curiosity of the moment. One
of the wounded birds had climbed a stump be-
side her, and, without any preliminaries, had
nestled up against her like a child. The woman
took no notice. Her questioning eyes seemed to
be seeking forms in which to clothe her thoughts,
but her tongue could give no assistance. I, too,
would have liked to speak to her, to learn some-
thing of her story, of her notions about the
world, and the ideas that influenced her actions.
But I knew of no signs in which to clothe such
questions, and not a word of either Spanish or
Guarani (the name of a small tribe now applied
to the relics of their language, which is that
of the natives). With a rhythmic walk she re-
turned to her hut, emerging once more to join
our circle, with a tiny grey parrot perched on
her shoulder, by way, perhaps, of a conversa-
tional opening. The bird, fluttering its wings,
stepped down as far as her fingers, which were
slim and coloured as though with henna, and
I ventured to tease him. The long, red hand
came slowly forward, accompanying the move-

ROSARIO AND TUCUMAN 283

ments of the bird, without a shadow of a smile
on her impassive face; and so, the time for our
departure having come, we parted for ever with
all our questions unasked.

On the following day we drove to the Salto,
another clearing in the forest, enlivened by a
waterfall. We fired at some hawks that we took
for eagles. Large blue birds flew mocking above
our heads, and our hunters ended by shooting
at imaginary fish. They thought a walk in the
forest absurd, so whilst I and two comrades
ventured a little way, they chose the most nat-
ural occupation in the world for men who have
come from the ends of the earth to see an almost
virgin forest, and made up a game of poker.
Oh, the joys of modern travelling, undreamed
of by the early explorers !

Meantime, I wandered straight before me
through the woods, at the risk of losing my
way. Once I thought I was going to know the
pleasures, which are not unmixed, of being hope-
lessly lost. Already I saw myself reduced to
the necessity of hunting for an ornero's nest,
the opening of which is always in the north
side; but one of the party pointed out a line

284: SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

of bluish-grey lichen on every tree-trunk, which
indicated clearly, without the help of the birds,
from which direction blows the north — nat-
urally the warm — wind. Finally, by way of
putting a finishing touch to my education, he
assumed that I was thirsty, and leading me to
a creeper growing parasitically on a large branch
at the height of a man above the ground, he
dexterously inserted his knife into the joint of
the leaves, and there burst forth a jet of water
slightly aromatic in jt^ste, like the fine juice of
some grass. The traveller's sherbet! A few
minutes later we came upon a peon mounted on
his mule, who, more surely than either bird or
lichen, set us on the right path.

The first sugar factory founded by M. Hilleret
was at Lules. There we found a fine forest,
wilder still than that of Santa Ana, with gor-
geous great trees bearing bouquets of flowers,
some white, some pale violet, and some pink.
Fine gardens, and a park where, under the man-
agement of a French gardener, every fruit-tree
of the subtropical zone may be found, from the
banana and coffee-plant to the mango and
chirimaya, beside a thousand other strangely

R08ARIO AND TUCUMAN 285

named growths better calculated to surprise the
eyes than charm the palate. Of an evening
there was dancing in the garden. Though na-
tional in character, dancing here is much what
it is elsewhere, since there is but one way to
move the arms and legs. The most striking
part of the picture was the attitude of the
dancers when resting. In our countries these as-
semblies of young people would have been the
excuse for jokes and laughter, often, probably,
carried to a riotous excess. Here the immovable
gravity of the native does not lend itself to
merriment. Young men and young women ex-
change, now and then, a few words uttered in
a low voice with the utmost composure. On the
invitation of her partner, the young girl rises
in exactly the same way that she would move
to perform some household duty, and goes
through the rites of the dance with its rhythmic
measures without the vestige of a smile or a
ripple of gaiety on her expressionless face. It
is not, however, for lack of enjoyment, for no
opportunity is missed of dancing, and the balls
are prolonged indefinitely into the night. We
must only see in this deportment a conception

286 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

of dignity and of conduct that is not our
own.

On my return to Tucuman a great recep-
tion was given by the French colony in my
honour. I went to call — as, indeed, it behoved
me — at the House of Independence, more
modest but no less glorious than that of Phila-
delphia. It was here that the first national
Congress was held, and here that the Oath of
Independence was taken (July 9, 1816). In
order to preserve the humble house, now an
object of public veneration, it has been built
into a large edifice, which will preserve it from
decay in the future. There is no decoration —
some commemorative tablets only — but it is
enough. When the heart responds readily to
the call of duty, an unobtrusive reminder is all
that is necessary.

I was infinitely touched by the grandiose re-
ception given me by the French colony. In a
fine theatre, which is their own property, the
Frenchmen of Tucuman extended the warmest
of welcomes to their fellow-countryman. I found
a surprise in store for me. It was arranged
that I should lay the foundation-stone of the

R08ARIO AND TUCUMAN 287

new French school of Tucuman, and, if I am
to believe the inscription on the silver trowel
that remains in my possession, given me for
the purpose of spreading the cement, the school
will bear the name of him who was thus its
first mason. This honour, which is wholly un-
merited, sprang, of course, from the natural
longing to attach themselves in any way to
France. Not a word was spoken that was not
an invocation of our country, of its fight against
ignorance, source of all human woes. There was
a numerous and fashionable company present,
whose large befeathered hats proved that Tucu-
man is not so very far from Paris after all.
The ceremony was concluded by a pretty march-
past of small boys and girls carrying the Argen-
tine and French flags, and singing the national
hymn, the Marseillaise. The little people put a
world of spirit into their song. One little girl,
about two feet high and gaily beribboned, was
very determined to vanquish " tyranny." How
congratulate her? I tried to express the very
sincere pleasure the scene had given me, and
remarked that these little Argentine tongues had
a slightly Argentine accent in the Marseillaise.

288 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

" That is not surprising," said their proud
master. " They do not know a word of Fre»ch."

Then what about that charming baby's loudly
expressed hatred of tyranny? It is true the
significance of the hymn lies rather in the
music than in its phraseology, now a century
old. Children, begin by learning French, and
do not wait for the opening of the school whose
first stone I have just laid. All things shall
be added unto you.

CHAPTER XI
URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS

JONTEVIDEO, at first sight, had
given me so favourable an im-
pression that I was anxious not
to lose an opportunity of seeing
more of it. But I had begun with the Argen-
tine, and in such a country the more you see
the more you want to see. I tore myself away
from it with great regret, conscious that I was
leaving much undone. Time had passed all too
quickly. I had now only three weeks left for
Brazil, where long months ought, rather, to be
spent. Small as it is, Uruguay is for many
reasons one of the most interesting of the South
American republics. How far could a few days
be made to go there? In its general features
the country is not very different from the Argen-
tine Pampas. There are the same alluvial soil,
the same estancias, the same system of agricul-

289

290 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

ture and cattle rearing. For me the principal
interest lay in the Uruguay character. Three
visits of one day each furnished me with an
occasion to converse with some of their most
distinguished statesmen, but is this sufficient
ground on which to form an opinion of a race
whose superabundant activity is directed to-
wards every department of knowledge, as of
labour, now the first essential in any civilisa-
tion? I do not pretend that it is. Still, I con-
sider that even a brief investigation, if perfectly
disinterested and unprejudiced, can and should
furnish elements of sound information that are
not to be despised. But perhaps I shall be ex-
cused if, instead of making affirmations that
are open to challenge, I give myself the pleasure
of dwelling on the splendid qualities of these
courageous and modest men who are engaged
in building up a social structure that is worthy
of all our admiration.

Uruguay, once the " Oriental Band " of the
Argentine, lies between that Republic and Bra-
zil, forming thus a buffer JSt ate which, in the
event of war between Kio de Janeiro and Buenos
Ayres (which the gods forfend!), would make

URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS 291

it somewhat difficult for the two hostile armies
to get at each other. If for this reason alone,
I am disposed to think the constitution of an
independent State between the River Uruguay
and the sea a very wise provision. I am aware,
however, that peace between the Argentine,
Brazil, and Chile is the accepted maxim of South
American foreign policy; and it is very sound
doctrine, the triple hegemony offering a fairly
solid guarantee against usurpation by one. Not-
withstanding its diminutive size, as compared
with its gigantic neighbours, Uruguay appears
well fitted morally to fulfil the conditions of an
independent State. There is a marked develop-
ment of national spirit among its population,
whose most striking feature is a mental activity
that is sometimes carried to excess. Brazil has
laid out immense sums of money in the purchase
of Dreadnoughts (not always perfect), and the
Argentine felt, consequently, in duty bound to
burden herself also with some of these sea mon-
sters. Against whom are the Argentine and
Brazil thus arming? They would both find it
hard to say, since they have plenty to do at
home without directing their creative energy in

292 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

European fashion to the business of destruction,
unless absolutely forced thereto. Let me tell
them that it is but vain bravado that has urged
them on the dangerous, downward path of arm-
ament. Where will they stop? When you have
a population as large in proportion as that of
the United States, it will be time enough, alas!
to claim your share in the great international
concert of extermination. Begin by giving life,
oh. happy folk, who have been robbed by none
and who have nothing to recover !

I have already spoken of the appearance of
Montevideo. A broad bay, commanding the en-
trance of the Rio de la Plata, magnificently
situated for a commercial port, the Government
has not overlooked its advantages. In 1901
tenders were invited, and a French syndicate
was granted the contract for the construction
of the docks. There are important quarries in
all parts of Uruguay, which is more favoured
than the Argentine in this respect; and the
builders found all the stone they needed close
to hand. The colossal work is now nearly
ended. In 1909 two of our armoured cruisers,
the Gloire and the Marseillaise, visited the port

URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS 293

of Montevideo. The comfortable boats of the
Mihanowitch Company, which run daily between
Buenos Ayres and Montevideo, moor alongside
the quays. Why the large European vessels
should be forced to remain outside in the roatfer"
is a puzzle; the only explanation seems to be
a quarrel between the different governing bodies,
to which, I trust, the Uruguay Government will
speedily put an end. As things are, the build-
ing of the docks is but a sorry farce, and the
more regrettable because one of the features of
the handsome harbour is a simplification of the
harbour dues, which entails the least delay on
the vessels calling there.1 M. Sillard, who has
been in charge of the works from the beginning,
took us to various places on the bay; and, in
his motor-car, we climbed half-way up the
famous Cerro, so that we might have the pleas-
ure of walking a short distance over a road now
under construction, which was spoilt for us by
the disagreeable saladeros.2 If I may say so

irThe docks were built by the State alone without the
help of a loan. In 1906 the tonnage of vessels entered
and cleared in the port was fourteen millions.

2 Meat drying and salting is the principal industry of
the country. In the saladero the animal is killed and

294 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

without hurting the feelings of my friends, the
Cerro fort is not, I believe, impregnable. Its
demolition has, it is said, been decided upon.
If an hotel or casino were built on its site,
the Montevideans would have a pleasant
object for excursion, for from the top of
the hill there is a grand view over the town
and estuary to the ocean and the River
Uruguay.

The Lieutenant of the city — an American of
European education, with five years spent in
the Diplomatic Service at Rome behind him —
kindly offered to do the honours of the town for
us. Under the guidance of M. Daniel Munoz,1
who is as well known at Buenos Ayres as at
Montevideo, we saw every part of his domain,
from the business quarter to the luxurious sub-
urban villas, the well-planted public squares, and

cut up, and the flesh dried and salted by a process ana-
logous to that used with cod. Uruguay possesses thirty
of these saladeros (as against fifty in the Argentine and
Brazil) , with Brazil and Cuba for its chief markets. This
article of food is now much esteemed in both countries,
though formerly it was reserved for slaves. At Fray
Bentos there are the large establishments of Liebig that
must be mentioned to complete the list.

1 Sefior Daniel Munoz is now Minister of Uruguay at
Buenos Ayres.

URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS 291

large parks that are growing rapidly, to say
nothing of a handsome promenade along the
sea-front, and the unpleasant smelling saladeros
of some of the environs.

A short halt at the Prefect's private house
gave us an opportunity of judging of the com-
fort and luxury of the big Montevidean dwell-
ings. As for the city itself, there is little to
remark beyond the curious contrast offered by
the tall, handsome, modern buildings and the
singular little " colonial houses " so popular in
Montevideo, which look as if some sprite had
cut them off short at the first story for the fun
of whisking the rest out of sight. As the town
of Montevideo can boast, and must obviously
preserve, the aspects of the capital city, these
over-ornamented " half-houses " and the clumps
of green trees scattered everywhere lend it a
youthful charm which I hope it will not soon
lose. As a matter of fact, these houses are
charming in effect — in the eyes, at least, of those
who do not walk about with their heads too high
in the air — a pose that is not to be recommended.
They not only constitute a very agreeable faqade,
taken all together, but their patio is so designed

296 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

as to be admirably adapted to the special needs
of the climate. If I were going to live in Monte-
video, it would certainly be in one of these little
houses. They have another virtue also, since
they illustrate the necessity of experiment in
building before one is committed to the settled
plan. If the Town Council insists on construct-
ing houses of several stories in some of the
avenues, the measure may have its justification
in the interest of the aBsthetic and the useful.
But before they trouble about the effect which
their streets may produce as photographs, the
Montevideans will, I hope, devote attention to
comfort. Let the town spread freely, since there
is plenty of space available. Is it not the curse
of all our large European cities to be cramped
and confined? New York, between two arms of
the sea, has been obliged to invent its hideous
" skyscrapers." One must encourage expansion
to get all the air and light necessary to health.
The population of Montevideo must be nearly a
million now.1 It has many a fine beach on its
coast. A rich vegetation exists in all parts.
Let no childish vanity induce it to attempt too
1 Of these, 100,000 are foreigners.

URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS 297

soon to vie with Europe! Its friends can wish
it nothing better.

I have said nothing of the public buildings,
because they are everywhere the same, except,
perhaps, in those European countries where the
masses have taken possession of the palaces of
their former masters. To me they were less in-
teresting than their inmates — that is, the mem-
bers of the Government. Of the three Presidents
who did me the honour to receive me in the
course of my journey, each has now, in the
normal course of events, yielded his place to a
successor. Sefior Williman, who left the presi-
dential chair on the 1st of March, had the keen-
est possible sense of his responsibility to his
country. He was the son of an Americanised
Alsatian, and seems to have imported into his
exercise of authority that valuable quality of
well-reasoned idealism which has made his race
one of the most precious constituent parts of
the French nation. It must not be forgotten
that an American President is first and foremost
a man of action, exactly the reverse of the chief
of the State in our European democracies; and
a turbulent Opposition, ever ready to rush to

298 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

extremes, makes the task of government every
day more difficult. Senor Williman gave me the
impression of being somewhat reserved, but the
genuinely democratic simplicity of his welcome
and the slow gravity of his speech betokened a
man whose convictions would be deliberate but
profound. We touched on the political ques-
tions now engrossing Europe, and I found he
had long been familiar with all the problems
that are keeping us so busy.

It is not easy for me to give a personal opin-
ion about the parliamentary world. The Senate
organised a friendly reception in my honour at
which we exchanged cordial toasts. But what
can a Frenchman do when he knows not a word
of Spanish, unless his Spanish hosts can speak
French? There were only two or three mem-
bers of Senate or Chamber with whom I could
talk. Smiles and gestures of good-will, as we
clinked our glasses of champagne, were all that
was left to us. The eyes asked questions that
could be but imperfectly answered. Amongst
graver politicians were many young men eager
for reforms. One of the " youngsters " — in this
fortunate land even the senators are scarcely

URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS 299

out of their teens — observed to me, with gently
emphasised irony, that Uruguay had travelled
farther along the road marked out by the French
Revolution than our own present Republic.

" The pain of death has been abolished in
Uruguay. It has been retained by the Argen-
tine and . . ."

" And in France, I acknowledge. We are,
moreover, confronted with a strong retrogressive
movement in favour of the right of society to
take life."

" We have divorce by mutual consent. The
Argentine has nothing even approaching it.
The question of divorce has been raised there.
The influence of the clergy prevented all dis-
cussion. As for the French Republic . . ."

" We have still retained the traditional sys-
tem," I confess.

"And then our code grants the same rights
to the illegitimate child, when recognised, as to
those born in wedlock — this is common equity."

" I do not deny it. But the prejudice that
exists in our public mind on this subject appears
to me so deeply rooted that, without venturing
on risky predictions, I think we shall not obtain

300 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

the solution of the problem that your democracy
has accepted without encountering the keenest
resistance."

None will be surprised to hear that the con-
versation drifted quickly towards the Uruguay
revolutions. Here the thread of our talk was
picked up by a young journalist — a Deputy —
who has spent a long time in Paris and is gen-
erally considered to be a coming man. In witty
and picturesque language, he explained that
Uruguay's revolutions had no more importance
than a fit of hysterics. One is Red; another is
White. A tie or a bit of stuff sewn on the hat
serves as a badge.1 The cradle supplies the bit
of stuff; in a moment of popular excitement it
is adopted, and becomes at once a point of
honour. Then some little thing happens which,
for one reason or another, leads to a heated
discussion, and immediately there follows a gen-
eral conflagration. The only fixed idea left in
you is that you are a Red and the Whites must
be exterminated, or vice versa, according to the

1 The Reds are the advanced party, the Whites the
conservative. It was from the Reds that Garibaldi bor-
rowed the famous red shirt that he brought back from
Montevideo.

URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS 301

camp in which you may be enrolled. There is
nothing for it, then, but to let the effervescence
escape.

But when I remarked that the life of a man
counted for nothing when Uruguayan efferves-
cence was escaping, the ready assent they gave
me showed that on this point no discussion was
possible.

" But I understood you had abolished the
death sentence."

" It is legally abolished, but illegally . . ."

" Just so. Modern law, but ancient — very
ancient — practice."

As may have been noticed, there is a general
tendency towards comparisons — I ought, per-
haps, rather to call it jealousy — of the relative
progress in Argentine and Uruguay. The
" Oriental Band " is, in Buenos Ayres, talked
of with affectionate good nature, as if it were
a sulky member of the family. You cannot
praise Uruguay without winning universal ap-
proval, accompanied by a smiling reserve that
seems to say, " The Orientals are worthy to be
Argentines." At Montevideo you are more
likely to be asked frankly which country you

302 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

consider foremost; and if you reply that you are
quite incompetent to judge, be sure that your
answer will be interpreted according to the in-
clination of the party interested. This often
happened to me — annoyingly enough. Every
nation has its strong and weak points, which
must be judged according to the form they take
and the times in which we are moving. I cer-
tainly did not go to the South Americans for
a classification of the different States of Europe.
Why should I have been expected to draw up
a scale of civilisation for them? The Argentine,
Uruguay, and Brazil are, each in their way,
grand social structures, having their defects, like
the countries of Europe. I am telling what I
saw, leaving to all the liberty of replying that
I was mistaken in what I saw. That is suf-
ficient. But one of the best ways of moving
ahead of one's fellows is to acquire the capacity
of self-judgment and self-reformation.

