LITTLE MEXICANS.

Manawatu Herald, 10 May 1898, Page 4

LITTLE MEXICANS.

l"iei . Daily liife— What They Wear— Art, Music and tho Family Mole. In the cities of Mexico the majority of tl.o children nro dressed similarly to the children of European oitios. In the wilds, tho country, tho hidden places of Mexico, tlio children \jrcar garbs that are Indian, garb, thnt aro Spanish and garbs tbat are quaint and ingenious combinations of the two. Every Moxlcan child is an artist. The wou brown fingers of Mexican babies mold tho ruddy Mexican mud into babies browner than themselves, and Mexican

ohildren of most tender years pinoh and peb and pat and poke and coax moist clay, wax and other materials into statuettes nnd tiny figures, which they sell in the Mosican market places.

Tlio children of Mexico have not overmany pets, but thoy all have familiar acquaintance with ono animal, the mule. Almost; tho poorest Mexican family has its mulo. Savo among the rich, tbe largest family rarely has but one *uch steed. Mexican families are not, as a rule, small, and tho family mule is perpetually called upon to carry burdens that aro enough to ::our tho disposition of a sweeter tempered animal. Whito mules wifch black faces, black mules wifch whito faces, and mules t,i every mulish color or combination of .:j ora aro always on the move in Mexico. You will sco tbem in the cifcy streets, and i ]]?y will save you from feeling lonely when you tramp the country byways. The destination of . Mexican mule is, 10 to 1, church, tho market or home. The eldest boy leads the mule. Tho father pushes tho mule discreetly. The mother, all the littlo children and no mean part of the family gourts and chattels ride the mule. His muleshjp/even under such circumstancos, makes long journeys day after clay, but ho does nofc do it enthusiastically.

Musio ia an instinct with the child ron of Mexico. Ifc isn't the blare of tbe new clay. It's tbe glad matins of the birds tliat waken tbe Mexican mites. If those Mexicau babios be half well born and half well housed, they pay tho birds for songs with songs. This is the custom: When day first breaks into the bedrooms of a Mexican house — and she breaks in very early, partly because Moxico is where Mexico is, and partly because tho low houses harvo an abundance of windows — when, for thoso two reasons, tho sun does mako so early an entrance, the head of the houso gallantly welcomes it by leaping out of bed. If he is very old or very feeble, ho afc least manages to lift himself from his pillow, and he begins to sing a song, a hymn of morning praise. If a priest; bo staying in the house, then thafc pricsfc starts tho vocal symphony, and the father, mother and all tho people of the homestead down to the least of the servants tako ifc up and join in tho song of simplo welcomo to the morning, but sweetest of all the voices heard is that of tho Mexican baby.

Tho poorer children of the cities of Mexico spond a considerable part of their days in tbo market places — in tho bazaars. They puildlo tho little clay figures and wax croature3 that their doft fingers have shaped and tho sunshine in which they lovo to sit has baked, they hawk flowers and barter magnificent fruits for copper coins, they rush after you and catch you by tho skirt and hurl you back to their parents' booths. Ab a rule, they know one English sentence, "Give mo a penny."