inkling may be gained by those who were not so acquainted from the manner in which the Commission decided a certain question. In view of the superior culture of the United States' representatives, they would naturally be prepared to carry on discussions in the language of their foreign associates. Did they? As a matter of fact the amount of Spanish possessed by the three American commissioners was negligible, whereas all three of the Mexican members spoke English, two of them fluently. The discussions were in English. And whatever others may think of the Mexican Commissioners, their American associates had no illusions either as to their culture or as to their intellectual acumen.

North America's ignorance of those Latin Americans who have made great contributions to the literary and scientific world is irritating and appalling. Some ten years ago there came to this country for a series of lectures a man whom Juan Velara, a noted Spanish literary critic, called the greatest lyric poet in the annals of Spanish literature. But his presence in this country was hardly known to any outside the smallest Hispanic circle. A little later he passed into the life beyond with hardly a reference to him in North American publications. This was Ruben Dario, one of the world's outstanding figures in literature.

A MEXICAN POET

What is the single event that has probably attracted more attention in Latin America than any other since the signing of the Armistice? A North American audience could not guess in a thousand guesses. It was not the passage of some law, the victory of some political party, the beginning of some great new enterprise or the defeat of treaty ratification by the United States Senate. It was the death of Amado Nervo! Amado Nervo? And who was he? Nobody, so far as the United States is concerned. Three years ago he passed through New York on his way from Mexico to Buenos Aires where he was to serve his country as Minister. It is true that a few of us met together in a small lecture room in Columbia University to listen to him recite those most marvelous spiritual visions that have made men nobler

wherever the Spanish language is spoken. But New York did not know that he was in her midst. Later, when he died in Montevideo, Argentina and Uruguay sent battle cruisers to accompany his remains to Mexico. Cuba caused her warship also to join the escort into Vera Cruz. There was thus formed a more remarkable demonstration of Latin American friendship than has been seen for many a day. For weeks it was the principal topic of discussion in the newspapers of Mexico, Cuba, Argentina and Uruguay.

Nervo was the philosopher of the quiet faith, a man who loved nature and men and sleep. In one of his little known poems he says, "Friend, your poems are very good and I certainly enjoy listening to them, but what I really wish to do now is to go to sleep, for he who sleeps dreams and is therefore a god."

Amado Nervo is at his best when he interprets the Bible and mysticism in general. This little stanza on à Kempis is often quoted and misquoted:

O, Kempis, Kempis, pale and ascetic,

I have been sad for years,

There is illness in my soul;

And it is all on account of the book you wrote.

The "Mystics" shows Nervo in one of his best developed moods. It leaves in the mind of the reader a lingering sense of procession, of pale browed pageantry. Thomas Walsh has made a translation close to the spirit of the original:

Bards of brow funereal
With your profiles angular
As in ancient medals grand;

Ye with air signorial,
Ye whose glances lie afar,
Ye with voices of command;

Theologians grave and tried,
Vessels of love meted grace,
Vessels full of sorrow found;

Ye who gaze with vision wide,
Ye whose Christ is in your face,
Ye in tangled locks enwound-

My muse a maid marmoreal
Who seeks oblivion as her stay,
Can find alone her rapture fanned

Amid your air signorial,
Amid your looks that lie afar,
Amid your voices of command,

My soul that doth your spirit trace
Behind the incense's rising tide
Within the nave's calm shadow ground,

Hath loved the Christ upon your face,
Hath loved your sweep of vision wide,
Hath loved your tangled locks enwound.

Away up in Asunción, Paraguay, a thousand miles from the coast but only a few miles from some of the wildest tribes of Indians in existence, one finds a circle of literary men. One of the few Americans who visited that city not long ago called on a member of this circle. The Paraguayan was suspicious of him at first and began an examination : "Tell me about my Emerson," he said to the North American, who fortunately knew something of the New England philosopher. "Tell me of my Whitman," he said again, and then, leaning back in his chair, after a few minutes he said, "Now tell me of my Po-a (Poe). Ah! That's the finest thing I have heard in a long time. You are the first American I have seen down here who knew anything about my Po-a and these other dear friends of mine."