Amongst so many kindly hosts I may pick out
the youthful Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senor
Emilio Barbatoux, whose polished Parisianism
made him the mark for all the questions dic-
tated by my ignorance. With unwearying

URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS 303

courtesy the statesman, who is perfectly con-
versant with the French point of view, succeeded
in adapting himself to my particular line of
vision, and greatly facilitated the too superficial
examination I was making by the clearness of
his information.

I was invited to a very French dinner at the
Uruguay Club, where I found the greatest com-
fort combined with Franco- American luxury;
and I was able to study at my ease the pure
Latinity of the Uruguay politician. If I had
foreseen these " Travel Notes " I should have
jotted down on paper some of the speeches to
which I listened on my travels, when French
culture was eulogised in the highest terms by the
natives of these countries, whose future is of
such interest to us. It was not till I had left
it all behind me that I became conscious of the
omission. I can only say that in the Uruguay
Club, and again in Mine. Sillard's charming
home, I found France again, as also in the
saJons of the French Minister at Montevideo.1

II should have liked to thank M. and Mme. Carteron
for their kindness. Alas! Mme. Carteron's sudden death
has left a blank in her home.

304 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

There was something of France, too, in the
editorial offices of La Razon and of El Dia — for,
of course, an old journalist could not resist the
temptation of calling at a newspaper office.1 Hav-
ing gone there intending to interview the editor
in my own way, the tables were turned on me
and a volley of questions fired off at me. Next
morning there appeared the very interview I
had been avoiding, and all my " Ah's ! " and
" Oh's ! " were cunningly interpreted to make up
a tale. Consequently, all I can report of Uru-
guay journalism is that my confreres of Monte-
video excel in the art of the Abbe de PEpee,
who managed to make the dumb talk. I trust
this remark will be taken as praise.

The few occasions I had for talking with my
confreres have left a very pleasant recollection.
I can truthfully proclaim them all Latins of the
purest water — Latins by their vivacity, by the
warmth of their temperament, by the trend of
their mind towards general truths, by every sign
of their predilection for wrestling with ideas.

1 The papers are distributed in the streets of Monte-
video by children on horseback. They fling the sheets
skilfully into the doorways, where they frequently remain,
respected by all passers-by.

URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS 305

In this respect it was impossible to think them
otherwise than youthful and delightful. The
estimable Kenan, who was indulgence itself,
gently reproached me once with a lack of leni-
ency. Alas! Time, the mother of Experience,
brings to us all in the end the faculty of appre-
ciation in the sense in which the philosopher
meant it, and he himself never consented to
sacrifice one of his early opinions unless he could
at least preserve its terminology.

Still, it is a serious question, not only which
is the better, but which has wrought the more
good in the world — youth, with its presumptuous
eagerness, or weary wisdom.

Now, is it possible to deduce any definite ideas
of the special features of the people of Uruguay
from these faithfully reported but necessarily
diffuse notes, culled in chance encounters? If
I had not just come from the Argentine I should
have plenty of material. But as it is, consider,
pray, that I have only to modify some epithets
in consideration of the smaller proportions of
the subject and all I might tell you of the aspect
of town or country, as also of the mind and
character of its inhabitants, would, to all

306 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

intents and purposes, sound in your ears like a
twice-told tale.1 Then, you will say, the Argen-
tine and Uruguay are practically one and the
same. That I cannot admit. As well might one
confound Marseillais and Brestois, who, how-
ever, are of the same country. I prefer not to
pronounce an opinion that might foment the
never-slumbering rivalry that exists between the
two Hispano-American peoples of La Plata.
But as the common-sense of Governments and
peoples generally prevails over public excite-
ment, and as the paramount interest of both
countries is the same in economic matters as
well as in the more or less clearly defined field
of American politics, there is, I think, no reason
to fear that either can take offence at an opin-
ion inspired by equal respect for both parties.
What more shall I say? A country of

1 There is only one point that it is only just to repeat:
it is that the women of Uruguay are very beautiful. More
or less so than the Argentinos? In the Pan-American
Congress the ladies of Buenos Ayres gave the palm to
a celebrated beauty of Montevideo, in an outburst of
hospitable chivalry. I would not have the bad taste to
say a word either way. The two banks of La Plata appear
to me equally propitious for the development of feminine
aesthetics, and for the foreigner who loves art the hand-
somest model is ever that which is before his eyes.

URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS 307

1,400,000 inhabitants; a town of 400,000 souls.
If Buenos Ayres is the second Latin city in the
world, Montevideo follows — at some little dis-
tance, perhaps, but with a creditable total. The
soil is no less well worked, cattle-rearing is
equally successful, while the saladeros and large
factories, like those of the Liebig Company at
Fray Bentos, provide a market as good as the
freezing-machines for Buenos Ayres. The po-
litical and social institutions are much alike,
both inspired by the same regard for equality as
proclaimed by the French Revolution, and per-
meated by our own doctrines of justice and
liberty. And if the Uruguayans have ventured
to carry purely logical solutions farther than
we have done, the reason is probably that the
democratic Governments of these new countries
have not had to contend with the same atavistic
resistance that must be reckoned with in older
lands, where men's minds have been moulded
by long history. A cheap criticism might here
be made by considering only such and such an
aspect of these young communities. We lay
great stress on their revolutions, and whilst it
is to be hoped that violence will before long be

308 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

laid aside, I have unreservedly set down all I
learned about these movements. Nevertheless,
we must admit that Uruguay is not without a
show of reason when she replies by throwing
up at us the floods of blood that we have shed
in the course of our civil wars, and that down
to our most recent history. Let the sinless
throw the first stone.

The ardent nationalism of Uruguay has
nothing to fear from that of the Argentine.
There are advantages and disadvantages in im-
porting too great sensitiveness into every ques-
tion. As a contribution to the International
Exhibition in honour of the Argentine centenary,
Uruguay published a very handsome volume, in
which there was set forth in pictures and figures
the entire history of their national develop-
ment, the text being given in French and
Spanish. The title was Uruguay Through One
Century. The evolution of the Oriental Repub-
lic is therein set forth. Of course, the weak
spot of such works is that they gloss over the
deficiencies; and thus, though hiding nothing,
there is always the risk of discomfiture wheD
they are subjected to the brilliant light.

URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS 309

It remains none the less true that the economic
growth of Uruguay is in no whit inferior to that
of the Argentine in these last few years, and
the promise of the future justifies the highest
hopes. It is possible that on either side of the
estuary the heat of political and social verbiage
is not always in accordance with cold reality.
This is a criticism that might be made of any
land, and I could apply it easily to those I
know best.

When all defects and excellences are taken
into account, I should say the Uruguayan is
distinguished from the Argentine by his impul-
sive idealism. Less sober-minded and less at-
tached to novelty of doctrine — these are the two
points that struck me first in his character. For
this very reason he is more prone to argue about
theories, and more expansive about himself and
others. It may be that French is less current
at Montevideo than at Buenos Ayres, though it
seemed to me that, intellectually, French influ-
ence, if less profound, is more patent on the
surface. The mixture of European races ifij
about the same in the two countries. How is
it that the first impression is one of greater

310 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Latinity? — Latinity of feeling, which lends a
charm to social relations; Latinity of thought
and action, with all the advantages of sponta-
neity, all the defects of method, its alterna-
tions of enthusiasm and hesitation in fulfilling
its plans. The Latin conceived and created this
modern civilisation, which the Northerner has
appropriated to his own solid and empiric struc-
tures ; but he has only succeeded in giving them
their present universal application by renewed
contact with the ideal in which the descendant
of the Koman conquest too readily found con-
solation for his own desultory practice. South
American Latinity has allowed itself to be left
far behind by the great Anglo-Saxon Eepublic
of the North, just as European Latinity has
suffered its fiercest attacks from those who were
designated the " Barbarians " by ancient Rome.
Yet how great would be the darkness if the
light of Latinity, as it survives even in its
enemies, were suddenly to go out ! If man could
always measure the obstacle, he would frequently
lack courage for the leap. It was the force of
Latin impetus that sent modern humanity forth
to besiege the fortresses of oppression, and it is

URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS 311

the task of the experimental method to con-
vert them by patience and perseverance into asy-
lums of liberty ; we know that to accomplish the
miracle it will be necessary for the citizen to
be made anew by the exercise of self-control
and a primitive respect for the liberty of
his neighbour. Considering all the feats that
have been accomplished by the Latin races,
I see nothing before them but this last and
crowning marvel to complete their amazing
history.

In Uruguay the first indication of this new
order of things will be the suppression of revo-
lution. Before this comes to pass there will be
great changes on both sides of the ocean, in
the reflex action of humanity and, in a less de-
gree, in its reasoning consciousness. Here is an
educational work which offers a vast field for
future effort.

The Government of Uruguay is well aware
that the greatest difficulty in the way of self-
government is to establish the relation between
principle and practice. It seeks, therefore, to
implant in the young those broad general prin-
ciples by which our private and public life must

312 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

be regulated.1 I lacked time to visit the schools,
which are the most unmistakable thermometer
of any social structure. A glance at the cata-
logue sent by the Primary Schools Council to
the Third Congress of School Hygiene, held in
Paris, August 2 to 7, 1910, will give us some
light on the subject. This is not the place in
which to describe the admirable organisation of
obligatory primary teaching in Uruguay and the
remarkable development of the primary schools
under Senor Williman's presidency. The syl-
labus for a period of school life from the sixth
to the fourteenth years is, I think, most inter-
esting. In all the schools which are ranked as
of first, second, or third degree, and in the coun-
try schools, the characteristic of the course is
the revival of the object-lesson, still too often
sacrificed in our European schools to the subjec-
tive teaching of olden days. In the very first
year's work I note that the following subjects

!0n the initiative of Senor Claude Williman, the late
President, 360 country schools have been opened in Uru-
guay, so that the total number of primary public schools
supported by the State reaches at the end of 1910, 1000,
and gives us a ratio of one public school per 1095 of the
population.

URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS 313

are included (to be carried farther in later
years) : geometry, notions of locality, the hu-
man body, animals, plants, minerals, weights and
colour, demonstration lessons, etc.

It is obvious that the first notions of such
matters must, if they are to reach the minds of
infants of six years, be of the most rudimentary
character. But is not this the right age at
which to begin to give a bias to the child's mind?
In successive years it will be taught to observe
and make simple experiments, so that it is pro-
gressively prepared for contact with the world
in which it will be called to live, in a way that
has little in common with the absorption of gen-
eral rules which, until very recently, constituted
the bulk of what we call education. The very
fact that they have evolved this system of edu-
cation, and that they have put their theories
into practice, proves that the Latins of Uruguay
are on the right road to succeed in the realisa-
tion of their hopes. For if they claim to im-
part to budding intelligence a solid base of
observation and experience, or, in other words, to
teach them the sensations that different pheno-
mena give to us, and offer such explanations

314 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

as we can supply, they will surely not be checked
by the higher generalisations which are the nat-
ural outcome of scientific study and also its
crown. Thus, in the catalogue of the school
libraries for the use of pupils and professors I
find such French works as these: Le Bon —
Psychologic de F Education, L'fivolution de la
matiere; Le Dantec — Les Influences Ancestrales,
De Fhomme a la Science; Henri Poincare — La
Valeur de la Science, La Science et FHypothese.
If we are not careful these " savages " will out-
strip the " civilised." I shall make no bold pre-
dictions. There is, as I hinted just now, so
wide a margin between understanding and the
act that should result from it that the magnifi-
cent progress made in words is out of propor-
tion to the slow evolution of action. It remains
for our Uruguayan friends, as for their Euro-
pean judges, to surprise the world by a new
history of human society.

Whatever this history may hold in store for
us, I am glad to think that our Latin republics
of South America — and Uruguay amongst the
first — will offer the spectacle of a splendid effort
of high achievement. I will not seek to hide the

URUGUAY AND URUGUAYANS 315

great pleasure it gives me to record the fact, be-
cause, in the first place, the sight of man labour-
ing to raise himself is always suggestive; and,
secondly, because for a critical mind there is no
better complement than the need of hope.

CHAPTER XII

RIO DE JANEIRO

HE Orissa is an old coasting steamer
of the Pacific Line, which calls
at the western ports of South
America, beginning at Callao, and
passing through the Straits of Magellan, pushes
as far as Montevideo, whence Santos and Kio
de Janeiro are reached on the way to South-
ampton, the end of the journey, with a halt at
La Palice. The Orissa is not a rapid boat, but
she is very staunch, and if her internal arrange-
ments, of the oldest description, be not more than
rudimentary, the voyage I made in her was very
agreeable, thanks to the company of the captain,
who I found knew India well. A heavy sea and
a head wind made us a day late — a fair record
in a journey only supposed to cover three days.
The greatest trial on board was the music that
played at mealtimes, when, without any provoca-

316

RIO DE JANEIRO 317

tion, three old salts, of pacific aspect as befitted
servants of their Company, made daily distract-
ing attempts to draw piercing discords from in-
struments which proved a cruel test of the
harmony of our constitutions. One blew wildly
into the little hole of a metal rod which shrieked
in response; the second scraped furious sounds
from his strings; while a piano, built probably
about the time of Columbus, vainly endeavoured
to bring the others into tune. It took an alarm-
ing quantity of ginger and Worcester sauce to
settle the nerve-cells so cruelly exasperated by
the rapid absorption of food in the discordant
tumult of this orchestra. We know the ancients
believed in the soothing influence of divine har-
mony. I wondered whether the Orissa's fife
might not have had something to do with the sar-
aband of the wild waves we encountered. I lay
the doubt before the directors of the Company.

One thing is certain; at dawn, with no music
at all, and (remarkable concidence) with a sea
that had suddenly calmed down, we entered the
Santos River. A long arm of the sea between
low-lying shores ending in a vast bay framed
in high mountains; marshy plains covered with

318 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

a tangle of tropical vegetation, or a low line of
hill buttresses; all that is visible of the land
seems to be sending upwards to the blue sky
its tall shoots of foliage, which testify to the
effect of the vivifying orb on the quivering sap
of the tropics. On all sides, under the swaying
lacework of green leaves, there appeared brightly
painted cabins, which set a note of bold colour
in the sea of verdure.1 Pirogues made from the
hollowed trunks of trees and painted in the
crude tones beloved of savages glide up and
down the transparent waters. Nothing here
that recalls Europe. This is where the curtain
rises on the New World. Shadowy forms, in
strange draperies, pass to and fro before the
little cabins whose colouring gives them a strong
resemblance to children's toys, and then sud-
denly disappear as though swallowed up in the
luminous mystery of all this foliage. The re-
lative proportions of all things are new here.
Nature has broken her usual limit in these

*In Brazil there are none of the half -houses of the
Argentine and Uruguay. The Brazilian eye loves, on
the other hand, bright colours. The houses are therefore
daubed with blue, yellow, and red, which harmonise as
they may with the green background.

RIO DE JANEIRO 319

countries and developed immoderately, leaving
man, by comparison, dwarfed and insignificant.
Too small, he appears in a world too large. But
already he is engaged in taking a revenge, as is
shown by the disappearance of the yellow fever
from the marshes of Santos. We know that no
other town has been more cruelly tried. The
simple fact of drying up the marshes when
the harbour was building sufficed to destroy the
scourge. The low shores of Santos Bay are still
covered with salt marshes where little scarlet
crabs clamber amongst the brushwood, but every
trace of fresh water has disappeared, and we
know that it is only in fresh water that the
dangerous mosquito can live.

The Orissa moored alongside the quay,
amongst the large cargo-boats down whose yawn-
ing holds long lines of porters were flinging
bags of coffee. Each in turn advanced with
alert step along the swinging plank, and as soon
as the man in front of him had deposited his
sack the same movement of the shoulders, re-
peated immediately after by the man behind,
gave an uninterrupted cascade of yellow bags,1

1 A sack contains 60 kilogrammes.

320 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

falling from the docks, where were heaped the
mountains of berries, to the vast bosom of the
ship. You, who, like me, have heard Creole lazi-
ness abused a thousand times, learn that the
" lazy " Brazilian only relaxes this hard labour
for the period strictly necessary for rest; and
not even in the hottest part of the summer,
when the sun is at its fiercest, does he indulge
in so much as a siesta. In Brazil, indeed, the
siesta is unknown. I do not mention the fact
in order to reproach Europeans. My only in-
tention is to do justice to the toilers whose
reputation has suffered at the hands of the
ignorant and foolish.

To return to Santos. We are impelled to-
wards the quay in the first place by a strong
desire to penetrate to the very heart of the mar-
vellous landscape, and scarcely taking the time
to shake the French hands outstretched to us
on the landing-stage, we set out for the beach
of Saint Vincent. Oh, surprise! A French
hotel, all white, and redolent of the modern
watering-place, where there awaits us a table
decorated with orchids. But behold a tramway
that runs to the end of the beach! In these

#70 DE JANEIRO 321

countries to be in a tramcar is to be in the open
air. So we follow the wide curve of silvery
sand, bordered with villas whose gardens are
enchanting with flowers and unexpected plants,
whilst on the rocks of the small wooded islets,
a cable's length from the shore, high waves are
breaking storm ily to melt softly away at our
feet. The first impression is one of vigorous
vegetation. In my first delightful surprise it
seemed this could never be surpassed. We stop
at Saint Vincent, and then return.

