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people. Some compare Mexican children with those of other countries, and not always to their disadvantage. Naturally they are courteous, sensitive, and fond of public display, but are not unduly self-conscious. They seem to mature earlier than the children of more northern climes, and some think they are less persevering and dependable. Others of wide experience fail to find them materially different from other children, where conditions are at all similar.

Most observers agree that co-education is hardly feasible in Mexico at least with the present social background. "Mixed" schools with both boys and girls attending the same classes are unusual above the beginning grades, where public funds warrant the erection of separate schools. Recent experiments in Yucatán in the direction of co-education did not gain much favor. Some educators feel that woman will never achieve her emancipation until co-education becomes universal, but even the foreign missionaries seldom endorse this view.

The most distressful feature of school life is the comparatively few pupils who pass beyond the first two grades. Lack of means as well as lack of incentive will account for this deplorable mortality, but with better wages and stable political conditions we may expect a longer average attendance. The enrollment in night schools during recent years has been hopeful. Hopeful, too, has been the introduction of sports and games in connection with the school curriculum. Through them we may expect the Mexican politician in time to learn the spirit of fair play and to acquire a willingness to accept defeat with better grace. As yet the Mexican student even in the preparatory and professional courses has few "student activities, "but there are organizations that keep him in touch with his fellows of Latin-America, and he frequently displays a wide knowledge of worth-while current events and of contemporary literature.

The test of any system of public instruction is to be found in popular reactions. Within the past twenty years one will note in Mexico City and other important centers, much evidence of sanitary improvement that can be traced to the public schools. Larger numbers on the streets and public conveyances are reading newspapers. The audiences at the "movies" still hum with the mumbling of those who read the explanations for the benefit of their less fortunate neighbors, but even this practice is becoming less noticeable. Art exhibits, musical recitals, and general courses of lectures are more frequent and better patronized than formerly. Learned societies and scientific foundations depend less than before on government initiative and support. The press is less hampered, and if it has taken to the "comic supplement" as one sign of progress, it still cherishes the vigorous editorial, expressed in good Castilian. Libraries and numerous museums are better patronized than of old and the better class of theatrical and operatic performances still attract appreciative audiences,

while the cinema and vaudeville allure new throngs. Not all these changes are distinctly improving in character, nor are they wholly due to the public school, but much of the impulse behind them comes from that agency and many of those most vitally affected by them have found in the school initial awakening and a steady source of inspiration.

AUTHORITIES CONSULTED

For the subject matter of this article the author has obtained much help from material gathered in Mexico and the United States while a member of the commission financed by Mr. Edward L. Doheny for the study of conditions in Mexico. Mexico, Its Social Evolution, a series of monographic studies prepared under the direction of Señor Justo Serra, is a perfect mine of information. The three volumes published after the Congreso Nacional de Educacion Primaria of 1910 (Mexico, 1912) give data for the individual states. The Boletin de Educacion and allied periodicals have been of value, as well as official reports of different kinds, including the Anuario Estadistica. Nearly all the standard histories and the better books of travel contain some helpful data and the newspapers are not without value.

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APPENDIX I

HOW TO CANVASS MEXICO: CHIEF COMMERCIAL CENTERS1

CANVASSING MEXICO

Customs Formalities.-The baggage of passengers entering Mexico by way of Laredo, El Paso, etc., must be transferred to the Mexican side by automobile or truck, as no trains now cross the border into Mexico. Inspection of baggage takes place on the Mexican side. Passengers should be present when this inspection takes place and claim their trunks after the inspection has been completed.

When arriving by sea the baggage is inspected in the customhouse at the port of arrival. The examination is usually conducted in a prompt and lenient manner.

Hotel runners may try to convince passengers that they can have the baggage successfully passed through the customhouse, but this matter should be attended to by the traveler in person.

Railway Baggage Regulations. The usual baggage allowance on a firstclass ticket is 50 kilos (110 pounds). For excess baggage rates see railway guide.

Salesmen's Samples.-Samples of any character which are not prohibited by customs laws may be imported duty free, provided they possess no commercial value.

For samples which have a commercial value, a bond may be given at the customhouse for a sum equivalent to the duty on the samples. The period for which bond is given is several months. Salesmen should carry with them letters of authority from their firms to customhouse agents at the border, who will thereupon look after the necessary bond.