Because of Latin America's early literary development she has an immortal song of the great victory of Bolivar at Junin. What would we not give had there been a bard in our Revolutionary days to sing such a hymn in honor of our own Washington! The poem is entitled "La Victoria de Junin," and was written by José Juaquin de Olmeda (1780-1847). Here is a part of this remarkable pæan, scarcely excelled in all literature. (Much, of course, is lost in translation.)

If to Americans, Oh Liberty!

The solemn mission is by Heaven given
To curb and tame the horrid beast of war,
And over all the regions of the earth,
And over all the waters of the seas

To spread thy sovereign rule's imperial sway,
Fear not with such a hero as Bolivar
That error blind shall e'er obscure thy light,
That superstition shall profane thy altars,
That tyranny shall dare affront thy laws.

For thee shall be the glory, Oh Bolivar!
For thee the right to break the yoke of kings,
In their despite to enthrone the law on high.

Forever shall this glory last, ye nations,
And irresistible your free estate

Shall be before the might and hateful league
Of all the tyrants that have sworn to crush you.
If in a federal bond from pole to pole,
In war and peace ye live fore'er united.
In union is your strength, union, Oh nations!
That ye be always free and never conquered.

A mightier work, Bolivar, is this union.
Than to destroy Spain's iron rod of power,
And thou alone art worthy to achieve it.

A bosom friend of Olmeda's was Andrés Bello, a much more typical Latin American intellectual, because he was not only a poet, but a great grammarian, a statesman and pedagog. His keen understanding of his people is found in his pointing them to agriculture as one of the surest antidotes to civil discord and international strife.

"O youthful nations, ye who lift your heads
Encircled with new laurel wreaths of victory,
Before the gaze of an astonished West!
Do honor to the fields, with honor lead
The farmer's simple life, homely and frugal,
Thus freedom shall abide with you forever,
And ye shall always curb

Ambition, and respect law's sacred might."

Another one of those marvelous brains that accomplished an unbelievable amount of work and whose influence radiated to every corner of the Spanish-speaking world, is Eugenio Maria de Hostos. Here is one of those Latin geniuses that seem to be capable of doing any amount of intellectual work in any number of different spheres.

He

wrote one of the best treatises on constitutional law that has been published. An edition in English is scheduled for the near future. His educational principles, which were given through his years of teaching in the normal school in Santo Domingo, show some of the most modern pedagogical theories. It is planned also to publish these as soon as his old students are able to work them out from their notes. A volume called "Meditando" shows the remarkable intellectual grasp of the man. First there is a long essay on Hamlet, a splendid critical study of Shakespeare's play; then follow short essays on several of the great men of South America; a criticism of various authors in Santo Domingo; a treatise on the laws of teaching, on political themes and on literary criticism. This remarkable man was educated in Spain, traveled all through Latin America, came to be a recognized authority in literature and politics in Argentina, Chile, Santo Domingo, Cuba and Porto Rico, in all of which countries he lived for a more or less brief period of time. Before Europe had opened scientific careers to women, Hostos had persuaded the Chilean government to open its courses in medicine and law to women. He was also the first man to urge in Argentina the importance of the construction of the Trans-Andean railway. In Santo Domingo he edited the first laws concerning education and directed for nine years the public education of that country. While in Peru he began a campaign in favor of the protection of the Chinese there and aided the national government in its controversy concerning the Oroya railroad. He worked most arduously for the independence of Cuba and offered to earn by means of his pen a million pesetas for the Liberal cause.

AN ARGENTINE SCHOLAR

I treasure as one of the finest experiences of my life a visit a year or two ago to the home of Dr. Ernesto Quesada, the great Argentine scholar. I was met at the door by the butler and ushered into a beautiful room filled with rare art treasures and the armor of forgotten knights. From there I was directed to proceed into the adjoining room, where I should find the head of the house. This was a large room