According to the legend, it was in the little
Bay of Saint Vincent that Calval with his war-
riors and monks first landed on these shores,
thus discovering Brazil, which it only remained
to conquer and convert. Naturally the event has
been commemorated in stone and bronze. But
Calval himself has reminded us that, if we would
land in time, we must first catch our boat. A
hasty lunch, and we are again on board the
Orissa, which to-morrow at sunrise will enter
the bewitching Bay of Rio. ^

The entry is triumphal in this inland sea en-
circled by high mountains, with bristling sum-
mits like rocks in battle array, but relieved by

322 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

sunny shores, with flowery and mysterious
islands, where the dazzling lights of sky and
sea are blended under the sensuous sunlight in
the clear shade of lofty leafage. At four o'clock
I was already on deck. Haze, a fine rain-
there will be nothing visible at all. Jagged
rocks emerge from the mists, which all at once
conceal them from view. We are moving
through a cloud. Two forts, the Sao Joao and
the Santa Cruz, guard the entrance for the sake
of appearances. In one of the recent revolu-
tions they bombarded each other for a whole
month for the entertainment of the inhabitants
of Kio, who used to come out to the quays of
an afternoon to criticise the firing. At the mo-
ment they are in a spasm of peace. Farther
away, we are shown the soft outline of the
Hinas-Geraes, the redoubtable Dreadnought
which — but we must not anticipate the
story. Then come the hideous steeples of
Gothic sugar-icing which the Emperor Dom
Pedro II. felt himself called to place on the
most ridiculous palace that ever disgraced a
small island. We stop here, for the quays are
not sufficiently extensive for us to draw up along-

RIO DE JANEIRO 323

side. Now we can see the town, with its spots
of bright colour on the misty background of
swelling green hills. We have reached Rio de
Janeiro — the January River — so called by the
first comers from Portugal, who took the bay
for a river as the Spaniards had done for the
La Plata estuary. Perhaps in January — that is,
in the height of the summer — these explorers
had like us the excuse of a fog, for tropical
vegetation is only possible when there are alter-
nations of rain and sunshine such as the climate
of Rio abundantly supplies. It is the rarest of
phenomena to see the horizon perfectly clear.
The distance is invariably wreathed with a light
haze which softens the violence of the colours.
After the fierce sun, a refreshing rain ; after the
shower, the joy of warm light. For the moment
we are enjoying a fog. A bark hails us, the
national flag flying at her bows. She brings a
delegation from the Senate, with their Speaker
at their head, come to offer a brotherly welcome
to their French colleague. Next arrived the
brother of the President of the Republic, who
acts as his chief Secretary, and who was accom-
panied by an officer of the military household

324 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

of the Minister of the Marine. Many compli-
mentary speeches were made as usual, and a
handful of brother journalists followed, having
among them M. Guanabara, editor of the Im-
prensa. What touched me most was the way
in which they all spoke of France and her role
of high civilisation which she plays in the world.
The President of the Senate, M. Bocayuva, whose
son is just now Brazilian charge d'affaires in
Paris, is a Republican of the old school and
unanimously respected by all parties. One real-
ised as one listened to the heartiness with which
he called up a picture of the moral authority of
France that he was in close harmony with the
traditions of the French Revolution. In this
way are we in full communion of mind and
heart with the main currents of thought and
feeling which are carrying the nations of the
world towards the better forms of justice and
liberty. Here in Brazil, too, I shall find once
more my country, as I quickly discovered in the
course of the conversation I had with Sefior
Bocayuva during our drive from the Farou Quay
to the handsome house which the Government has
done me the honour to place at my disposal.

RIO DE JANEIRO 325

The sun had scattered some of the fog by the
time we reached the Avenida Central, a magnifi-
cent highway which would be the pride of any
capital city,1 and as the motor-car sped swiftly
down it or along that equally fine promenade
above the quays jutting into the bay, whose fea-
tures now grew gradually visible, and the gay
villas with their frame of gorgeous foliage, we
got a highly attractive vierw of the town, softly
caressed on one hand by the luminous waters
with their ever-changing horizons, and on the
other, ever threatened by invasion of the
tropical forest, struggling with the eagerness of
the builder, whose efforts are ever hemmed in
by parks and gardens and trees of all sorts that
spring up from the soil at haphazard, evidences
of the irresistible force of life that is here in
Nature. Since the day when the sea brought
man to the country, the struggle for existence has
continued between the encampment of the bud-
ding city and the impenetrable thickets that ever
repelled the invader. On the spurs, the ledges of

.

1 Like Florida in Buenos Ayres, Ouvidor in Old Rio
ill remains, notwithstanding its inadequate dimensions,
the principal business thoroughfare of the town.

326 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

the round green hills, everywhere the painted
cabin has obtained a footing facing the bay,
cutting out for itself with the axe openings
through which may enter the daylight. Below,
the town, which spreads out to the beach, would
appear to be cut up by the farthest buttresses
of the mountain range, and, pending the time
when they will be tunnelled, the Flumineuse 1
will still be obliged to make many a long detour
to reach any given point. But why linger in the
city, except to mention the Municipal Theatre,
which cost far too many millions, and the pleas-
ing Monroe Palace built for the Pan-American
Congress? Even the parks, whose extraordi-
nary trees draw loud exclamations of surprise
from us every minute, cannot compete in inter-
est with the forest. We can never get tired,
however, of the wondrous promenade on the
quays, seven kilometres in length, and presently
to be doubled. Following the graceful lines of
the sea front, with its array of flowers, whence
at every moment we get a new view of the bay,

1 The Flumineuse is the native of Rio. There is no
excuse for people who, knowing that there is no river in
Rio, yet insist on being named after a stream (ftumen)
that is non-existent.

RIO DE JANEIRO 327

we drink in the ineffable light that makes
the sea palpitate and the mountain leap in a
single voluptuous rhythm. In the distance a
Avhite line, Nicterchy, the capital of the State
of Rio (40,000 inhabitants) ; at the entrance of
the bay the tall cone of granite known as the
" sugar-loaf " ; then the green islets, the rocks,
the mountains that melt in the blue gauze of
the horizon, and if you turn round, the high
" Corcovado," hovering over the city, from
whose summit the whole expanse of the bay
will be revealed to us — rapidly changing scenery
whose excess of living quality defies pen or pen-
cil. The infinite variety of the Rio Bay (140
kilometres in extent1) with all its hidden in-
dentations in which lie screened from view so
many richly wooded shores, where new forests
are in process of formation, is beyond all pos-
sibility of description. I have said enough: I
have seen it, and my dazzled eyes will not soon
forget the picture.

My first visit was, of course, to the President

1 The Rio harbour, built by the English for a French
company, represented in 1907 eight millions tonnage en-
tered and cleared.

328 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

of the Republic, who was about to yield his place
to Marshal Hermes da Fonseca, whose visit to
Lisbon, planned in all ignorance, was destined
to coincide with the Portuguese Eevolution. A
warm reception from Seilor Nilo Peganha, who
showed me round his fine park, where royal
palms which are one of the glories of Eio de
Janeiro form a gorgeous avenue down to the
very shores of the bay. The Baron de Bio
Branco (a family ennobled under the Empire),1
Minister of Foreign Affairs since 1902, was at
one time Consul-General in Paris. He knew
many of our public men and received me with
the cordial simplicity of a friend. " The Baron,"
as he is commonly designated, enjoys sovereign
authority in all matters pertaining to the ex-
ternal policy of the country. Friends and foes
unite to leave him a free field in this respect,
and all unite, too, in praise of his remarkable
talents as diplomat. He does not conceal the fact

1 The father of Baron de Rio Branco, Minister under
the Emperor Dom Pedro II., is the author of the Law
of the Venire Libre, which emancipated all slaves to be
born in the future. In remembrance of this measure,
which preceded the abolition of slavery, a statue has been
raised to him in one of the Rio parks.

RIO DE JANEIRO 329

that his sympathies are with France, though his
admiration is reserved for Germany. The Ger-
man Military Mission to Brazil was his idea, but
it came to nothing. Some one in his immediate
entourage told me he considers the German
instructor to be specially capable of instill-
ing into Brazilian troops the sense of military
duty. Too many instances of insubordination —
some very serious — have indeed shown the ur-
gent necessity for such teaching. But can Seiior
de Rio Branco really think it possible to instil
into the mind and manners of a democracy the
doctrine of absolutism in military duty such as
William II. has laid it down in repeated public
utterances? If such absurd stress had not been
laid upon the supposed rivalry between the
States of Saint Paul and Rio de Janeiro, I believe
that Baron de Rio Branco must have admitted
like every one else the merits of our admirable
French Military Mission to Saint Paul, of which I
shall have occasion presently to speak again. If I
may speak freely, I do not consider it diplomatic
for France to leave so- import ant a post as Rio
for more than one year in the hands of a simple
charge d'affaires, no matter how experienced.

J

330 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Whatever happens, two features in the Brazil-
ian character will to my thinking remain pre-
dominant. They are democratic idealism and a
consequent innate taste for French culture.
This was brought powerfully home to me at the
official reception with which I was honoured by
the Senate. This demonstration was carried by
a vote that was almost unanimous, there being
only one against.1 In a public sitting, the
speaker chosen for the occasion seated me on
his right hand and then made in French a noble
speech, in which after the usual compliments he
declared that his country also upheld the glori-
ous traditions of the French Revolution. Then
a senator from the Amazon, Seiior Georges de
Moraes, got up to speak, and, also in French,
delivered an admirable harangue on the role of
French culture in the general evolution of civil-
ised society towards social justice and liberty.
This oratorical effort was frequently interrupted
by the unanimous applause of an audience quick
to grasp the crisp outlines of our splendid dog-
mas of Latin idealism. This magnificent homage
to my great country, coming from the highest

1 The vote of a senator belonging to the Church party.

RIO DE JANEIRO 331

representatives of the noble Brazilian democracy,
itself invariably attuned to the realisation of
humanitarian justice, touched me profoundly,
and I could but say how great was my joy to
hear my nation spoken of with the respect and
gratitude due to the grandeur of its action on
the world. I wished I had at my disposal the
same eloquence to express, in my turn, the deep
gratitude I felt for this movement towards
France, whose history has, by some fate, been
so grievously checkered by many painful con-
flicts. What encouragement there is for us in
this brilliant demonstration of disinterested
cordiality! What hopes for the future may be
founded on this bond of union between peoples
working equally in the cause of democracy, and
towards a great and universal peace based on
the rights of man in all civilised continents! I
endeavoured to make this clear, and the simple
words of brotherly friendliness that sprang to
my lips roused unanimous applause from the
benches of the august assembly. I wish I could
have done better. I trust my good intentions
will speak for me. Never did I feel so strongly
the influence of the loftiness of human nobility

332 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

and its power to raise our minds to the highest
aspirations after justice and liberty. Before
bringing the sitting to an end the President
called for three cheers for France, for President
Fallieres, and for the guest of the Senate. And
all the assembly on their feet, with the gravity
of suppressed emotion, gave three times the cry
of " Vive la France! " amid the applause of the
spectators.

I am sorry to say I cannot speak of Brazil
in the way I should like. I was there only three
weeks, just long enough to recognise how great
an interest is attached to all the developments
of this marvellous land in the different depart-
ments of human intellectual and physical ac-
tivity, but far too short a time to warrant any
opinion of the prominent men I met there, or
on the multiple questions which are raised by
the political and social progress of this demo-
cracy. I was able to converse with only a few
politicians, and in my anxiety to see everything,
I touched on too many subjects in too brief a
space to have succeeded in assimilating the very
complex impressions which might have enabled
me to speak with some degree of authority. I

RIO DE JANEIRO 333

can therefore only offer to the public a few rapid
impressions for which I claim only the merit
of sincerity.

When I said that the ancestor of my friend
Senor Acines de Mello had given a performance
of Voltaire's tragedies in his home, 1400 kilo-
metres from the coast, in 1780, it sufficed to
show that neither general civilisation nor French
culture is a new thing in Brazil. The Republic
of Brazil is an " ancient " Latin community
which can show titles of intellectual nobility
and lofty social ambitions. Its economic de-
velopment, if less sudden in origin than that
of the Argentine, is none the less remarkable
in all respects and holds out no less hopes for
the future. Coffge, india-rubber, timber,

cotton, rice, and mines are^arSourceTof wealth
that the future will reveal. There are immense
stretches of country that are and must long
remain unexplored. The effort of a fine race
has too long been held in check by slavery, but
its incessant activity has already produced as-
tonishing results. For numerous reasons, one
of the principal being the domination of theo-
cracy, neither Spain nor Portugal has up to the

334 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

present been able to give in modern Europe the
full measure of their force. In South America
they are making ready a magnificent revenge,
which, however, will not, I hope, prevent their
taking and keeping in Europe the position that
is their due. If I may venture to make a hasty
judgment from what I was able to see, the dis-
tinctive traits in this people would appear to be
an irresistible force of impetuosity in an invari-
ably gracious guise, and every talent necessary
to insure the fulfilment of their destiny. I have
spoken of the crossing of the race in the Argen-
tine, where the black element has been re-ab-
sorbed. It is not the same in Brazil, where at
every step one comes across the African half-
breed amongst the masses. The Portuguese
woman and the negro seem to get on well to-
gether, as is evidenced by the innumerable
young half-breeds to be seen in their serene
bronze nudity at the doors of the cabins. It
is difficult to estimate the general results of this
mixture. The negro has the reputation of be-
ing idle, childlike, and kind except in his out-
bursts of rage. As I have said before, the vice
>f laziness cannot be imputed to the I&razilian.

RIO DE JANEIRO 335

It may be that African blood is partly respon-
sible for the demonstrations of emotional im-
pressionability and unexpected violence that
sometimes take hold of the populace. I dare
not carry this argument too far. Yet, to my
mind, the mutiny of the crews of the Saint Paul
and Hinas-Geraes, as of the troops of marines
in barracks in the island of Las Cobras, was
largely due to the excitable African blood. The
" governing classes " seem untouched by this in-
fusion of blood. But for some reason or other,
their virtues and their defects seem remarkably
well adapted to the corresponding characteristics
of the masses. Idealists with a cult for intel-
lectuality, equally ready for higher culture as
for the hard labour without which nothing is
ever achieved, gentle and violent by turns, or
even simultaneously — the variable sons of this
soil, less disunited, however, than one might sup-
pose, may invoke in their favour with a just
pride a work already grandiose though but a
feeble embryo by comparison with what it must
in time become.

In every department of modern activity Brazil
need have no fear of the criticism of Europe, for

336 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

she possesses men comparable with any of our
chiefs of industry. Even a short visit suffices
to show that there is no lack of either intellectual
quality or business method. But the field is so
vast that it would need innumerable legions to
fully occupy it. Considered in this light, every
effort appears totally inadequate in comparison
with its immense possibilities. Admirable la-
bourers they are. none the less, hard at work,
in their modesty and perseverance, with no wish
to spare themselves, and asking nothing from
the struggle with inanimate Nature but ground
for fresh hope. Does this imply that in certain
directions of public action there is no wavering
visible? How happy would modern society be
if this could be said only of Brazil ! Politicians
are never in very high favour with the intel-
lectuals of a country. I will say nothing against
either the one or the other. The celebrated re-
tort : " ' Nothing ' is a wide field : reign there ! "
may with some slight modification be applied
to the most gifted of men when they persist in
riding the eternal hobby of the ideal heedless of
earthly conditions. Some of the problems with
which humanity has wrestled for centuries have

RIO BE JANEIRO 337

been solved by a single illuminating word uttered
in calm authority by men who would not have
shone in, roles that call for a gradual develop-
ment of character. Politicians, on the other
hand, whatever their shortcomings — and I
must acknowledge that, in a moment of trial,
they are frequently disappointing — have yet this
merit, that they play the labourer's part. They
have to handle every kind of problem, not to
find a graceful solution that will delight the
intellectuals, but to extract therefrom certain
conditions of private and public life which ac-
cording to events may make the fortune or
misfortune of the public. It may be that in
Brazil they are too much attached to the higher
culture always to give sufficient consideration
to the common necessities of our daily life. It
may be that they are too intrinsically Latin al-
ways to be able to resist the temptation of rush-
ing events. These defects, if they really exist,
are being cured. The politicians with whom I
had an opportunity of exchanging views, both at
Saint Paul and at Rio de Janeiro, would bear
comparison, whether as regards culture or sys-
tematic firmness in action, with any in the

338 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

world. An aristocracy had grown up around
the person of the Emperor, the last remnants
of which are now being fast submerged in the
current of democracy. I shall mention no
names, for I do not want these hasty notes to
bear the smallest resemblance to a distribution
of prizes. Let me only mention one case — a very
rare one in Latin nations — of a leader who is
universally obeyed. I have no doubt that Senor
Pinhero Machado possesses all the qualities of
a leader deft in handling men, but it is less his
talents that astonish me than his self-abnegation,
Avhich has brought into line so many politicians
of Latin temperament.

The more momentous political questions of the
day relate to organisation, there being no room
foirany serious attacks on principles that have
been proclaimed and incorporated in the Con-
stitution of the Republic. It is in practice that
difficulties are apt to occur. The Empire showed
a marked tendency towards centralisation.1 The
Republic, being, like the United States, a federa-
tion of States, is based on the theory ,oj_pure

1 The Emperor Dom Pedro II. is kindly remembered.
Every one speaks of him with respectful sympathy.

RIO DE JANEIRO 339

autonomy. But if the autonomy of these States
is to be more than a vain word, some way must
be found of constituting in each province of a
territory which is eighteen times as large as
France, and contains twenty millions of inhabi-
tants unequally scattered over it, a sufficient
force of intelligent determination to create a
select governing body which will express the
intellectual and moral capacity in the masses;
otherwise democracy becomes only tyranny dis-
guised. In some States, notably in that of Saint
Paul, there is obviously a superabundance of
energy. In others there is not enough. Time
and community of effort can alone remedy
this condition of affairs. Meantime, the bal-
ance is destroyed, and the Constitution en-
joys principally a theoretic authority. It
is inevitable that the result should be some
confusion in Press 1 and Parliament, although
the strife is rather one of dogma than of

1 The Rio press is not so fully equipped for news items
as the European or American papers, but it is literary
in tone and occupies a worthy place in the Corporation.
The largest circulation is claimed by El Commercio. The
Imprenso, whose editor is Alcindo Guanabara, Member
of the Brazilian Academy and deputy, is, with El Pais, one
of the most important party sheets.

340 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

action, and lies principally between Federals
and Unionists.

Religious questions are practically outside the
public domain. The separation of Church and
State in Brazil goes with a papal nuncio, by
means of whom South American innocence sup-
poses the fact adds a distinction which should
dazzle the outer world. I fancied that some of
the public men viewed the activity of the reli-
gious Orders with apprehension, but I will say
J nothing further on the point.

Laws for the protection of agricultural and
industrial workers are here unknown. The Bra-
zilian Republic will want to place itself on an
equality with other civilised countries on this
head as soon as possible, for already a number
of colonists in lands where the administration
has shown itself slow to take action have pro-
tested so loudly against the grave abuses that
result that some Latin countries have been
obliged to forbid emigration to Brazil. Take
heed lest the States invoke their sovereign rights,
which would be tantamount to declaring the cen-
tral authority void. This throws light on the ob-
stacle which now confronts progress on these

RIO DE JANEIRO 341

vital questions — namely, the lack of an adequate
Constitution in some of the States for the work
of self-government, and of balance between those
which have already a highly perfected civilisa-
tion and the districts theoretically on a footing
of equality, but whose black or Indian popula-
tion can only permit of a nominal democracy
stained by those irresponsible outbursts which
characterise primitive humanity.

