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we found at San Luís Potosi a desert where the ground was thirsting after 3 years of failing crops


Ciudad San Luis Potosi

I found this city filled with a host of the most wretched, ragged specimens of miserable humanity that I have seen in the country.  The three years drought here has reduced many of the people to utter misery so that they are being fed by the authorities, & charitable contributions of citizens.  Among these the masonic fraternity have established a kitchen where they fed all comers at midday, until recently a few rains encouraged farmers to begin to plant corn thus giving work when the feeding was restricted to women & children.

In Mexico the Masonic fraternity is an object of hatred to the Catholic powers & has come to be joined by most of the gov't officials so that it represents the liberal or party in power, as the Church or conservative party forms the opposition.  There is no love lost between the two and it is only the firm hand & wise policy