There is not a city of any importance in Latin America where either artificial illuminat ing gas or electric light is unknown. Tele graph and telephone wires stretch all over Latin America, uniting cities and towns, over the wilds and across the mountains, bridging mighty rivers, connecting neighboring countries and linking their shores with the rest of the civilized world. Not an event of any import ance takes place in Europe, Asia, Africa or the United States which the submarine cable does not bring to the Latin-American press, to be made public either in the form of bulletins or in according to the importance of the event, while nearly every Latin-American country has its wireless telegraph system. Electric cars are fast replacing the older and slower •methods of transportation within the cities and extending their usefulness to carry ing passengers to suburban villas, small towns or country places of amusement, and Buenos Aires, the largest Latin-American capital, has a subway in operation.
A charge frequently made against Latin Americans is that they are a race of dreamers. There is some truth in this. Latin-Americans have inherited from their forefathers the love of the beautiful and the grand; the facility for expression and the vivid imagination of the Latin race; the sonorous, majestic Span ish, the flexible, musical Portuguese, and French, the language of art; and a responsive chord to all that thrills, be it color, harmony or mental imagery. They have also inherited
from those ancestors their varying moods, their noble traits and their shortcomings, both of which have been preserved, and in certain cases improved, under the influence of environ ment, the majestic mountains, primeval forests, ever blooming tropical flowers, birds of sweet est songs and wonderful plumage; under magnificent skies and the inspiration drawn from other poets and writers, foreign and native.
Much more might be said to show the con stant endeavor of Latin America to co-operate with its best efforts to the civilization of the world. It has contributed readily according to its Latin standards, and from the day of its independence and the establishment of republi can institutions Latin America has recognized the rights of man, abolished slavery, fostered education, developed its commerce and in creased traveling facilities and means of com munication with the outer world. It has con tributed to the best of its ability to the sum total of human betterment, and the day cannot be far off when full justice will be done to the efforts of the countries south of the United States, where live a people intelligent, progres sive, proud of their history and their own efforts, and ready to extend a friendly hand and a sincere welcome to those who are will ing to understand them, and aid them on their road to progress.