As might be expected, the same remarks could
apply to public instruction. There is in certain
StategH^as^ for instance, Saint Paul — a magnifi-
cent groupof schools^ which respond to the gen-
eral consciousness of a pressing need for the
spread of higher education ; in other parts there
is a lamentable deficiency.1

It was, moreover, inevitable that the Federal

1 We must do justice to the effort made by the Brazilian
Government to extend education. According to an article
in their Constitution, the " unlettered cannot vote," but I
will not swear that the rule is severely applied. In each
State the primary schools are supported by the muni-
cipalities and States themselves, as are also the training
colleges. There are too many calls on the strength of
the youth of a new country for secondary education to
be very enthusiastically welcomed. On the other hand,
the different institutions of higher education attract the
rising talent of the land.

342 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Government itself should suffer from the unequal
distribution of its military effectives. The State
of Saint Paul is justly proud of an armed force
which it owes to French instructors. I need not
criticise the Federal army, which is officered by
men of fine public spirit; but all agree that the
force needs reorganising. There is no question,
of course, of preparing for war; but the public
interest requires that a military force should
be at the disposal of the Government, capable of
enforcing obedience to the laws. To me it seems
more urgent than the acquisition of Dread-
noughts, which swallowed up millions of money
and gave nothing but mutiny in return. Naval
discipline necessarily suffered by the amnesty
imposed by men who had just massacred their
officers. As we know, this deplorable incident
was followed by a mutiny amongst the marines
stationed in the island of Las Cobras, which,
however, for once, was severely put down. I
inspected this body of troops at the manoeuvres
arranged for my visit. The young officers gave
me an excellent impression, and the barracks
certainly left nothing to be desired; but there
were far too many coloured men in the ranks.

RIO DE JANEIRO 343

Who can tell the effect produced on these im-
pulsive natures by the capitulation of the public
governing body before a military rebellion ? The
rebels cruelly expiated the faults of others by
adding thereto their own.

As regards municipal administration, the
greatest services have been rendered to the city
by the Prefect, who interests himself especially
in his schools amongst a long list of other duties.
But the man who deserves the most from his
country is Dr. Oswaldo jCrug^ who has devoted
himself to the improvement of the sanitary con-
dition of the city and has instituted a service
of sanitary police stationed at every point of
contamination, and who, by dint of unwearying
labour, has freed Rio of yellow fever. The Gov-
ernment has lent him generous pecuniary assist-
ance in his work, but what is money without
the man's perseverance and zeal? As we know,
the disease is propagated by the sting of the
female mosquito (the Stegomya calopus) just
before the egg-laying season. In 1903 Dr. Os-
waldo Cruz, having obtained from Congress all
the necessary powers, began his fight with the
fearful scourge. A body of sanitary police,

344 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

organised by himself, was charged with the mis-
sion of getting rid of all stagnant water in the
streets, houses, courtyards, gardens, roofs, gut-
ters, and sewers, and from all other spots where
the larvae of the stegomya could exist. In this
he found material assistance in the scheme of
public improvements then being carried out in
the city — the building of the quays,1 the drainage
of marshy land, destruction of insanitary houses,
cutting of new avenues, etc. In the course of
the first year of these sanitary works there were
550 deaths from yellow fever; in the following
year the number fell to forty-eight, and for the
last three years not a single case has been
recorded. Needless to say, the sanitary police
brigade are continuing their duties, and in all
parts of the city and in all the houses every
trace of standing water is swept away. This
constitutes a never-ending tyranny; but the re-
sult is the complete purification of a city which
was once a den of pestilence, and is now one
of the loveliest ornaments of the planet !

1 At Santos, one of the most severely tried, yellow fever
was entirely stamped out by the building of the quays,
which drained off the marshes.

RIO DE JANEIRO 345

Dr. Oswaldo Cruz was making ready to go
to the Amazon, which is in a specially whole-
some condition; he had already fulfilled a mis-
sion there last year. He will now complete the
task of general sanitation already started, for
which the Congress has furnished the necessary
funds. This, perhaps, is the most important part
of his project, for it will throw open an immense
region of unlimited productiveness to every sort
of civilised activity.

Such a work would suffice to the glory of any
one life, but Dr. Oswaldo Cruz is one of those
men who are capable of continuing indefinitely
their labours. The ex-pupil of the Pasteur In-
stitute was anxious to endow his country with
a similiar school of therapeutics and prophylaxy.
In a picturesque loop of the bay there stood a
small building which was used by the engineer
of the prefecture in the burning of rubbish. Dr.
Oswaldo Cruz has transformed it into the In-
stitut Manguinhos (Institute of Experimental
Medicine), with the special mission to study in-
fectious and parasitic diseases in men and ani-
mals, as well as hygiene, and to prepare the
different serums which modern therapeutics has

346 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

adopted. It was hardly necessary, perhaps, to
add all the fioritura of Moorish architecture to
a building intended for studies that call for no
flourish of trumpets; still, there is something
about these fanciful lines which harmonises
agreeably enough with the natural arabesques
of the prodigal learage. The institute aims at
supreme perfection, and supplies having been fur-
nished without stint, the results place it beyond
comparison. Vast laboratories, comfortable
studies, fitted up with all the latest appliances;
operating-rooms for animals, with the most com-
plete surgical outfits, disinfecting-rooms, vacuum
machinery; lifts everywhere, gas, electricity,
pipes for water and for compressed air; library
and magazine-room, with all foreign periodicals
properly classified; separate buildings for the
study of infectious diseases and the preparation
of the corresponding serum. Each building has
its own stable, so constructed as to be readily
sterilised, with boxes permitting a close watch
over the animal as well as feeding him without
opening the door; and its own hall for experi-
ments and laboratory, a furnace to destroy all
refuse, electric generating engines, etc.

RIO DE JANEIRO 347

A group of young Brazilian savants were at
work under the guidance of Dr. Oswaldo Cruz
and two German bacteriologists. One of them,
Dr. Chagas, a Brazilian, is well known in the
world of science for his studies in bacteriology
and parasitology. There is an immense field
open, for tropical diseases are still uncharted,
whilst in the field of marasitic diseases of men
and animals there is fully as much to learn.

The Memoir es de I'lnstitut de Manguinhos are
published in Portuguese and in German. I was
struck by the effort that the Germans are making
to draw towards themselves the medical corps
of the country. The heads of the laboratories
and their assistants had all been brought from
Germany, and their scientific method had been
cordially accepted. At the Berlin Exhibition a
first prize had justly been awarded to the Man-
guinhos Institute. Of late years two French
savants, MM. Marchoux and Salimboni, of the
Pasteur Institute, have been charged by the
Brazilian Government with a mission to study
yellow fever. To-day two of our army veter-
inaries are investigating the morve at Rio.

But it is time to leave the abode of the Mos-

348 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

quito Killer (mata mosquitos), as Dr. Cruz is
nicknamed. The sun is mounting above the
horizon. In the enchanting light of the bay
there are now revealed to our gaze the serrated
outlines of the soft shores where the intensely
profuse vegetation runs riot, the glowing masses
of bare rock which rise high above the water
to meet the sun against the filmy background
of the distant mountains, and, lastly, the islands
with their rippling masses of rich verdure, which
spring skywards like an offering from the sea.

Impossible to pass the Island Viana by in
silence. On the neighbouring island Senor

L , the descendant of a French family, has

set up his dockyards for naval construction,
which he took us to see with a modesty that
was not without a point of legitimate pride. I
shall not describe what is well known. There
was a surprise in store for us, however, in the
form of a colony of Japanese labourers working
in wood and metal, and learning in this distant
land a trade to be practised later in their own.
Most diligent of workmen, remarkable by their
gravity and steady application. Amongst them,
tool in hand, one of those small boys whose

RIO DE JANEIRO 349

oblique eyes we have learned to know by heart
through the picture-albums of Nippon; dumb,
motionless, the whole of his mind concentrated
with intense force on the work in hand, this
child of some ten years is taking a demonstra-
tion lesson in technical work that, as you see
by his attitude, he is determined to profit by. I
would rather have seen these little chaps play-
ing at ball. I seem to see them as they show
themselves to us, gathering up all their powers,
even at the threshold of life, in order to take
possession of the future. I was told that in the
evening schools they accomplish wonders.

The day's work ended, Seiior L— - crossed
a short arm of the sea and landed in his own
island of Viana, where he has laid out a large
park which at the same time satisfies his love
of the beautiful and of comfort. Each member
of the family has a house to him- or herself—
and what a house! — English, or perhaps Ameri-
can in style, with the finest supply of light and
air provided by great bay windows opening upon
that immense expanse of sea framed in be-
flowered shores and broken by high blue peaks
which lose themselves in the sky. Kitchen-

350 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

gardens, flowery meadows, lawns, groves, woods
—there is nothing wanting, and each in turn is
planted in the best possible way to take advan-
tage of the splendours of the views. And to
make Viana a world in itself, all the loveliest
birds of Brazil are to be found in this earthly
paradise; and the supreme magnificence of the
Brazilian types of winged and feathered crea-
tures repays in beauty what man's munificent
generosity daily distributes. Here within reach
of my hand a large yellow bird is pouring out
its mad and merry song, while two toucans, with
their exaggerated beaks, light up with gold and
clear sapphire hues the sober green of the thicket.
I pretend to try to catch them ; they barely feign
a retreat Eden before the Fall! I congratu-
late Senor L on the artistic way in which

he spends the money he succeeded in making in
business — two talents that are seldom found
together.

" It is all very well," he murmured in reply,
" but you see what happens. My wife prefers
Paris, and my children, who might have found
here, at twenty minutes' run from Rio, a worthy
occupation for their time, have elected to try

RIO DE JANEIRO 351

their fate in the unknown. My eldest son is in
New York. Ha parole! I believe he sells seltzer-
water there, or something of the sort. What do
you think of that? "

I said nothing. But I thought to myself that
in the pursuit of happiness not even the most
favoured escape some setbacks.

CHAPTER XIII

• i

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY

HAVE already jotted down a few
characteristics that struck me in
the people of Brazil, and these
will form a sort of prelude to
what I am now about to say. For a traveller
who claims to convey only first-hand informa-
tion, the difficulty, of course, is to make any
definite statements when aware that his obser-
vations were all too hasty and brief to warrant
generalities,

Brazilian society is very different from that
of the Argentine, its elements being more dis-
tinct and more complex, while equally Euro-
pean in trend, and with the same immutably
American base; the strain of French culture is
more attenuated, the impulsive temperament
more apparent, but for steady perseverance and
capacity for hard work the Brazilians cannot be

352

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 353

surpassed. In criticising the social conditions
in Brazil, it must be borne in mind that the
abolition of slavery dates only twenty years
back. I do not think the slave-owner was sys-
tematically cruel, but slavery does not precisely
rest on any inducement to kindliness. Certain
buildings that I came across and the explanation
of their use that was given to me showed plainly
enough, what we already knew, that the blacks
were treated like cattle, with just as much con-
sideration as was dictated by self-interest. Since
man is almost as humane as he is cruel, no
doubt the masters had their benevolent moments,
but the institution was, nevertheless, fully as
demoralising for owners as owned. The blacks
multiplied, however,1 and if the abolition of
slavery was not accompanied here as in the
United States by acts of violence, the reason is
that, to the everlasting honour of the white man,
the institution had been universally condemned
before emancipation was proclaimed.

It has been said that in Brazil slavery was

1 It was the custom in many plantations to free any
negress who bore six children. The master in such cases
had done a good piece of business.
23

354 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

buried beneath flowers. The fact is it had be-
come practically impossible when its disappear-
ance was publicly and officially acknowledged.
And as, happily, there was no race hatred
between whites and blacks, these two elements
of the population were able to continue to live
peaceably side by side in a necessary collabora-
tion. They went farther than this, as a matter
of fact, and the races mixed with a freedom
that I noticed everywhere. From the point of
view of social concord, this is cause for rejoicing,
while it must be left to time to correct any
lowering of the intellectual standard. Every
one knows that the principal feature of a slave-
owning community is the absence of a middle
class whose mission it must be to hold the bal-
ance in an oligarchy and prepare the way for
the emancipation of the oppressed.

When the principle of democracy was pro-
claimed by the " big whites " of Brazil, they
could rely for support only on the leading in-
tellectuals of sound general education, and on
the inorganic masses of the population formed
or deformed morally by slavery, and its attend-
ant evils, with an incoherent admixture supplied

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 355

by immigration. This, necessarily, was the
situation that had to be faced on the morrow
of the decree of emancipation. By degrees this
state of affairs has been and is still being im-
proved. The substratum of the community re-
mains, however, such as I have shown it. I am
aware, of course, that in this immense territory
there are vast districts of varying soil and
climate where Indians and blacks are very un-
equally divided. For the purposes of this brief
summary, I am naturally only taking into ac-
count representative centres of population. In
some parts the negroes have deserted the planta-
tions for the towns to which they were attracted
by the opportunities for employment, and their
place has been taken by Italian colonies who
have established themselves as small farmers.
Elsewhere the ex-slaves remained in their cabins
and continued their accustomed tasks with more
or less zeal, content if thus enabled to live as
they liked. They appear to work and live in
perfect harmony with—tlieir former owners.

As regards the social elite, it is less easy to
pick out its general features here than it is in
the Argentine, where on every hand there are

356 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

visible points of comparison with Europe. We
are constantly obliged to revert to our starting-
point, which is a feudal oligarchy, the centre of
culture and refinement, which by a voluntary
act is in process of formation into a single heter-
ogeneous mass without any jarring of racial
relations. For a long time the Empire preserved
a nucleus of aristocracy of which only a vestige
remains to-day. There might now be a danger
of submersion beneath an inferior intellectual
element which lacks the powerful bias towards
higher education peculiar to the Brazilian mind.
It is necessarily this element which will prove
the salvation of the country. It is on his plan-
tation (f azenda), in the centre of his influence,
that we must seek the planter (fazendero). Of
a highly refined theoretical feudalism, deeply
imbued with European ways of thinking, and
with the generous social standards that dis-
tinguished, at one time, our own eighteenth-
century aristocracy, sublimely unconscious — and
destined probably to remain so — of the first
spasmodic movements of forces whose evolution
towards a new order implies confusion at the
outset, he is infinitely superior to the generality

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 357

of his kind in Europe, who are either the pro-
duct of tradition or the outcome of democratic
circumstance. He leads the broad and simple
life of the large landowner in a land whose soil
offers every inducement to try fresh experiments.
Everywhere within you will notice evidences of
his search for the Beautiful and his thirst for
knowledge. And everywhere without you will
see the convincing proofs of his endless activity.
In Paris one of these influential men may pass
unnoticed, so little does he resemble his proto-
type as invented by satirists, with his modesty
of speech and simplicity of bearing. He would,
however, repay a closer study, and when he
comes among us to obtain fresh force for his
strenuous task, I should like to see some of our
young men seize the opportunity to improve
themselves by paying him a visit.

All these social forces have a natural tendency
to form themselves into groups. But the Brazil-
ian planter, like other feudal survivals in Europe,
is exposed to the attack of every modern com-
mercial and industrial force that is tempted to
wield some sort of social authority. This is
now the base of all communities — in Rio, in

358 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Saint Paul, or in any other city of the world.
A reception on extremely Parisian lines given
by Senator Azeredo, assisted by Senora Azeredo,
proved once again how strong is the likeness be-
tween circles that believe themselves to be utterly
different. A single telegram suffices to give uni-
formity to the toilettes of all the women in the
world, and if those to be seen in Senora Azeredo's
salons were less extravagant than some Parisian
examples, Rio struck me as being quite as eager
as Paris in its pursuit of beauty's adornments.
Shall I mention that Brazilian women have large
black eyes, which seem to ask a thousand ques-
tions, usually pale complexions, sometimes of a
golden bronze tint, that they are vivacious in
speech and take a delight in conversational
tourneys?

Senores Pinhero Machada and Guanabara
were kind enough to give me an invitation that
enabled me to see a little more of some of their
politicians. Senor Pinhero Machada has a house
that is built among the palm-trees on a height
that commands the whole of the bay. I con-
fess that in this enchanting place I was more
tempted to open my eyes than my ears; still, in

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 359

spite of the counter-attractions of the lovely
landscape, I managed to study the mysteries of
Brazilian politics a little more closely, and, as
I had begun to do at Sefior Guanabara's, to
realise that reasons for union are and will re-
main predominant providing that the question
of personalities does not obtrude.

How shall I fail to speak of the ball given
in commemoration of the Independence of Chile,
where I had the pleasure of meeting the flower
of Rio society together with the representatives
of all the foreign Powers? I should only give
it a passing mention were it not that the Presi-
dent of the Republic, who opened the ball in
person, had conceived the idea of inviting me
to form one of the official quadrille, with the
thought, of course, of paying a compliment to
my country. When the excellent Prefect of Rio
announced this decree of public authority, I be-
lieved a catastrophe was imminent, and did not
hesitate to impart my fears to his charming wife,
who declared herself ready to go under fire by
my side. The worst of it was that I had before
me the mocking eyes of the papal nuncio with
whom I had just shaken hands, and I could see

360 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

that lie was far from wishing me success in the
perilous career on which I was about to embark.
Timidly, I broke it to my partner that it was
over fifty years since I had danced a quadrille,
and she returned my confidence by acknowledg-
ing that her education as regards the art of
dancing had been totally neglected. The great
fat man in scarlet, whose ring was large enough
to boil an egg in, found our predicament vastly
amusing. I saw myself about to become the
scandal of Christianity. Uniting our ignorance,
my partner and I took up our positions and
arranged to imitate to the best of our ability the
movement that might be suggested by the music
to the youthful couple that formed our vis-a-vis.
Thereupon, the orchestra, a piano and some other
instrument, began to play, and we saw that the
charming young couple on whom we relied were
obviously waiting for us to set the example.
What was to be done? I looked at my neigh-
bours. They could not agree. One advanced,
the other retired. The President of the Republic
tried to encourage the rest of us by getting him-
self into hopeless muddles. I soon saw that all
we needed to do was to tread on the toes of

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 361

our neighbours and then bow our apologies, to
begin again immediately the same manoeuvre.
Tbis I accomplished, to the great disappoint-
ment of the scarlet man, who was obliged to
give a wry smile at the spectacle of the grace
I managed to display in the service of my
country.

I should have liked to see the theatres. Time
was lacking. I saw only a performance of The
Daughter of the Regiment, given in Italian at
the Lyric Theatre, formerly the principal play-
house of Rio under the Empire. The Imperial
box was placed at my disposal and proved to
be a veritable apartment, furnished in the style
of Louis Philippe. I was told it had been kept
unchanged.

