VIII
Strangely enough, the more hypocrisy one discovered in the little General, the more one liked him.
It was a hypocrisy leavened by kindliness and humor. And to him, as to other Latin-Americans, it was not hypocrisy at all, for his was a code of life wherein our Anglo-Saxon standards were completely inverted.
Each race has developed its own ideas as to what is important in human conduct. The Anglo-Saxon, being by nature blunt and frank, regards truth as a supreme virtue. When he discovers something wrong, he sets about correcting it. The Latin-American, being by nature suave and courteous, regards truth as an irritating and offensive bad habit. When he discovers something wrong, he politely ignores it.
From our viewpoint, the Latin-American appears shallow and superficial. He lives a life of pretense, completely satisfied so long as outward effect is properly maintained. He lies cheerfully and gracefully as a matter of good form. He offers one short change with a knightly gesture. If reminded gently that he has made an “error” in his count, he is extremely grateful for the correction. If informed that he has cheated, he becomes highly indignant that his honor has been so rudely questioned. He wears handsome clothes and shabby underwear. He usually lets the tailor wait indefinitely for payment, and when pressed to settle a bill, he says with impressive dignity, “Because you insult me in your implication that I am not to be trusted, I shall not pay you for another month!”
He is inordinately fond of parading himself in public. He deliberately caters to theatrical taste. He is by nature no more impulsive than an Anglo-Saxon, but upon the right occasion, since it attracts attention and distinguishes him as a temperamental creature, he indulges in great emotion. He makes a wild demonstration of enthusiasm over friends. He affects much grief over the death of his mother-in-law. He grows furious at times, but usually in the absence of the enemy, in the presence of an enemy whom he believes he can lick, or under the influence of alcohol. He is courageous enough—frequently to a point of recklessness which the Anglo-Saxon seldom equals—but usually when he believes the object worth the risk, or when vanity overcomes his judgment, to lure him into a dramatic scene before an admiring audience.
He understands the shallow pretenses of his fellows, but he accepts them as real, just as they accept his. He professes unlimited faith and confidence in their loyalty and integrity, although he suspects that they can be trusted only so long as it is to their advantage. He knows them to be—like himself—indolent, undependable, and potentially dishonest, yet he makes eloquent speeches to them, extolling their energy, reliability, and general uprightness. By a process of self-hypnotism, he convinces himself momentarily that he means these lavish professions. When they respond with similar praises of his own worth, he glows all over with a very much gratified self-satisfaction.
Generalizations of this sort, I admit, are always unjust. Out of the mass of the Latin-American population stand many splendid individuals to whom this character analysis does not apply. Even in the mass, the various characteristics are subject to variation from country to country. But on the whole, from an Anglo-Saxon viewpoint, these people appear idealists in speech and materialists in action. One hand counts the rosary while the other scratches fleas. Judged by the Anglo-Saxon, they have few real virtues. Yet one must remember that each race has its own standards, created out of an unconscious desire to glorify itself by worshiping as virtues the qualities which it happens to possess. Judged by their own standards, their vices are virtues, and our virtues are vices.
It is the Latin-American’s many faults that make him likeable. His own defects, which he understands but refuses to admit, have made him extremely tolerant toward the defects of others. Being supersensitive, he is considerate of a stranger’s feelings. Loving flattery, he is lavish in its bestowal. Being vain, he is eager to make a good impression, and frequently proves generous and hospitable. Being indolent, he has infinite leisure for entertainment. At all times he is friendly, agreeable, and courteous.
To-day, several years after my first visit to Mexico, when I have lived among the natives of twenty-six different lands, and met travelers from many others, there is no people whose company I have enjoyed more than that of the Latin-Americans. And no one individual who proved a more pleasant companion than the little Mexican General.