If samples which have a value are carried into Mexico and later reexported, it is important that there should be no change in weight or quantity. If there is a difference noted when samples are reexported, they may be confiscated. If the customhouse at port of reexportation is furnished with a memorandum of samples that have been sold and the payment of duty thereon is volunteered, the matter can easily be arranged, and bond will then be canceled for that portion of the samples sold.

Reexportation of Samples Through Other Ports.-Samples may be brought in through one and reexported from another port. The traveler should obtain a document at the port of entry which he can present to the customhouse at the port of reexportation, which will enable him to effect the clearance without difficulty.

Time Required for Clearance.-Samples which have no commercial value and are carried by the salesman as baggage can easily be cleared without any delay. Baggage will be inspected by customs officials and passed very quickly. Samples which have a commercial value and require the giving of a bond can be cleared in practically the time that is required for the clerical work necessary to prepare the proper papers. This can usually be expedited by the aid of a customs broker.

Duties on Advertising Matter.-Mexican authorities permit travelers to carry with them and admit free of duty a limited amount of advertising

1 Reprinted from Commercial Travelers' Guide to Latin America, by Ernst B. Filsinger. U. S. Dept. of Commerce Miscel. Series No. 89. Though originally published in 1920, the information herein included is still up-to-date except for a few trivial details,

matter, such as calendars, catalogues, etc. The quantity so admitted is usually governed by the customs officials.

Best Visiting Time. The time for a traveler to visit Mexico depends entirely upon the conditions which govern the line of trade of the traveler. In Mexico, unlike the countries in South America, prompt deliveries are exacted, and merchants, as a rule, will not buy so far in advance as in other Latin-American countries.

Baggage Rates.-No special concessions are granted by the railroads of Mexico to commercial travelers.

Commercial Travelers' Taxes.-No national tax is levied on commercial travelers. Certain municipalities or States may do so.

Routes to Follow.-In dealing with a country as important as Mexico, it is manifestly out of the question to mention arbitrarily the places to visit. Hardly two travelers will agree as to the best routes to follow. All that can be done for an uninitiated traveler is to give certain specimen trips, which will afford some idea of the routes that may be followed. These are subject to many variations.

Trip 1.-For arrival by way of Laredo (visiting most important cities only); Monterey, Victoria, Tampico, San Luis Potosi, Torreon, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Leon, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Pachuca, Mexico City.

Trip 2.-Arrival by way of El Paso, Tex.: Chihuahua, Torreon, Durango, return to Torreon, Monterey, Tampico, San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato, Pachuca, Mexico City.

Trip 3.-From Mexico City to Puebla, Orizaba, Vera Cruz, Puerto Mexico, Frontera.

Trip 4.-Mexico City to Morelia, Guanajuato, Guadalajara, Tepic, Mazatlan, Culiacan, Guaymas, Hermosillo, Nogales, Naco.

Trip 5.-Reverse the foregoing, beginning at Naco, Ariz., or continue from trip 6.

Trip 6.-Mexico City to Queretaro, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, Torreon, Chihuahua, El Paso; Naco, Ariz.; Cananea, Nogales, and thence continue as trip 4 reversed.

Special note.-Travelers should plan their trips in accordance with the requirements of their particular lines. The Railroad Guide (published monthly) is indispensable.

Buyers in Mexico.-In planning to canvass the Republic careful attention should be given to selecting the classes of merchants or buyers to approach. Travelers who deal with the largest firms of wholesale importers can not advantageously canvass the retail trade also without incurring the risk of losing the patronage of the large importers. In some places houses which do a large retail business also carry on a wholesale business. The traveler must exercise the utmost care to inform himself fully regarding these conditions, else he is likely to jeopardize his ultimate prospects. The wholesalers in Mexico who are located in the strategic centers, such as Mexico City, Monterey, Chihuahua, etc., bear the same relation to the smaller merchants in the adjoining district as do the wholesale houses of the United States to their adjacent fields.

There must be taken into consideration, in addition to the conditions described in the foregoing paragraph, a numerous group of buyers such as railways, power plants, industrial or manufacturing establishments, mines, breweries, etc. It would be impossible in a work of this character to particularize the methods to be followed in every instance.

Agencies. It is impossible to lay down hard and fast rules for the establishment of agencies or for the canvassing of Mexico. The country is so large that when numerous towns have to be visited periodically it is inadvisable to expect the work to be done by one traveling man. Houses which content themselves with opening an office in Mexico City or allowing the Republic to be canvassed from that point frequently find that the results are far from satisfactory. The following is suggested as a basis for the division of the country. It is, however, purely arbitrary and not applicable to all

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