The Municipal Theatre, practically a copy of
our own opera^house^is one of the finest build-
ings in the Brazilian capital, its only fault be-
ing that it swallowed up too many of the public
millions. On the ground floor there is a very
luxurious restaurant containing a faithful copy
in glazed bricks of the frieze The Immortals,
brought by M. and Mme. Dieulafoy from Suez
and now in the Louvre. Here the French colony

362 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

gave a dinner in my honour. A certain num-
ber of statesmen accepted the invitation of my
compatriots, and thus I had the great pleasure
of assuring myself by my own ears of the friendly
relations that exist between French and Brazil-
ians. At one time we had a very important
colony in Bio. For reasons that are not too
clear to me, it has dwindled away of late. I
found, however, at the reception held by the
French Chamber of Commerce that if lacking in
quantity, the quality of these French represen-
tatives left nothing to be desired. The natural
affinity between the two peoples is so obvious that
the multiple attractions of this great and beauti-
ful country are for French people enhanced by
the joy of a genuine communion of thought and
feeling which links their hopes and aims. To
my intense satisfaction, I had a proof of this
at my first contact with the public of Rio, and
the same experience was pleasantly renewed
later at Saint Paul; I found that I could speak
with the utmost freedom as a Frenchman to
Frenchmen, for there was not the smallest sug-
gestion of a foreign element in the mind of my
audience to remind me to adapt myself to new

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 363

susceptibilities. I know not how adequately to
thank my audiences for what in French eyes
appeared the supreme gift of a spontaneous
manifestation of French mentality. The Acad-
emy of Medicine_were good enough to invite
me to pay them a visit, and I will freely con-
fess that a consciousness of my unworthiness
made me hesitate to face this learned assembly.
On this point they reassured me by declaring
that the meeting would be merely in honour
of French culture. I went accordingly, and
scarcely had we exchanged our first greetings
when I already felt myself at home in a French
atmosphere. Medical science being out of the
question, the delicate fare offered to me was
some reflections on the general philosophy of
science, as developed by the magnificent intel-
lectual labour of France, and on the powerful
lead given to the activities of civilisation by our
country. Could anything be more encouraging
than this disinterested acceptance of the testi-
mony of history, considering how many there be
who would exalt themselves at the expense of
France?

A very different atmosphere awaited me at the

364 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

Bangu factories, where are admirable spinning
and weaving mills; here the raw Brazilian cot-
ton is transformed into those printed stuffs of
vivid colourings in which the working classes
love to drape themselves and thus supply a feast
for our eyes. Here there were fewer abstract
terms employed to declare the esteem so freely
accorded to France. But here, as in other parts
of the great Republic, I found the few brief
words uttered in private encounters still more
convincing than the noisier demonstrations.
Wherever the work of social evolution is being
carried on, wherever there is seen a fine promise
for the future, their it is a joy for the French
to find the name of their country associated with
the forward movement. The splendid industrial
development of Bangu among many other similar
centres shows what is being done in Brazil in
this direction. I have seen nothing more strik-
ing in Europe. The Brazilians possess in an
equal degree with the Argentinos the capacity
of bringing to the highest possible perfection
any work to which they set their hand.

I have already said that in Brazil our laws
for the protection of industrial and agricultural

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 365

labourers are unknown. Not but what politi-
cians have studied the matter. But in the im-
perfectly centralised organisation of all these
floating authorities, it is difficult to see how such
laws, if voted, could be effectually applied. All
the more credit is therefore due to the large
employers of Brazilian labour who have done
their best to improve the material condition of
their hands without waiting to be compelled to
do so. The working population of Bangu is
scattered about the country in chalets that ap-
pear to be admirably hygienic, and all wear the
aspect of the finest of physical and moral well-
being. A large building has been provided for
meetings of all kinds and a theatre in which
the hands may amuse themselves with theatricals
and concerts. It is unnecessary to state that we
were received to the strains of the Marseillaise
and that the French Republic was vigorously
cheered. I do not go so far as to say that there
were no dark sides here or elsewhere to the
picture. I have not concealed the fact that im-
migrants complain loudly of the want of super-
vision from which they suffer in some regions.
It seems fair to infer from what has already

J

366 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

been accomplished that more is being attempted.
It is naturally the farmer on the fazendas who
receives the most attention because he is the
deep and almost inexhaustible source of the
national wealth.

It would appear that there are no limits to
the productiveness of this soil, whose fertility
has been developed and renewed during so many
centuries by the combined action of sun and
rain. Side by side with the barbarism of slavery
there has been a barbarous system applied to
the land, which has resulted in its impoverish-
ment. Now the relation between production
and fertilisation has come prominently forward.
There is still, however, much virgin land that
awaits the farmer. The real problem of a
rational system of agriculture to be applied in
Brazil will be left for a future generation.
Meantime, their finest forests are burning and
filling the horizon with smoke. This represents
what the Brazilians call " clearing " the land.
But the Brazilian forests deserve a volume, not
a paragraph, or chapter — and its writer should
be both learned and a poet. I did not visit the
fairylike regions of the Amazon, but however

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 367

amazing they may be, I think they could scarcely
surpass the powerful impression made on me by
the forests of Saint Paul. There is a limit to
our nervous receptivity, beyond which point we
become insensible to sensation. We in Europe
have dwelt amid a beautiful harmony of
the forces of Nature which have moulded all
our impressions in a certain form of beauty;
to find fault with them would be sacrilege, since
the highest inspirations of art have been drawn
from this source. Thus, consciously or not, we
have lived in an equilibrium of pleasing emo-
tions, that imposes on us certain limitations of
sensation to be derived from the spectacle that
Nature provides. Therefore, when we are sud-
denly confronted with an unknown Nature,
whose power and vigour shatter all our precon-
ceived notions, and alter the whole focus of our
organs, the only possible effect at first is one
of complete bewilderment. We must take time
to get used to this new order of sensations
before we expose ourselves to another and get
back again to the standpoint of a corresponding
sense of aesthetics. I had to endure several
headaches before I could rise to the level of

368 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

the genius of Berlioz or Wagner. What if we
compared our own landscape with the music of
Gluck or Mozart? Then you may grasp the
Wagnerian fury of the virgin forests which pro-
duce a stupefaction that leaves you incapable
of analysis and a prey to a tumult of superla-
tives. And all this happens simply because we
have been exposed to the shock of a higher mani-
festation of the terrestrial forces of the world.

The Botanical Gardens of Rio are famous the
world over. The astounding forms of foliage,
the bold growth of ancient tree and young shoot,
the inimitably dense profusion of every form
of vegetable life, recalling what must have been
the earliest stage of the life of our planet, re-
duced me to a state of speechless surprise. I
promised myself a second visit to its marvels,
but never accomplished this, for spectacles of
even greater magic detained me elsewhere.

" Bon Vista," the Emperor's country house in
a suburb of Rio, is surrounded by a fine park
which is going to be turned into a public garden.
The Flumineuses make frequent pilgrimages
thither, with their families, to spend a day in
the shade of its trees during the hot season.

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 369

But, to tell the truth, while they in this way
enjoy Europeanising themselves in artificially
made gardens, I took a delight in drinking in
the Americanisation that awaits you in the out-
posts of the young Corcovado forest, which
seems to be advancing to the attack of urban
civilisation and pursues man even in the very
streets of Rio.

This urban forest is one of the charms of the
Brazilian capital. It clasps the city in its
powerful embrace and seems determined to drive
back the population into the sea, whence it
sprang, creeping insidiously into every open
space, blending with the avenues, spreading over
squares and parks, and everywhere declaring the
triumph and victory of the first force of Nature
over the belated but redoubtable energy of hu-
manity. Trees, creepers, ferns, shrubs — all these
forms seem to be mounting to the heights that
crown the bay in order to draw from the sun-
shine a renewal of their vigour. The high peak
of the Corcovado (over 2000 feet) that broods
over the city, looms large on the horizon, and one
can readily believe that the first thought of the
invader was to climb that height and survey
24

370 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

the marvellous panorama before him. Unlike
the Galilean, he needed no tempter to sow in his
mind the desire of possession. But, alas! the
task of appropriation is not accomplished with-
out encountering some obstacles, and the
would-be mountain climber is forced to con-
centrate his attention on one spot of the planet
that holds him in the grip of an irresistible
attraction. A funicular railway performs this
office for him; and with no more trouble than
that of letting yourself be drawn up under the
branches, you suddenly emerge on a height
whence you get a magic vision of Kio, with her
bay, her islets, and a mass of mountains heaped
one upon the other, until they are finally swal-
lowed up in the sea. A new world is here re-
vealed to your gaze — a world in which the whole
miracle of the earth's multiple aspects is epito-
mised, where the eternal play of light and shade
constitutes an ever-changing picture that creates
a world-drama in inanimate Nature. Are you
surprised to meet some Parisians up here? No,
not much. The first result of our industrial
equipment is to dimmish the proportions of the
globe. It is easier to-day to go from one con-

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 371

tinent to another thanjt used to be to go from
one village to the next. I am personally glad
of this, for nothing could be better for us French
people than to travel in foreign countries, since
in this way we get a. standard of comparison
that we badly need.

Coming down from the Corcovado, you must
stop at " Silvestre," whence a shady path cut
in the mountainside will bring you back to the
city, through a wilderness of wood where a pro-
fusion of parasitic growth covers the boughs,
tying them up in a mad confusion of tendrils.

Next after the Corcovado the Tijuca will
attract you, and, like the former, it ends in
wondrous points of view. In this case the
pleasure is in getting there. You pass now
through lines of tall bamboos, whose light foliage
meets overhead; now you follow the course of
a noisy waterfall that seethes amid the verdure
of the forest; anon you descend into a valley
that is shaded by the fresh and delicate foliage
of the banana-trees, or rise to the top of a hill
from which all the indentations of the great bay
are plainly visible, and a small gulf hidden in
an avalanche of rocks and boulders lies revealed,

372 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

where the mysterious waters sob and vanish on
a bed of flowers. Ever onward, the motor-car
pursues its headlong way at a speed one longs
to check. Often we stop to prolong the pleas-
ure of a moment, but if one did not take care
one might stop for ever. The pen is powerless
to convey what, perhaps, the brush might reveal
—the joy of life that swells to bursting the sap
of every twig and leaf, every flower and fruit,
from the humblest blade of grass to the loftiest
extremity of the tallest trees, and renders so
impressively active every organ of the vegetable
world. I remember pausing before a simple
creeper which had produced some billions of
blossoms, and had imprisoned a whole tree in
a kind of tent of blue flames. This example
alone will serve to give the measure of the
tropical fecundity. The object of our drive
was the " Emperor's Table " and " China Street."
After the view from the Corcovado this seemed
less grandiose, but in any other country of the
world it would arouse a rapture of admiration.
We returned to the city by another route, tra-
versing a part of the mountain where rows of
villas embowered in flowers seemed hung up

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 373

half-way between sky and sea. You are back
in Rio before you realise that you have left the
forest.

It is impossible to speak of Rio without men-
tioning Petropolis, which owes its success to the
yellow-fever mosquito. The Flumineuses formed
the habit of migrating to this mountain sta-
tion in order to escape from the attacks of
the plague-carrying mosquito, which is so active
after sunset. A well-founded fear of the scourge
drove all those who could afford it out of Rio,
and at their head were the Emperor — later the
President of the Republic, the Ministers, and
diplomatists, with their families. Thus Petrop-
olis, an hour's journey from Rio, became in
some sort a fashionable watering-place, whose
charming villas stand in a forest of tropical
gardens. It is a delightful spot for all who can
turn their back on the business of the outside
world, which seems, indeed, far enough away.
For this reason the European diplomatists spend
long days here, filled with visiting, excursions
(there are many charming ones to be made from
this centre), or the idle gossip that constitutes
this centre), or the idle gossip that constitutes

374 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

that work is lacking; but we know that every-
where custom is stronger than utility, and cus-
tom is very exacting. Now that the mosquito
has deserted Eio the Government has settled in
the capital, leaving the mountain station to the
diplomats and their papers. How can diplo-
macy exist without a Government round which to
" circumlocutionise"? For the smallest formal-
ity one must take the train. Coming back in
the evening is fatiguing. One goes to the hotel
for the night. Your friends take possession of
you, and while you are dawdling in Eio all your
correspondence is lying unanswered at Petrop-
olis. There is, in consequence, a strong feeling
now that " the diplomats ought to settle at Eio,"
near to the Baron de Eio Branco, who somehow
invariably manages to be at Eio when they are
at Petropolis and vice versa, just to upset our
worthy "plenipotentiaries." All this is not
done without a certain expenditure of money.
Budget commissioners, beware!

Theresopolis is another mountain station,
three hours from Eio. On the opposite shore of
the bay a railway climbs or winds round the
lower slopes, cutting its way through the forest

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 375

as far as a vast plateau, whence radiates a num-
ber of paths that invite you to wander amongst
the astonishing phenomena of this fiercely abund-
ant vegetation. A " circus " of bare rocks
bristles with pointed peaks, one of which, bear-
ing some resemblance to the forefinger of a hu-
man hand, is known as " the Finger of God."
Whichever way you bend your steps this formid-
able and imperious finger lifts itself against the
horizon, as if tracing the path of the planets
through the heavens. The beauty of Theresopolis
lies in its madly bounding torrents, which leap
the giant boulders heaped up in its course, ruth-
lessly destroying the green growths that make
a daily struggle for life. For me this giant
strife provides an incomparable spectacle. I
confess that the series of forest panoramas that
open out on either side of the railway, from
Rio Bay to Theresopolis, give a magic charm
to the day's excursion. Tall ferns raised against
the sky the transparent lacework of a light para-
sol, monstrous bamboos threw into the melee
their long shoots, shaped like green javelins;
shrubs, both slender and stout, and of every
kind of leafy growth, encroach upon the heavy

376 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

branches, worn out with the weight of parasites ;
the creepers twined like boas round their sup-
ports, flinging back from the crest of the highest
trees a wealth of fine tendrils that, on reaching
once again their native earth, will there take
fresh root and draw renewed force for the fu-
ture fight with fresh resistances, a single one of
the family, with leaves like a young bamboo, so
fine that the stalk is well-nigh invisible, entirely
shrouding a whole tree in its frail yet stubborn
network, transforming it into a green arbour
that would put to shame any to be found in our
ancient and classic gardens — all these and many
other aspects of the marvellous forest arouse
an unwearying and never-ending admiration,
mingled with wonder at the blows dealt on a
battlefield of opposing forces where the weapons
are none the less deadly for being immovable.

There is no forest to be seen on the road
from Rio to Saint Paul. Here man has passed.
On all sides are visible the signs of destruction
wrought by systematic fires. Thanks to Senor
Paul de Frontin, the Company's manager, and
two friends of whom I shall have occasion to
speak again later — Senores Teixera Scares and

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 377

Augusto Ramos — I made the journey under the
best possible conditions. The great point was
to see the country as we passed. Could any
better way be imagined than that of placing
the locomotive behind the coach, which was
arranged like a salon, its front wall being taken
away and replaced by a simple balcony? With
rugs to guard against the freshness of the breeze,
you find yourself comfortably installed in the
very centre of a landscape whence you may see
mountains, rivers, valleys, fleeing before you in
the course of a run of five hundred kilometres.
For the whole of the day I was able to drink
in the fresh air and strong lights, as I looked out
eagerly to discover new beauties. As a matter
of fact, I saw nothing but mountains and hill-
sides that had been wantonly despoiled of their
native vegetation. Here and there a small
banana-wood growing in a crevice showed the
proximity of the cabins of negro colonists and
their offspring, who displayed in the sunlight
the unashamed bronze nakedness for which none
could blush. They were leading the nonchalant
life of the farmer who expects to draw from the
earth the maximum of harvest for the minimum

378 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

of trouble. Whether under cultivation or lying
waste, at this time of the year the land pre-
sented the same appearance of bare wildness.
Sometimes on the top of a hill there would
be seen one of the old plantations surrounded
by walls built to imprison the slaves, or coffee-
gardens, now abandoned because the soil was
worn out for want of dressing, or long stretches
of pale green denoting young rice crops, water-
courses dashing over rocks and gliding through
brushwood — the last resort of the birds, — vestiges
of calcined forests where the new growth of
vegetation eager to reach the sun was ever cut
back and repressed; and everywhere flashes of
red light that resolve themselves into birds,
shuddering palpitations of blue flames that be-
come butterflies, or the bronzed reflections of
phosphorescent light that reveals a dancing
cloud of hummingbirds. On the horizon spots
of black smoke, betokening forests that are
blazing in all parts to make way for future har-
vests— a melancholy spectacle of a wanton de-
struction of natural beauties that has not even
the excuse of necessity, since the splendid forests
are only attacked to save the trouble of fertilis-

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 379

ing the land exhausted by cultivation. I was
told that at the first outbreak of fire the great
birds of carrion come up in flocks to cut off
the retreat of the monkeys and serpents that
flee in terror. I did not witness this part of
the tragedy, but I was near enough to see all
the horror of the fearful flare. In the crackling
of the burning palms, in the whirling clouds
of blinding smoke furrowed with a sinister glow,
boughs and branches lay heaped up on the
ground in immense flaming piles, through which
the charred stumps of boles, brought low by
fire, crashed noisily to earth, where their corpses
lay and slowly smouldered to ashes on the
morrow's coffee plantation in accordance with
the law of Nature, which builds fresh forms
of life out of the decomposed elements of
death.

At nightfall, we entered the station of Saint
Paul, where the cheers of the students, loudly
acclaiming the French Republic, made us a joy-
ous welcome. A few minutes later we found
ourselves at a banquet attended apparently by
representatives of every country of the world,
and Brazilians and Frenchmen here united to

380 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

express their brotherly aspirations in words of
lofty idealism.

The city of Sain^ Paul (350,000 inhabitants)
is so curiously French in some of its aspects
and customs thaTTfor a whole week I had not
once the feelTng^ofjbeing abroad. The feature of
Saint Paul is that Frenches thejaniyersal lan-
guage. Saint Paul's society is supposed to be more
markedly individual than any other community
in the Republic, and it offers this double pheno-
menon of being strongly imbued with the French
spirit, and, at the same time, of having developed
those personal traits that go to make up its
determining characteristics. You may take it
for granted that the Paulist is Paulist to the
very marrow of his bones — Paulist in Brazil as
well as in France or any other land; and then
tell me if there was ever a man more French
in courtesy, more nimble in conversation in his
aristocratic guise, or more amiable in common
intercourse, than this Paulist business man, at
once so prudent and so daring, who has given
to coffee a new valuation. Talk a little while
with Senor Antonio Prado, Prefect of Saint
Paul, and one of the leading citizens, whose

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 381

mansion, set in the frame of a marvellous park
of tropical vegetation, would be a thing of beauty
in any country, and tell me whether such ele-
gant simplicity of speech could imaginably ex-
press any but a French soul. The same might
be said of his nephew, Senor Arinos de Mello,
of whom I have already spoken, a clever man
of letters who divides his life between the virgin
forest and the boulevard, and who might easily
be taken for a Parisian but for a soft Creole
accent. Frenchmen basking in Brazilian suns, or
Brazilians drinking deep of Latin springs — what
matter by which name we know them, so that
their pulses beat with the same fraternal blood !
The fact that the Paulist character has been
strongly developed along lines of its own and
that the autonomy of Brazilian States permits
of the fullest independence of productive energy
within the limits of federal freedom has led some
to draw the hasty conclusion that there is a
keen rivalry between the different provinces, and
to see separatist tendencies where there exists
nothing but a very legitimate ambition to for-
ward a free evolution under the protection of
confederated interests.

