Identifier: barbarousmexico00turn (find matches)
Title: Barbarous Mexico
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Turner, John Kenneth
Subjects: Mexico -- Politics and government 1867-1910 Mexico -- Economic conditions
Publisher: Chicago : C. H. Kerr & company
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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an laborermeets the Mexican on the latters own ground he is quiteoften outdone. Few Americans engage in physical la-bor either on the plateau or in the tropics. The laborerof no nation can outdo the Mexican in carrying heavyloads or in feats of endurance, while in the tropics theMexican, if he is not starved, is supreme. The Ameri-can negro, the Asiatic coolie, the athletic Yaqui from thenorth, have all been tried out against the native of thetropical states and all have been found wanting, whilethere is no question as to the inferiority of the workingcapacity of men of European descent under tropicalconditions. So much for the working capacity of Mexicans, which,in this extremely utilitarian age, is placed high amongthe virtues of a people. As to intelligence, in spite ofthe fact that it was always the policy of the Spanishconquerers to hold the native Aztecs in subordinate po-sitions, enough of the latter have succeeded in forcingtheir way to the top to prove that they were quite as
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wool) CARRIKKS, CITY OK MEXICO.CIIKAIKK TIIAX A MKXICAN LAHORER ISMORSE TIIF. MEXICAN PEOPLE 335 capable in the higher functions of civihzation as theSpaniards themselves. The most brilliant poets, artists,writers, musicians, men of science, military heroes andconstructive statesmen in the history of Mexico werenatives pure or natives but faintly crossed with the bloodof Spain. On the whole, the Mexicans seem to exhibit strongerartistic and literary tendencies than we and less inclina-tion toward commerce and heavy mechanics. The massof the people are illiterate, but that docs not mean thatthey are stupid. There are undoubtedly several millionAmericans who are able to read but who dont read reg-ularly, not even a newspaper, and they are no better in-formed, perhaps, and certainly no clearer thinkers, thanthe peons who pass the news of the day from mouthto mouth on their Sundays and their feast days. Thatthese people are illiterate by choice, that they are poorbecause they want to be,

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