een Spanish-America and Europe than between the
United States and Spanish-America, and there can be no doubt that the
growth of a great American civilisation distinct from that of the
United States will be a valuable element in the New World. The
influence of the United States will always be offset by the imported
European culture and solidity. It has been characteristic of all
Spanish-America to emulate and to exalt the United States, but the
grave faults apparent in the character of the Americans in their
political and commercial world recently have caused much loss of
prestige. The student of American life cannot maintain that the
civilisation of the United States necessarily tends to become superior
to that of the Spanish-American's. There is, of course, a vast
superiority in manufacture, means of communication, and all that goes
to make up the modern business world--immeasurably so. But of man's
humanity to man, of social refinement, honesty in business, cleanliness
in politics, the United States is not much in advance of its
neighbours. Nevertheless, the influence of the United States has been,
and will be, of much steadying value to Mexico, and it remains to be
seen if Mexico can preserve her individuality, in view of her proximity
to the United States, and whether she can absorb the excellent
characteristics of the Americans, without acquiring their defects.
Probably she can. On the other hand, it is a source of satisfaction to
the student of American civilisation to observe the present reciprocal
and neighbourly attitude of the United States and Mexico towards each
other. There they stand, shoulder to shoulder, without quarrel of
religion or race, the big Republic and the developing one, both under
the forging hand of time.

For herself Mexico may be looked upon as a strong and healthy type of
Spanish-American civilisation, whose growth all students of
race-affairs will watch with interest. Endowed with a land of varied
and plentiful resource, chastened by history and tribulation, and with
resolute step bent forward, Mexico stands as a leader of her race, and
a worthy unit in the development of the great New World. _Viva Mexico!_

INDEX

NOTE.--_For other place-names not given in index see chapters on
Natural Resources and Railways, also List of Illustrations._

Acapulco, seaport, 17, 105, 109, 111, 304, 343

Acocotla, 341

Africa, 258

Agramonte, 105

Agricultural products, list of, 291

A