382 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

States of Saint Paul and Rio stand at the

head of the confederation, both by reason of
their intellectual superiority and by their eco-
nomic expansion, and the steady increase of their
personal weight in the federation is naturally
in proportion to the influence they have suc-
ceeded in acquiring in the exercise of their right
to self-government. As no one seeks to infringe
any of their prerogatives, and as the only criti-
cism one might make would be that certain
States are at present unfit to fulfil all the duties
of government, while any attempt at separatism
must tend to weaken each and all, no serious
party, either at Saint Paul or Rio, or, indeed,
in any other province, would even consent to
discuss the eventuality of a slackening of the
federal tie. The Paulists are and will ever
remain Paulists, but Brazilian Paulists.

My first visit was paid to the head of the
government of Saint Paul, who extended to me
the most generous of hospitality. Senor Albu-
querque Lins, President of the State, received
me in the presence of his Ministers — Senor Olavo
Egydio de Souza, Minister of Finance; Senor
Carlos Guimaraes, Minister of the Interior;

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 383

Senor Washington Luis, Minister of War; and
Seuor Jorge Tibiriga, who had just vacated the
Presidential Chair, and was one of the most
distinguished statesmen of Saint Paul. Senor
Augusto Ramos and our Vice-Consul, M. Delage,
whose tact, intelligence, and wide understand-
ing of his duties are above all praise, were also
present on the occasion. The President, who
had an exaggerated opinion of the defects of his
French, managed to convey to me in excellently
worded phrases his warm sympathy for France,
which, indeed, he proved by his cordial recep-
tion of us. I, in my turn, assured him of the
fraternal sentiments of France for Brazil and
Brazilian interests in general, as also for Saint
Paul and Paulist society in particular. And
then, as though to prove that our compliments
were not merely those demanded by etiquette,
the conversation turned upon matters in which
Saint Paul and France were so mixed that the
Paulist seemed to take as much pleasure in ac-
claiming France as did the Frenchman in ex-
pressing his admiration for the stupendous work
carried out by the Paulists with such giddy
rapidity, in developing a modern State that

384 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

founds its hopes for the future on the miracles
accomplished in the past.

It was a joy to me to run about the city at
haphazard. You do not ask from Saint Paul
the stage-setting furnished by Bio; yet there is
no lack of the picturesque. The suburbs of Saint
Paul, where costly villas make bright spots of
colour in the gorgeously beflowered gardens, can
offer some fine points of view. At the end of
an esplanade bordered with trees the plateau
suddenly falls away into a gentle valley which
would seem admirably designed for the site of
a park, worthy the ambitions of Saint Paul if
the authorities would but set about it while the
price of land is still moderate. The only public
garden at present owned by the town is a pretty
promenade that can scarcely be considered as
more than a pleasant witness to a modest past.

In the course of our walk we came upon the
museum, which stands on the hill, from which
the independence of Brazil was proclaimed. It
contains fine zoological, botanical, and paleonto-
logical collections. I was shown moths of more
than thirty centimetres in breadth of wing, and
hummingbirds considerably smaller than cock-

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 385

chafers. I paused for an instant before the
cases containing relics of prehistoric America,
with utensils, ornaments, and barbaric dresses
of the aboriginal Indians who to-day are sadly
travestied in abbreviated breeches and remnants
of hard felt hats.

There was no time to visit the schools, to
whose improvement the Paulist Government at-
taches high importance. I promised, however,
to call at the Training College, and, indeed,
could scarcely have done less, since this mar-
vellous institution w^ould be a model in any
country of Europe. I can but regret that I am
unable to lead the reader through the building
to see it in all its details — its rooms for study,
its gardens, its workshops. The young Head-
master, Senor Ruy de Paula Souza, who was a
pupil at our Auteuil College, does his professors
the greatest credit and does not conceal his am-
bition to surpass them. A much too flattering
reception was given me, in the course of which
I had the surprise of hearing quotations from
some of my own writings introduced into a
speech made by one of the professors. France
and French culture received a hearty ovation.
25

386 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

The warmth of the welcome given me at Saint
Paul could only be outdone by Rio. The charm
of a hearty expansion of fraternal feeling was
added to the cordiality of the demonstrations in
honour of our country. The pleasure felt when
members of the same family meet after separa-
tion, and find their mutual affection has been
generously developed in the course of life's ex-
perience— this was the impression made on me
by the greeting of the students both at the Train-
ing College and at the Law Schools, where one
of the young men delivered a speech in excellent
French that formed the best of introductions to
the lecture that followed. In the evening the
same young men organised a torchlight proces-
sion. I stood at a window with a French officer
on either side of me. A moving speech was made
to me by a student who stood on the balcony
of the house opposite. The procession passed
by to the strains of the Marseillaise, amid a
tumult of hurrahs, in honour of France.

I mentioned two French officers. There is
here now a French Military Mission, to whom
has been entrusted the training of the police
force, whose duty it will be to ensure order in

BRAZILIAN SOCIETY AND SCENERY 387

the State of Saint Paul. Colonel Balagny, who
is in command, was away on furlough. Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Gattelet, who takes his place, is
a highly deserving soldier, who appears to com-
bine strict discipline with the national urbanity.

I observed with satisfaction that the Mission
was very popular at Saint Paul. When the
march of the Sambre-et-Mcuse rang out a crowd
assembled to watch the passing of the troops
with their French officers at their head. In-
tensely proud of this force, the public takes a
delight in cheering them. I was present at a
fine review held on the field of manoeuvres at
Varzea de Corma. The soldier of Saint Paul
would figure creditably at Longchamp, for in
precision and regularity of movement he can
bear comparison with any. I must add that the
Brazilian officers who second the efforts of the
Mission are actuated by a zeal that merits a
large share of the credit of the results.

When I congratulated Colonel Gattelet I felt
I ought to inquire whether he had been obliged
to have frequent recourse to punishment in order
to bring the men to the point at which I saw
them.

388 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

" Punishment ! " he said. " I have never had
to administer any. I have no right, for one thing ;
and if I wanted to punish I should have to
ask the permission of the Minister of War.
But I have never had occasion even to think
of such a thing, for all my men are as docile
as they are alert and good-tempered."

I could only admire. It is true we were dis-
cussing a select troop, who enjoy not only special
pecuniary advantages but also quarters called
by the vulgar name of barracks, but which, for
conveniences, hygiene, and comfort, far surpass
anything that our wretched budgets ever allow
us to offer to the French recruits.

CHAPTER XIV

BRAZILIAN COFFEE

|T is not possible to speak of Brazil,
still less of Saint Paul, without
the coffee question cropping up.
The fabulous extension in recent
years of the coffee plantations and the crops
that have permitted the present extraordinary
accumulation of wealth have drawn the attention
of the whole world to the Brazilian fazendas.
Big volumes have been written on the subject,
and I gladly refer my readers to them. There they
will find all the figures that I as well as another
might quote, but I adhere to my intention of
leaving to statistics their own special eloquence,
and of giving here an account of only such
things as my eyes have seen.

Tf you want to inspect the Brazilian coffee
plantations you have only to look around you.

I can show you the coffee-plant, a shrub between

389

390 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

three and five yards in height, which, for foliage
and manner of growth, bears a strong resem-
blance to box. The flower is very like that of
the orange-tree, but with a more subtle scent.
The fruit, or " cherry," red at first, then of a
brownish colour, contains two kernels. The
characteristic feature of the coffee-plant is to
bear flowers and fruit at the same time, in all
stages of maturity, when once the first flowering
is over, providing a spectacle that interested me
greatly. But under these conditions it follows
that at whatever season the harvesting may be
carried out the crop is bound to be very unequal
in quality. The only rational way to meet the
case would be to have several harvests each year,
but the cost of the proceeding would not be
covered by the difference in the quality obtained.
For this reason the fazendero generally makes
but one harvest a year, plucking at the same
time berries of varying quality, from the small
rolled moka, which is found on all plants, to
the more or less perfect berries destined for the
average consumer. Not that the fazendero makes
the mistake of placing on the market a mixture
of coffee of all qualities. When the berries have

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 391

been dried in the open air on asphalt floors
they are sorted by machinery, and thus seven
different kinds are obtained, whose value nat-
urally depends on their quality.

But, unhappily, the canny dealers who buy
the Brazilian product classified in this way have
nothing more pressing to do than to invent fresh
combinations, tending to increase their own pro-
fits but, at the same time, to ruin our palates.
Here we have the Bercy mysteries of wine adul-
teration imported into the coffee market! We
need not be surprised, therefore, to learn that
to some palates coffee is only drinkable when
mixed with chicory, with burnt fig, or roasted
oats — the last more especially appreciated by
the North American public. The best of it is
that at home with us Brazilian coffee bears but
an indifferent reputation among the epicures
who like only the moka of Santos. I confess
that one of the surprises awaiting me in Brazil
was to find their common coffee infinitely su-
perior to any we get in our best houses. It is
a light beverage, with a subtle, soft scent; and,
being easily digested, it does not produce the
usual nervous tension that causes insomnia. In

392 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

the hotels and railway-stations of Brazil a cup
of coffee is a perfect joy, not only for its deli-
cacy of flavour but also for its immediate tonic
effect, and cannot be compared with the article
offered in similar places at home. The cups
certainly are smaller than ours, but I fancy the
average Brazilian drinks quite five or six in a

1 day. It is true I did hear "Brazilian excita-
bility " put down to coffee intoxication, but one
would like to know just what this " excitability "
amounts to, and, besides, I am not clear that
alcoholic countries have a right to take up a
critical attitude towards coffee-drinkers. Man
in all parts of the world seeks to stimulate his
powers, and only succeeds in obtaining tempo-
rary results — which have to be paid for later
on in one way or another, either by a reaction
of debility or by hypersthenic disorders.

v No one needs to be astonished, then, to find
coffee in every mouth, both as a drink and as
a topic of daily conversation. If it be true that
coffee has made Saint Paul, I can testify that
Saint Paul has repaid the debt. The muscles
and the brains of the entire population are de-
voted to the same object. Enormous sums of

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 393

money are invested in it, large fortunes have
been made in it ; and when the famous " valorisa-
tion " was operated, it looked as if a fearful
catastrophe were preparing. This is not the
moment to dwell upon the economic conditions
of coffee-growing in the States of Saint Paul,
Rio, and Minas-Geraes. I shall confine myself
to recommending the reader to refer to the ex-
cellent book that M. Pierre Denis has published
on the subject.1 As for the " valorisation," a
stroke of unparalleled audacity, it consisted in
forbidding the laying out of new plantations at
a moment when the market was menaced with
a glut that seemed likely to bring about a
" slump," and in forcing the State of Saint Paul
to purchase the whole of the surplus stock-
some eight million bags — and hold it until
prices had recovered their tone, when the article
could be placed gradually on the market at a
remunerative figure, the scheme to be executed
by means of a financial operation the details
of which need not be gone into here. This is
a piece of advanced State Socialism which looks

1 " Brazil," by Pierre Denis. Translated by Bernard
Miall. London: T. Fisher Unwin.

394 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

like succeeding, contrary to the expectations of
the economists, but which it would be highly
imprudent to repeat on any pretext. As may
be imagined, the scheme aroused the keenest
opposition, for in case of failure the risks might
have amounted to some hundreds of millions;
but it sufficiently denotes the extraordinary mix-
ture of audacity and foresight that belongs to
Brazilian statesmen. The perilous honours be-
long more especially to the President of the
State of Saint Paul, M. Tibiriga, and to Senor
Augusto Ramos, a planter of the Rio State.

As I took a keen interest in the peripatetics
of this social drama that threatened to swallow
up both public and private fortunes, I naturally
desired to visit the great laboratory of the
f agendas, where modern alchemy transmutes into
gold the red earth that contains the mysterious
diabase which is the essential element in coffee-
growing.

A member of the Prado family kindly offered
to show us his fazenda at Santa Cruz. The
beauties of the landscape were, unhappily, con-
cealed beneath a haze of fine rain, but man,
alas! had done worse — for it is a disastrous in-

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 395

troduction to the glories of the fazenda to cross
smoking tracts of forest on fire. In the dis-
tance huge trees were still blazing, around us
was a waste of ashes and of half-consumed
boughs, and the falling rain seemed only to
quicken the dying conflagration. In some of the
great green boles were fearful gaping wounds
through which the sap was oozing, while some
tall trees still stretched to heaven their triumph-
ant crown of foliage above a trunk all charred
that would never sprout again. The Brazilians
contemplate spectacles such as this with a wholly
indifferent eye, and, indeed, even with satisfac-
tion, for they see in the ruin only a promise of
future harvests. To me the scene possessed only
the horror of a slaughter-house. At least we
have the grace to hide ourselves when we mas-
sacre innocent beasts, since an implacable law
of Nature has decreed that life can only be sup-
ported on life. Why can we not hide in the
same way the savage destruction of the beauties
of the forest?

Between two harvests the fazenda is a scene
of quiet repose. We witnessed all the different
operations — from the drying to the sorting, and

396 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

to the final departure of the bags to the Santos
warehouses. Although our tour of inspection
was arranged by the proprietor himself, he was
only present on our account. The imposing
mansion, the splendid gardens — all were de-
serted. The Italian colonist has taken the place
of the slave. The former master, now the em-
ployer, is no doubt attracted towards the city.
The overseer looks after the colonists, who are
collected into a village, and the labour is organ-
ised as it might be in a factory. The families
seemed prosperous enough beneath their coating
of original dirt. Only babies and pigs were to
be seen — scarcely distinguishable the ones from
the others, except that the pigs occasionally wal-
lowed in a chance pool. This was risky, how-
ever, for the terrible jaws of the crocodile lie
in wait on the banks of the neighbouring pond.
The coffee plantation- Jurnishes occupation for
entire families. Men, women, and children bring
equal zeal to bear upon the task of weeding,
which has to be repeated five or six times a
year. The prolific Italian reaps an advantage
from the size of his family. Moreover, plots of
land are set apart for him, on which he raises

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 397

forage for his cattle and the maize, manioc, and
black beans on which he lives. Often, too, he
gets permission to raise his private crops in
the open spaces between the coffee-plants. All the
colony is afoot when the time comes to pluck
the berries. The Saint Paul growers claim that
they have only a single crop, all the berries
ripening at the same time. I saw them full of
blossom, covered thickly with bouquets of white
flowers. But I noticed also in the sorting-rooms
a great irregularity in the grains.

We walked out to the plantations — vast
stretches of red earth in which the shrubs are
planted at irregular intervals. Beside the path
and amongst the young plants there were great
charred branches rotting in the sun, the melan-
choly remains of forest monarchs laid low a
dozen years ago and awaiting final decomposi-
tion. Here and there colossal tree-trunks were
still erect, though hemmed in on all sides by the
green bushes whose monotonous uniformity tri-
umphs over the dethroned sylvan power. Occa-
sionally some forest giant that has escaped by
miracle from the flames raises to the sky its
splendid stature, sole evidence of past splen-

398 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

dours. In the bare flatness of the immense plain
covered with the low coffee-plants, where no
outstanding feature provides a scale of measure-
ment, it is difficult to realise the real dimensions
of these relics. It is only when standing ac-
tually beneath a bole that you can estimate its
proportions, and a series of " Oh's ! " and
" Ah's ! " of amazement burst from all lips.
One of these trees, whose trunk was no less than
seventy metres in height, had a girth so im-
mense that eleven men stretching their arms in
a circle round it could not entirely span it. I
was told that it was worth from two to three
thousand francs. There would be some expense
attached to getting it to the place where it was
wanted.

Still, under a gentle sprinkle of rain, that fell
like drops of clear light, we proceeded towards
the great forest, across which a fair carriage-
road has been made. This is not the decaying
forest whose timber feeds the factory furnaces,
such as that of Santa Ana or of Lules. This
was the forest that had stood for countless cen-
turies, as is shown by Titanesque survivals of
those unknown ages, but it remains the forest

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 399

eternally young, its vital force still unimpaired
by time. The grand architectural lines of trunks
and boughs, where the sunlight plays tenderly
in an unending scale of changing tones upon its
depths, offer a feast for the eyes. Creepers en-
twine themselves among the branches, making
a thousand fantastic turns and twists, while
slender stems spring like fireworks heavenwards,
there to burst into bouquets of rich blossom.
Part only of the monstrous tree-trunks are left
visible. Beneath its inextricable tangle of
boughs the jequiticciba, all in white, its spurs
and ramparts high enough to conceal a man,
rises high above the rest — a Tower of Babel
that has escaped the destruction of the others.

Yet at our feet there lay a colossus that fell
only three days ago, and seemed to point to the
final destiny of all earthly glory. It was no
tempest that had thus laid it low. Healthy,
straight, and tall, it had fallen before it could
be weakened by age, simply because the fatality
of the action of underground forces crowding
upon it from all sides had decreed that it should
end then and there. We felt it, measured it,
and examined every part of the gigantic corpse,

400 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

and not one was inclined to quote the assassin
of the Due de Guise — " I thought it larger."
No. Lying here at our feet it was no less
amazing in its might than it had been in its
ephemeral glory. Even in the beauty of death
the splendour of life is impressive. In the clear-
ings, where the slender stems of tall palms sway
their parasol tops in the wind, flocks of large
parrots were busy exchanging opinions as to the
reason of our presence; and, if one may judge
by the inflections of their cries, they thought it
an ill omen. In the patches of blue sky visible
between the branches we could see them swirl-
ing overhead, uttering loud curses. I had been
promised a glimpse of monkeys, but it appears
that our cousins retreat before the sound of
wheels, and only tolerate — at a safe distance —
the company of pedestrians. I thought if I
separated from my fellows I might happen on
the sight of one or two. Failing a specimen
of the Pithecanthropus erectus any little chap
on four legs would have found a brotherly wel-
come. Since none came, why not go after them?
But walking is a dangerous pastime, since at
every moment one stands a risk of treading on

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 401

a trigonocephalus concealed in the brushwood,
here as high as a man's waist, to say nothing of
the fact that there are no landmarks, and that
before I had taken a hundred steps I should
have hopelessly lost my way. I walked about
twenty yards, and that calmed my ardour. I
saw neither monkey nor snake. I was not in-
consolable, however, for the Brazilian snakes had
no mystery for me.

