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 CHILI 429 than the males. The dress of the Chilians of the higher classes is in the French style, except that the poncho (a blanket, with a hole in the centre for the head to pass through) is in uni- versal use with both rich and poor. The ladies also copy the French fashions, except in a con- stant use of the shawl, both indoors and out. The poorer classes dress more like the gauchos of the eastern states of South America. In manners they are gay, social, hospitable, and generous, but retain in some degree the bigotry and indolence of their Spanish ancestry. Crimes are of comparatively rare occurrence, but gam- bling is an almost universal passion. The chi- cha, a fermented liquor made from grapes, green apples, and other fruits, and very intoxi- cating, is a constant drink, and often inflames the passions of the lower classes and the In- dians to fury. Licentiousness exists to an alarm- ing extent, and the diseases it engenders are among the most fatal in the country. Illegiti- macy is common. In Santiago a fifth, and in Valparaiso a quarter of all the births are ille- gitimate. Blindness and goitre are very com- mon. The religion of Chili is Koman Catholic, and the laws tolerate no other ; but in practice there is no very marked opposition to the quiet performance of worship under other forms of faith. Within a few years the government has devoted much attention to the subject of edu- cation, and now no other South American state has so efficient an educational systenj. New schools and colleges have been established, and a strong effort has been made to extend their benefits to all classes. There are now more than 500 government schools, and as many municipal, private, and monastic, with an ag- gregate attendance of nearly 40,000 scholars. The books for the government schools are fur- nished by the republic. There are two nor- mal schools for the education of teachers, one for males, the other for females. The na- tional institute at Santiago, which is the gov- ernment university, is divided into two sec- tions, the preparatory and the university. The preparatory section has two courses, that of the humanities, occupying six terms, and that of mathematics, occupying five. Instruction in both sections is free. Another institution, called the conciliar seminary, combines the college and theological seminary. There are also at the capital a school of agriculture, a naval school under the direction of the min- ister of marine, and a military school under the care of the minister of war. The nation- al library, also at the capital, contains about 25,000 volumes, and is especially rich in theo- logical works, having been originally founded by the Jesuits. The agriculture of Chili is very primitive. With the exception of a tol- erably skilful system of irrigation, the farmers and planters are grossly ignorant of the im- proved methods. Their ploughs are rude in- struments, only scratching the earth to the depth of two or three inches. The yoke is fastened to the horns instead of the neck of the cattle. Of subsoiling, the application of ma- nures, underdraining, and rotation of crops, they know nothing ; and the stubborn adhe- rence of the peons to old methods handed down from one generation to another is a barrier to any considerable improvement. Still, with all these drawbacks, so fertile is the soil, and so much is it enriched by the detritus brought down by the mountain streams, that agricul- ture is a very profitable pursuit. The farms are usually very large, frequently comprising several thousand acres; and herds of cattle 5,000, 10,000, or 20,000 in number are pastured on the elevated plains, and tended by the gau- chos, till the period for their slaughter arrives. The haciendados usually reside in the cities, leaving their plantations under the care of may- ordomos or overseers, and only visiting them oc- casionally. Smaller estates are called chacaras haciendas and also haciendas, and the small farms are called quintas. In the northern por- tions the population is far more laborious than in the southern, where few laborers are to be found above the age of 22. In the southern provinces, as soon as the young men marry they yearn for independence and live upon a little patch of land, which is generally present- ed to them by the planters. This class of la- borers are attached to the plantation, and are called inquilinos. In consideration of the land and accommodation granted to them, they are bound to assist the planter during the rodeos (cattle fair) and the trilla (threshing season). The manufactures of Chili are not extensive, but are increasing under the patronage of the government, which has endeavored to intro- duce them by offering exclusive privileges. Among them are hempen cloths, cordage, soap, tallow, leather, charcoal, flour, brandy, the coarser kinds of work in gold, silver, copper and iron, earthenware jars of a superior descrip- tion, and ponchos. The latter, though woven in the rudest looms, possess some qualities which the French and English goods have nev- er been able to attain. Charqui, or beef dried in the sun, is also produced in considerable quantities. The greater part of the foreign trade of Chili is with Great Britain. The ar- ticles most extensively exported are copper, silver, wheat, flour, barley, hides, and wool; and the imports include nearly every variety of manufactures and foreign products. The total value of the exports for 1870 is shown in the following table : Countries. Peru Uruguay Argentine Eepub. Bolivia Brazil Central America.. United States Other American countries Great Britain Value. $5,220,000 940,000 80,000 830,000 100,000 80,000 860,000 270,000 16,450,000 Countries. Value. France $1,780,000 Germany 180,000 Belgium 20,000 Other European countries 10,000 Countries not enu- merated 800,000 Total $27,060,000 The value of imports for 1870 was as fol- lows: