"'Whereas, it has been decreed that the saints shall inherit the earth;
"'It is therefore Resolved, that we are the saints.'"
"The Spanish conquerors of Mexico evidently did not think it worth while to pass any resolutions or hold any meetings," answered Frank, with a laugh. "They went ahead and inherited the earth without bothering themselves about formalities. The Indians were considered to have no rights that the white men were required to respect, and were made to understand that it was owing to the great mercy and tenderness of the Spaniards that the natives were not slaughtered down to the last of the race. And there is little doubt that they would have been slaughtered had they not been needed for menial work and to make life easy for the newcomers.
A CREOLE RESIDENCE.
"As before stated, the creoles have the manners, customs, and dress of Spain to a large extent, though they follow the fashions of France in several particulars. The account of a Mexican courtship shows how the women are secluded, as in Spain. The men have the Spanish taste for gaming, bull-fights, and gallantry, and they have lost little of the polite forms for which Andalusia is famous. Where their means permit they are princely in their hospitality, and no grandee of Castile could stab his intimate friend with a stiletto more gracefully than can the Mexican creole in case of a misunderstanding. That the creole women are pretty and possessed of most fascinating manners is the testimony of all who have seen them.
"In regard to the mestizos," said Frank, "I will quote a few words from 'Mexico and the Mexicans,' and let you write them down."
Fred assented, whereupon Frank slowly read out the following:
"The noblest of the Aztecs fell in battle with the Spaniards. Their property fell into the hands of the victors, who at the same time became possessed of the families of those who had fallen. The rude warriors married the dusky daughters, who became their equals by baptism. It was not considered a mésalliance to marry a noble Aztec girl. The sons of Montezuma, who were educated in Spain, received the title of count. The Indian aristocracy adopted Christianity, and became amalgamated with the new population.