I saw them in all their forms collected in a
charming little garden which Dr. Vital Brazil
has laid out expressly for them at Butantan.
The coral serpent, the trigonocephalus, the
rattlesnake, glide about the grass, climb the
bushes whose branches effectually conceal them,
or seek the shelter prepared for them in solitary
corners. But for the absence of Mother Eve
one might fancy oneself in Eden. I must add
that a moat full of water, with a wall above,
renders impossible the machinations of the Evil
One; but I confess I did not go near them, even
under these conditions. Dr. Brazil showed them
to me in his laboratory, preserved in transparent
jars, where the aggressive force of the creeping

beast is revealed by means of sectional surgery,

26

402 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

and again in the narrow yard of his menagerie ;
here one alarming-looking reptile after another
was fished out of its prison on the end of a
stick, and then seized by the throat and forced
to choke up its venom into a small glass.

You may suppose that in all this Dr. Brazil
has some plan. You are right, and it is worth
explaining. He is engaged in a quest after a
cure for snake-bites, or even perhaps for some
way of rendering humanity immune. Brazil
and India have a specialty of the most venom-
ous of snakes. Dr. Brazil, who spends his life
in their company, declares that even the most
deadly species is without hostile feeling for man.
No one has ever been attacked by a snake. His
poison (I refer to the snake) permits him to
paralyse instantaneously the prey destined for
his food. But if by mistake you walk on his
tail he is carried away by a desire for reprisals.
I do not want to argue about it. It is sufficient
to state that some hundreds of Brazilians and
some thousands of Indians whose pleasure it is
to walk barefoot in the forests die annually from
the deadly sting of this philanthropist whom
they have unwittingly annoyed, notwithstanding

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 403

the humanitarian opinions of snakes in general.
This is the evil for which Dr. Brazil is trying
to find a remedy.

The Butantan Institute, half an hour distant
from Saint Paul, prepares antidiphtheric and
antitetantic serums, but its specialty is the anti-
ophidic serum. Dr. Calmette was the first to
discover a method of procuring immunity, but
the serum of the Lille Institute, prepared from
the poison of Indian cobras, proved, in the hands
of Dr. Brazil, powerless against the Brazilian
rattlesnake. In this way Dr. Brazil made the
discovery that each South American species had
a special poison, the serum of which took no
effect on other poisons. Accordingly, at Butan-
tan three different serums are prepared — two act
on special species, and the third, called " poly-
valent," is used in cases where the owner of
the poison has omitted when stinging his victim
to leave his visiting-card and thus establish his
identity — the most common case.1 But Dr.
Brazil is not satisfied to cure or render immune

1 The reader who desires further information will find
it in the article written by my travelling companion, Dr.
Segard, on the Butantan Institute.

404 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

those who seek ophidic inoculation. He has dis-
covered a superprovidential serpent, which, hav-
ing no poison of its own and being invulnerable
to the stings of its kind, renders them all in-
nocuous to humanity by eating them. This is
the friendly mussurana. They offered him to
me for inspection, and he looked neither better
nor worse than the trigonocephalus — I should
not at all like to find him in my bed. I tried
to coax him, however, to munch a poisonous com-
rade. He had just breakfasted, and wanted only
to sleep. Dr. Pozzi, luckier than myself, had
the pleasure of seeing him swallow a certain
jaracaca, whose slightest caress is deadly. The
story has been published in the Figaro. How
must we regard this phenomenon unless as a
freak of Nature? To try to multiply the mussu-
rana in order to exterminate rattlesnakes seems
to me a dangerous experiment. Dr. Brazil has
not yet succeeded in obtaining a single young
one, and for my part I cannot yet see man and
the mussurana living in harmony together.

As a final surprise, we were informed that Dr.
Bettencourt Rodriguez had obtained some ex-
cellent results by treating yellow fever with

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 405

antitoxic serum. The most certain method
seems, however, to suppress the mosquito, the
propagator of the disease, as Rio and Santos
have done.

Santos, now a healthy_dt^_is__an^ agreeable
place whose_onl^_mission is to receive tke coffee
from Saint Paul and export it to all the con-
tinents of the world. We had a brief look at
it as we passed, and saw enough to wish to
return there. But this time, instead of ap-
proaching by sea, we descended upon it from
the plateau, 2500 feet in altitude, which shuts
the city in with its salt marshes, bounded by
mountain and sea, using the famous electric rail-
way which is celebrated throughout the world
for the picturesque moving panorama it offers
to travellers. From an industrial point of view
the port is not equipped to cope with the present
traffic, statistics for 1908 showing that 109 ships
left its quays, carrying 50 millions of kilo-
grammes of coffee — three quarters of the total
output of the world. As for the Brazilian
floresta, it is difficult to judge of it at a dis-
tance. I was placed on a little balcony in front
of the motor, between the Minister of the In-

406 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

terior of Saint Paul and Senor Augusto Eamos,
and thus enjoyed an unrivalled point of view,
while, at the same time, I was relieved from
feeling any excess of heat. Mountains, valleys,
forest-clad slopes — it might have been Switzer-
land or the Pyrenees, and I have assuredly no
inclination to belittle either. Yet what a dif-
ference from the impression produced by a
walk in any part of the forest, where every step
lifts you to an ecstasy of admiration. Shall I
confess it? The railway stations, melancholy
halting-places on the mountain, have left the
best souvenir in my mind. In the first place,
there were rows of cups of coffee awaiting
us there — coffee which revives and refreshes a
traveller and perfumes the air with an aroma
unknown in Europe. Then, and still better,
there were delicate orchids climbing over the
verandas, irradiating showers of warm light,
and left there out of respect for one of Nature's
chefs d'ceuvre, for they ill support the fatigue
of railway travelling. The orchid season was
just beginning when I left Brazil. What I could
see of it in the forest, where the earth was
piled up with all kinds of decaying vegetation

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 407

which the marvellous harvest was already pre-
paring, delighted me, for such beauty gains much
from being viewed in its natural setting. And
in the desolate railway stations, from all these
wood chips, there spring sheaves of vivid colours
transforming everything, as if the yawning
rags of some beggar revealed a fabulously rich
treasure.

For the Brazilian flora has extraordinary re-
sources. When I crossed the Bay of Santos to
take the tramway, which runs in twenty min-
utes to Guaruja beach, I had no idea that the
pleasure of the journey could excel that of my
first arrival. The Guaruja beach is extremely
fine. It lies in a frame of rocks and forests,
and in its fine sands it filters the high waves
that rush in from the open sea in magnificent
cascades of fury, which suddenly melt away into
great rings of pacified foam. But how find
words to express the enchantment of the road!
The low shores of Santos Bay are but a broad
marsh, where a frail vegetation rejected by the
forest has full sway. On both sides of the road
there is an ever-changing sorcery of leaf and
blossom in the most lurid of hues. Not an inch

408 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

of space between two boughs but is promptly
filled by stem, bud, creeper, parasite, and some
kind of growth, large or small. Trees that are
wasting beneath the cruel tendrils eating into
their flesh don a robe of orchids. Cannas make
patches of flaming scarlet in the thickest part
of the brushwood, and the wild banana-palm
lifts a tall head from above the two-cornered
spirals of saffron-coloured flowers, which gives
an effect like monstrous crustaceans warring
with the branches — a wild scene, in which it
looks as if all the forces of terrestrial fecundity
were convulsed in one impudent spasm.

Just as I was closing my visit to Brazil, with
great regret at leaving so much unseen, I had
accepted an invitation from Senor Teixeria
Soares, the owner of a fazenda in the State of
Minas Geraes. Senor Soares is the manager of
a railway company besides being devoted to land
and its fruitful joys. Modest and quiet, he tries
to efface himself socially, but his methodical and
clear mind is attracted by every big problem,
and forces him into the front rank of all the
different enterprises which are an honour to his
country. I was greatly impressed by the way

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 409

he spoke of his fazenda, the management of
which he has confided to his son. It was easy
to see that he had centred there, if not the best
of his energy, at least the highest pleasure that
can be derived from the collaboration of man
with the soil. When I inquired of one of the
fazenderos whether it was true, as Seuor Soares
boasted, that he grew the best coffee in Brazil,
and obtained for it the highest market prices,
I was told that the fact could not be disputed, but
that Senor Soares had the reputation of spend-
ing more on his coffee than it could bring in.
I could not help fancying the words covered an
acknowledgment of inferiority. Idealism, in
agriculture as elsewhere, is apt to be costly. It
may not, however, exclude the active qualities
that make for success. SeSor Soares devotes
himself more particularly to the improvement of
coffee-plants and the raising of new species.
Now it was said that he had got from an horti-
culturist (of Montmartre) a certain plant with
whose fame the world would shortly ring. He
wanted me to open the new plantation, and as
an ex-Montmartrois, I certainly could not refuse
the invitation.

410 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

I shall say nothing of the journey. As usual,
there were miles of forest destroyed by fire. In
the villages cabins and colonial houses were
scattered about on the river banks amongst great
groves of trees. The Parahyba made amends
for the melancholy waste of the land by its in-
numerable rocky headlands, its tree-stems, its
islets where a note of beauty was lent by the
brilliant plumage of birds.

Small, impatient horses were waiting for us
at the station, and seated in " boggles " that
bounded over the deep ruts of the road, we
passed through woods where large-leaved creep-
ers made a magnificent stage-setting which only
ended in the acropolis of Santa Alda. This
rustic baronial hall, that belongs to days of
slavery, is set on the summit of an eminence
which commands a tangle of valleys, and it
offers a comfortable simplicity of arrangement
clothed in an avalanche of flowers. Wide
verandas, colonnades, arches, are all overgrown
with multi-coloured bouquets that are per-
petually in flower, and under the rays of the
sun distil a delicate ambiance of scented prisms.
The impression is one of charm as well as of

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 411

force, and when the young planter, accompanied
by the pleasant queen of the domain with her
group of small children, is seen in this back-
ground of rustic nobility, you are conscious of
a fine harmony between man and Nature. The
strains of the Marseillaise burst out, as we
crossed the threshold, from instruments con-
cealed in the plantation. It was a greeting to
France that was touching enough from these
Africans, but yesterday ground down in an
odious slavery and to-day the free and light-
hearted comrades of a man who by his kindly
ways has retained the little colony in a
place where the associations must be painful
enough.

The attraction of the gardens is too strong
to be resisted, and we wander out, strolling
amidst the clumps of tall, brilliantly coloured
plants, anon gazing in rapt admiration at the
warm line of the distant hills which hold up
against the gorgeous crimson of the sunset a
delicate fringe of palm foliage, or watching the
hummingbirds which chase each other in the
branches and form a dancing cohort of glowing
brands. When night fell a golden light per-

412 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

vaded the atmosphere. We did not go in until
we had taken a look at the stud, which boasts
some of the finest English sires, and we wound
up the evening by an amusing performance by
an agreeable African conjurer, who gave an ex-
planation in French of all his tricks and was
clad in gentlemanly attire — frock-coat, white tie,
tan shoes, all the latest style of the Floresta.

To-morrow, a good hour before sunrise, we are
to start for a last visit to the Brazilian forest,
and although a heartless doctor has forbidden
me riding exercise, I have not the strength of
mind to refuse the expedition. They set me ac-
cordingly upon a plank, having a high wheel on
either side, and soon I taste the joys of foot-
ball, not as player, but as ball, leaping with
its round elasticity heavenwards after a vigor-
ous kick. And the pleasure of bounding up-
wards is as nothing to the austere sensation of
falling back again on the implacable boot sole.
In this fashion I was rolled through a series
of black holes which I was told would appear
in the sunlight to be valleys. As luck would
have it, we presently came upon a hill that had
to be climbed, and my courser dropped to a

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 413

footpace. The violent shocks of the earlier part
of the journey now gave place to a comparatively
simple sensation that suggested an anvil beneath
the blows of a hammer. Then the day broke.
Seuor Soares, junior, who watched my progress
from the back of a tall steed, pointed out his
first experiments with rubber-plants and with
cocoa, and described his coffee-gardens, of which
I had already seen some specimens. The suf-
ferings of the lower part of my person now gave
way to the admiration of the higher as I men-
tally compared the wretched, stunted lives in
our cities with the wide freedom of existence
led by this high-spirited youth who was wrestling
out here in the glorious sunshine with the ex-
uberant forces of a fruitful Nature which he is
certain to master in time. O you, my French
brethren who in alpaca coats sit eternally on
your stools, bent over useless documents, know
that the earth has not yet exhausted her gifts,
learn that there is another life, free from the
anaemic, cramping condition which you know !
This thought was still in my mind when we
turned our reins across the moors that led to
the coffee plantations, where dried palm-leaves

414 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

protect the young shoots from the heat of the
sun, and where the new species derived from a
plant grown on the sacred hill of Montmartre-
en-Paris is being carefully cultivated. Come out
here, young men in shiny threadbare sleeves who
make your way homewards nightly to the close
dens around the Sacre Cceur ; come and see these
black coffee-planters — men, women, and children
— living close to Nature on the outskirts of civili-
sation, and compare your own wretched quarters
furnished by Dufayel on the " hire " system,
that has cost you such anxious moments, with
the blissful nudity of these cabins, and tell me
where you see the worst form of slavery, here
amongst the newly emancipated Africans or at
home under your own roofs.

The forest! the forest! I have seen it once
and again, but I could never tire of it, and my
great regret is that I cannot come back again
to it. The sun has made its sudden appearance
on the scene, glowing like a violent conflagration,
and a thousand voices from the winged popula-
tion of the woods have greeted him, singing the
joy of light returned. Everywhere is the same
eternal hymn to life. I was shown a small bird

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 415

whose female dances round her spouse as soon
as he begins to pour forth his love serenade in
joyous notes. Blue and yellow toucans dazzle
us with their splendour. Valleys filled with
colossal ferns open out in the daylight their
unexpected vistas of a delirious vegetation. I
ask after the monkeys. Alas ! they do not leave
their retreats before two o'clock in the after-
noon. They only arrive for five o'clock tea !
But for no inducement would they leave their
dressing-rooms until the sun has gone down to
the horizon. When you have once seen the
heart of the forest wilderness, where the same
luxuriant life in manifold manifestations is to
be seen at your feet and in the high tree and
hilltops, where profusely flowering creepers
wind themselves around every twig and bough,
placing these forest kings in tender bondage,
you will not blame the monkeys for being con-
tent to remain in their sumptuous domain. I
was shown fruit half eaten, the refuse of a
monkeys' restaurant. I can well believe it. A
wood-cutter told me he was attacked yesterday
by a dozen, who were so pertinacious that he
had to defend himself with his stick. Thus,

416 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

though I never saw a monkey, I did see a man
who had seen one.

At last we reached a waterfall which was, it
appears, the limit of our excursion. On our
way back we came to a difficult crossing, and
as my horse was even more exhausted than my-
self by the rough treatment he had given me,
he was taken out of the shafts, and a swarm
of some eleven negroes pulled and pushed me
along, with bursts of laughter at their perform-
ance. But for their chuckles, I might have fan-
cied myself some Roman victor arriving in
triumph. It lasted only ten minutes, but I
should have been covered with confusion had
some chance cinematograph been on the spot to
reproduce the scene. This misfortune was
spared me. Thanks to the fact, I take the
pleasure of holding myself up to ridicule.

The ceremony of inaugurating the Montmartre
coffee-plant took place half-way. The operation
is less difficult than might be thought. I
climbed up a slope from whose top I could see
rows of holes, with heaps of coffee-plants, their
roots carefully wrapped up, and each in a small
basket by itself, lying at intervals over the pre-

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 417

pared ground. One of these baskets with its
young green stem was offered to me, I stuck it
in the first hole that came handy, and thus the
glory of Montmartre, like that of Brazil, reached
its apogee.

I do not know what will become of my coffee
enterprise at Santa Alda. It is more certain
that Senor Soar&s has begun to manure his land
instead of merely scattering the shells of the
berries over it. It is possible that the Brazilian
fazendcros will be a little worried by this ex-
ample, seeing in it only a way of increasing
expenses. But the established fact that Seuor
Soar&s's coffees are in great demand seems a
curious coincidence, for no one can suppose he
amuses himself in this way for the fun of losing
his money. When I left Santa Alda, I carried
with me a pretty collection of canes made from
the finest woods produced on the fazenda, and
on board the Principe Umberto, which brought
me back to Europe, I discovered a chest of coffee,
which enabled me to give my kind hosts the
authentic testimony of a consumer.

The Principe Umberto is in every way like the
Rcgina Elena., as indeed she ought to be con-

418 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

sidering her origin. There are the same
comfortable arrangements, the same excellent
service, the same Latin courtesy from the officers.
We had two adventures on the voyage. A mad-
man threw himself into the sea one night. The
siren shrieked the alarm. A boat put off but
returned after a fruitless search. I was told
that this was a typical " return " case. On the
way out Hope holds us by the hand. To make
one's way back, after disappointments, is for
human weakness perhaps a sore trial. We do
not all get to Corinth. Let us pity those who
make this an excuse for never setting out. The
commissary told me the story of one third-class
passenger, all in rags, who deposited with him
when he came on board the sum of 150,000
francs. There are evidently compensations.

The second adventure was more general in
interest. It took the form of a strike among
the coal-heavers of St. Vincent. The harbour,
with its border of bare rock, lay still and de-
serted. A few saucy niggers dived for our edifi-
cation after coins flung from the ship. But that
was all, neither white nor black man appeared,
for the order had been given that no one should

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 419

come off to meet us and we on our side were
forbidden to land. We need not be astonished
if the first lesson learnt by the blacks from their
white " superiors " is that of violence preached
by grandiloquent politicians, trembling inwardly
with fear, but, none the less, tenacious in their
inglorious arguments. The negroes have the ex-
cuse of having reached our civilisation late in
the day. Are we too exigent when we implore
the whites to preach by example?

We coal at Las Palmas, the capital of the
Grand Canary. As other boats are there ahead
of us, we are obliged to spend an entire day in
harbour. We land, therefore. The " Happy
Isles " have inherited from the ancients such
a reputation that some disappointment is inevi-
table. Seen from the sea, the Canaries show
only a cluster of arid rocks devoid of vegetation.
Las Palmas is a picturesque town whose palms
can but inspire an amiable benevolence in peo-
ple who have seen Brazil. The country is purely
African in character. Square white houses with-
out windows, banana-groves down in the valleys,
hills of calcined stones. After an hour or two
along a road that is thick with dust, you reach

420 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

a pretty restaurant standing in a garden whose
exotic vegetation would be charming if one had
never seen the Riviera. The canary of the
islands that is said to abound revealed itself
to me in the guise of a vulgar chattering sparrow.
Yet the boatmen who boarded our ship offered
authentic canaries in cages hung from a long
rod, but I was told they had been procured from
Holland. These birds have a particularly sweet
song, and they sing to order, oddly enough. It
is enough to shout to the seller, " Your canary
does not sing," for the birds to burst into a
flood of trills and turns. It is the triumph of
a songster with the imitative faculty. Buyer
and seller both are taken in and the greatest
serin (canary, also used to mean "duffer") is
not the one you might think.

Before I take my leave of the reader, I want
to say a word for the creation of a line of fast
ships making the journey between France and
South America. So little space remains to me
that I cannot treat the subject as I should like.
The case is simple; formerly the French line
was very popular, but it has allowed itself
to be entirely outdistanced by other companies

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 421

who have built more rapid boats while we con-
tinue to send our old vessels over the sea. The
contract held by the Messageries Maritimes ex-
pires in 1912. By some culpable negligence no
steps have been taken to improve the service
or even to continue it. The matter cannot rest
there. If we are to enlarge our dealings with
South America, it is of capital importance to
France to have a service of rapid boats fitted
up on the most comfortable of modern lines.

I shall venture to make a brief extract here
from a report that I got my friend Edmond
Thery to make out for me, since his authority
in matters economic is universally known.

For the last twenty years there has been a
prodigious increase of production and public
wealth in the two Americas. This fact ac-
counts for the enormously increased proportion
of travellers to Europe drawn from North
America, Mexico, Brazil, the Argentine, etc.
The proof is that the luxurious hotels spring-
ing up anew almost daily in Paris and on the
Riviera to cater for this class of customer are
always crowded.

Brazil and the Argentine Republic have more

422

SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

especially profited by the rise in value of their
land. In the course of the last ten years, from
1900 to 1909, their working railways have gone
up from 14,027 kilometres to 19,080 in Brazil,
and from 16,563 to 25,508 kilometres in the
Argentine Kepublic.

These 13,998 kilometres of new lines (46 per
cent, increase since 1900) have opened the door to
agriculture, cattle-breeding, forestry, in immense
and hitherto desert regions, and the results of
this may be traced in the increase of their foreign
trade :

FOREIGN TRADE OF BRAZIL AND THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC ]
IN TEN YEARS.

Brazil —
Imports

1900

Millions of
Francs.

1909

Millions of
Francs.

Total increase in 1909.

c
Millions of
Francs.

^

Per Cent.

634
836

935
1,606

301

770

47
92

Exports

Total

1,470

2,541

1,071

73

Argentine Republic —
Imports

567
773

1,514
1,987

947
1,214

167
157

Exports

Total .

1,340

3,501

2,161

161

BRAZILIAN COFFEE 423

Thus during a short period of ten years the
exports— i. e., the surplus of home-grown articles
after supplying the needs of the country — have

increased in value by 770 millions of francs, §Q „

per cent., for Brazil, and 1214 millions, or 157
per cent., for the Argentine Republic. As for
the total value of the foreign trade of the two
countries, it has risen 1071 millions of fraacs
for the former and 2161 millions for the
latter: in other words, an average of 107 mil-
lions of francs per annum for Brazil and 216
millions for the Argentine.

These startling figures show clearly enough
the importance of the economic advance the two
countries are making, and we may say that
French capital has built up this prosperity.

We ought now to seek to retain the advantages
to be drawn from our financial intervention in
the new Brazilian and Argentine undertakings,
and one of the best ways to attain this end is
to make sure of rapid means of communication
between France and the two great South Ameri-
can Republics, which shall be up-to-date in every
way and luxurious enough to induce Brazilians
and Argentinos to come to Europe and return

424 SOUTH AMERICA TO-DAY

to their own country in French boats rather than
in English, German, or Italian vessels.

Such means of communication are already in
existence between France and the United States,
but are wholly lacking in the direction of Brazil
and the Argentine Kepublic.

The French boats which call at these stations
have been a long time in use, and their fittings
are in no sense in conformity with modern ideas
of luxury such as the class of travellers to which
I have already alluded invariably expects. As
for their average speed, it certainly never goes
beyond fourteen knots, for they make the jour-
ney from Bordeaux to Kio de Janeiro, with the
different scheduled stops by the way, in a mini-
mum of seventeen days, and if they go on as
far as Buenos Ayres, in twenty- two days.

The distance between Bordeaux and these two
ports being 4901 and 5991 nautical miles respec-
tively, it is only necessary to have boats capable
of doing twenty knots as an average, or twenty-
three miles an hour, for the journey to Eio de
Janeiro to be performed in ten days and five
hours, and that to Buenos Ayres in twelve days
fifteen hours.

BRAZILIAN COFFEE

\2tf

There is nothing to add to this clear statement
of the case.

'And now, how can I resist the temptation to
draw some sort of conclusion from these ram-
bling notes, made with the sole desire to make
use of the knowledge acquired for the benefit
of French extension, and this in the interest of
humanity at large? In every calling there is
but one road to success — work. When Candide
returned from Buenos Ayres, he brought back
from his travels the lesson that we must work
in our gardens. Since his days our gardens have
grown considerably, and since we are ourselves
the first elemental instrument for all work, the
first condition of improvement must be the im-
provement of the material. Therefore let us
work.

INDEX

Aborigines of Patagonia, n.

52-54

Agricultural Society of Bue-
nos Ayres, the shows of,

78-79
Agriculture :

Waste entailed by sys-
tem in vogue in the
Pampas, 364

Wasteful Brazilian meth-
ods, 364-66, 376-78

See Cattle, Cereals,
Coffee, Horses, Pampas,
etc.
Alcorta, Sefior Figueroa,

President of the Argen-
tine Republic, 180
Algeciras Conference, 67
Alienism, see Open Door,

The
America, South:

Impressions of, iii

Cities of, vii, viii

Architecture, vii

Races of, viii

Early culture, ix

People of, unjustly ridi-
culed, 62-63

Produce of, 73-75
America, United States of,

64

Americans, South, charac-
teristics of, 11-12
Anarchists, 85

Russian, 86

Oppressive measures

against, 88-89
Argentine Exposition, 69-

70

Argentine Republic, The,
18-20

Arrival in, 27-28

Mate, trade of, 45-46

Agricultural produce, 75-
76

Foreigners in, 81

Patriotism, 91-93

Powers of assimilation,
94-97

Officials, 113-14

Types and manners, 142-
74

Women of, 151-56

Exaggerated convention-
ality of society, 155-56

Girls of, 158-59

Fathers, 160

Gambling, 161-62

Land speculation in, 162

Cookery, 173-74

Politics, 175-203

Parliament, 184-86

The Executive, 188-89

The Press, 191-92

Society, 201-3

The Pampas, 204-32
Argo, Alpha of, 16
Aristocracy of Brazil, 355-

56

Armadillo, The (tatou), 114
Army, The Brazilian, 342
Arrow-heads, Primitive, w.

53-56

427

428

INDEX

Arts, The, in the Argentine,

58-62
Asylums :

Excellence of, in the
Argentine, 114

For aged, 123

For widows, 124

For lunatics, 124-35
Avenida Central, Rio, 325

B

Bacteriological research,

345-47

Ball, Official, at Rio, 359
Band, Oriental, 18

See Uruguay.
Bangu, Factories &t, 364-

Battleships, Extensive pur-
chases of, 291

Belgrano, General, n. 59

Betting in the Argentine,
166-67

Black Pot, The, 14

Bon Vista, 368

Botanical Gardens:

Of Buenos Ayres, 38-40,

Of Rio, 368
Bouvard, M., 57
Brazil, 144, (226-425)

Recent troubles in, 178

Domestic architecture, n.
318, 321

French culture in, 331

Products of, 333

Politics, 337

Federal Government, 342

Saint Paul, 341-42

Society, 352-63

Planters, 356

Women of, 358

Agricultural methods,
364-66

See C o ff e e, Rio de

Janeiro, Saint Paul
Brazil, Dr., his antitoxins

for snake-bites, 403-4
Buckle, his prophecy re-
lating to Brazil, 143-44
Buenos Ayres, 26-141

Elevators of, 26-27

City, 28

Architecture, 29

Docks, 32-33

Slaughter-houses, 34-35,
74-79

Excessive population, 85

Schools, 115-16

Asylums and prisons, 98-

140

Buenos Ayres, Fair of, 79
Butantan ( Sero-therapeu-

tical Institute), 403

Cabred, Dr., alienist, 128-

29

Calval, 321
Campo, The Argentine:

Men of, 207-9

Drought in, 213-14

Fauna of, 220-21

Morals of, 225
Canaries, The, 420
Cape Verde Islands, 5
Cattle:

Exaggerated sums paid
for, 74, 163

Herds of the Argentine
Pampas, 206-9

Decimated by drought,

213-15, 246, 264
Cedar, False, 76
Cereals, 74, 75, 260
Cerro, The, 24-25
Church, The, in Brazil, 374
Cinematograph, The, 198

INDEX

429

Clover, Giant, 75

Coal, Absence of, in the
Argentine, 31

Coaling at St. Vincent, 10

Cobras, Las (island), Mu-
tiny on, 335, 342

Coffee (389-94)
The shrub, 389-90
Harvest, 390
Valorisation of, 393
Plantations, 394-99

Columbus, iii-v

Conscription as affecting
the French in South
America, 97-99

Cookery in the Argentine,
173-74

Corcovado, 369-72

Creole balls, 231

Creole beauty, A, 279-82

Cruz, Dr. Oswaldo, Valua-
ble medical services of,
343-48

Dances of the Pampas, 321

Dancing, 285

Democracy, M. Clemen-

ceau's lectures on, 200
Divorce in Uruguay, 299
Dolphins, 13

E

Education :

In the Argentine, 114-18
In Uruguay, 312-14

Emigrants :
Italian, 2, 7
Yearly, 2
Syrians, 7

Emigration to Brazil pro-
hibited on account of
abuses, 366

England:

At International Exposi-
tion of Buenos Ayres,
69-70
Her industrial role in

South America, 70
English :

In the Argentine, 100

In Patagonia, 105-6

As builders of railways.

183
Estancias:

Of the Argentine, 75
Of the Pampas, 224, 235-

47
Estancierq, The, 237

His habit of enlarging his

holdings, 237-38
His life, 238-44

Faction fights disappear-
ing, 177

Family life in the Argen-
tine, 150-51

Fauna of the Campo, 220-
21

Fazenda, The Brazilian,
356, 408-17

Fazendeiro, The, 356

Ferri, Prof. Enrico, 107-8

Finger-print system, 89-90

Flax, 74

Flying-fish, 14

Fonsica, Marshal Hermes
da, President of the Bra-
zilian Republic, 328

Forest :

The South American,

276-78 ,

The Brazilian, 366
Destruction of, 376-78,
414-15

430

INDEX

Forestry, Need of com-
petent, 77
France :

At the International Ex-
position of Buenos
Ayres, 70

Failure of her capital-
ists to realise their op-
portunity in South
America, 70

Military law of, as af-
fecting the French in
South America, 96-99
French colony, The, in the
Argentine, 93, 94-97
As engineers, 183
French school at Tucuman,

287

French theatre at Tucu-
man, 286

French Military Mission to
Saint-Paul, 329, 386

G

Game on the Pampas, 247-
52

Gaucho, The, 73, 207-9,
223-24, 228-30

Genoa, scenes in harbour, 1,
3

Germans in the Argentine,
100

Gramophones, 225

Groussac, P., 57

His adventures, 100-3
As a Spanish author, 102
Founds the public li-
brary, 102
Personality, 102-5
Groussac, de, 101-3

Guanaco, The, 221

Guiraldes, Sefior, City Lieu-
tenant of Buenos Ayres,
112

Half-breeds, Life of, 271-

75, 334
Harbour works, 183

See Rosario, Montevideo
Hares on the Pampas, 247
Harvesters, Italian, 84
Hilleret, M., sugar-planter,

270-71, 284
Horse-racing, 165-68
Horses :
At the Buenos Ayrea

Horse show, 74
Of the Pampas, 207-8,

217-18

Curious power of find-
ing their way home
after revolutions, 228-
29
Methods of breaking,

241-43
Hospitals :

Excellence of, 114, 121
The " Open Door " for in-
sane patients, 103, 124-
32

Rivadavia Hospital, 122
Hotels, 170-71
House of Independence,

The, 286
Huret, Jules, 257

Idealism, Latin, 63-65

Immigration, 84-85

Indian blood in the Argen-
tine, 111, 145-47

Indians, South American,
n. 53, n. 56

Individualism, character-
istic of South American
constitutions, 190

INDEX

431

Insurrections, Danger of, in

the Argentine, 179
International Exposition at

Buenos Ayres, 69-70
Isabella, the Infanta, Visit

of, 110-11
Italians in Brazil, 355, 396-

97

Jacques, outlaw and educa-
tionalist, 101

Japanese in Brazil, 348-49

Jefferson, 64

Jettatore, Belief in, 181

Jockey Clubs of Buenos
Ayres, 163-66

La Plata, 17, 25, 56-8
Lakaluf Indians, n. 55
Land:

Increase of value upon
cultivation, 75

Speculation in, 161
Las Cobras, Island of,

mutiny on, 335, 342
Larretta, E. R., novelist and

Argentine Minister in

Paris, 56
Law of Literary Property,

199-200

Law Schools, 120
Liguria, 4
Literature of the Argentine,

n. 58

Llamas, 221
Locusts, 219
Lules, 284

M

Manguinhos Institute (sero-

therapeutical), 345-47
Mar del Plato, 37

Martinette, The, 248-52
Mate, 44-6

Secret of growth from

seed, 45

Meat, frozen, 79
Medicine, 120-22

French culture of doc-
tors, 123

Protective regulations.
123

Sero-therapeutical Insti-
tute, 345-47
Middle classes, Abstention

of, from politics, 188
Military service, French

and Argentine, 96-98
Minas Geraes, battleship,

mutiny on, 335, 342
Miscegenation, 147-48, 334
Monroe Doctrine, 66-67
Montevideo, 18

Docks, 20

City, 21

Architecture, 21-22

Harbour, 292

Moreno, Moriana, n. 59, 102
Morra, 14-15
Motor-cars :

In the Campo, 245

Shooting from, 248-49
Mussurana, a cannibal

snake, 404

Ombu-tree, The, 40-42, 219-

20

Onas Indians, n. 55
Onelli, Seiior, Director of

Buenos Ayres Zoological

Gardens, 48-53
" Open Door," The, asylum

for insane, 124-35
Ornevo (cardinal bird), 221
Ostrich, The, 51, 221
Owl, The prairie, 223, 255

432

INDEX

Palermo (race-course), 38,
53-54

Pampas, The:
Life on, 204-32
Enormous herds of, 210-
12

Pampero, The, 17, 73

Pan-American Congress,
65-67

Parana, the, 26, 260

Partridges, 248-51

Patagonians, Account of, by
Senor Onelli, n. 52-56

Pec/anha, President, 332

Pellegrini, President, an in-
soumiSy 99

Peiia, President, 107, 182

Penguins, 50

Petropolis, 373-74

Photographers in the home,
198-99

Police, Argentine, 89

Politics, 176-77, 189
In Uruguay, 300-1
In Brazil, 336-39

Polyvalent serum for snake-
bite, 403

Prado fazenda, The, 394-95

Press, Power of the, 191-
92, 193-98, 304

Prisons, 137-41

Protectionism in the medi-
cal world, 123

Quebracho, 32, 40
Quintano, the late Presi-
dent, 181

R

Rabat, a method of hunting
hares, 248

Race-course, Palermo, 38
Railways, 183, 422
Rastaquoere, The, 62
Reds of Uruguay, The, 178

Garibaldi's shirt bor-
rowed from, n. 300
Refrigerator industry, The.

79, 216

Revolution, The French, x.
Revolutions :

South American, things
of the past, 179

Method of raising men,
227, 266

In Uruguay, 300
Rio Bay, 321-27
Rio Branco, Baron de, 328
Rio de Janeiro, 322-51

Aspect of city, 325-29

From Corcovado, 371
Roca, President, 102
Rosario :

Cattle show at, 79, 259

Docks, 262

Deficiency of schools, 263
Rosas, dictator, n. 59

S

St. Lazare, prison, 113

St. Paul (Sad Paolo) , 379-81
Government of, 382
City, 384

St. Paul (Sab Paolo) , bat-
tleship, mutiny on, 335,
342

St. Vincent, coaling station,
8, 9, 418

St. Vincent, Brazil, 320

San Martin, 59

Santos, Shipments of coffee
at, 319, 398-407

Santos Bay, 407

Santos River, 317

Sarmiento, n. 59, 101

INDEX

433

Schools :

In the Argentine, 115-18

Secondary, 119

Training College of St.

Paul, 385-87
Sculpture, Abundance of

mediocre, in Buenos

Ayres, 58-60
Sera:

Preparation of, 345-46

Snake antitoxins, 402-3
Sheep, in Patagonia, 106
Shipping, lines to South

America, 421, 423-24
Siesta unknown to Brazil,

320
Slavery:

In Brazil, Abolition of,
353-54

Evils and advantages of,

358

Snakes, of Brazil, 401-4
Scares, Senor, his model

fazenda, 408-9
Southern Cross, The, 16
Spain, influence of her tra-
ditions, 109-11
Sport in the Pampas, 248-

55

Stone Age, The, n. 53-54
Sugar-cane, Fields of, 273

Tchuleches Indians, 53
Telegraphy, Wireless, 9
Thays, M.:

Director of Parks, etc., at j
Buenos Ayres, 38-39

His proposal for national !

park, 39, 44-55
Theatre at Rio, 361
Therezopolis, 375
Tierra del Fuego, Natives

of, n. 55

Timber:

Lack of, in Argentina,
32, 76

Improvident destruction

of, 76
Trade of Argentina and

Brazil, 422-23
Training College, St. Paul,

385-87
Tucuman, 268, 286-87

The French at, 286-88

U

Uruguay, 18, (289-315)
Revolutions in, 19
President of, 20, 23-24
Morals of, 22
Whites and Reds of, 178
Curious domestic archi-
tecture, 295

Laws (reformed) , 298-99
Revolutions, 300
Whites and Reds, 300
Insecurity of life during

political disputes, 301
The Press, 304
Idealism, 308-9
Uruguay Club, The, 303
Uruguay River, The, 26

Valorisation of coffee, 393
Viana, Island of, 348-50
Voltaire, played 900 miles

from the coast in 1780,

ix., 333
Voyage, Impressions of the,

5-10

W

White, Mr. Henry, 57
Whites, The, of Uruguay,
178, 300

434

INDEX

Williman, Senor, President
of Uruguay, 23-24, 297

Yellow fever, at Santos, and
extirpation of, 319

The work of Dr. Cruz at

Rio, 343-45
Yerba-mate, 44-46

Zoological Gardens, Buenos
Ayres, 48-49

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