LECTURE ON SOUTH AMERICA

Professor James H. Brewster, of the University of Michigan, delivered an illustrated lecture of unusual interest in the Living Room of the Union last evening on "Characteristic Scenes in Chili, Bolivia and Peru." The slides used to illustrate the scenery and inhabitants of South America were excellent, especially those showing small towns with the show-capped Andes in the distance.

In describing scenes in Chili, Professor Brewster gave a brief description of the two chief seaports, Santiago and Valparaiso. Both are modern cities, except in the height of the buildings, earthquakes being so frequent that sky-scrapers are prohibited. The city houses front directly on the street and have beautiful gardens behind.

Passing from the dangerous, rock-bound coast to the plains of the interior, the tourist comes upon the great nitrate beds, which furnish the chief income to this otherwise unproductive country. The export of nitrate is enormous and was the chief cause of the late Chili-Peruvian War.

Travelling north from Chili, Professor Brewster entered the tin-producing region of Bolivia with its picturesque adobe houses, hilly cities, and gaily clad women selling their wares in the streets at remarkably small prices. Here the Hamas, small camels which have been domesticated since the time of the Incas, do all the draught work and haul the orange-laden wagons across the plains.

Passing from Bolivia to Peru, the traveller notices at once the remains of the ancient race of Incas. "The Stonehenge of America," a curious collection of huge carved boulders, stands in the middle of a great, brown plain. These ruins, much resembling the stonehenge of England, were probably built in the fifteenth century. The method by which these immense rocks were cut to fit into each other so exactly is still a mystery to archaeologists.

From the stonehenge the lecturer proceeded to Arequipa, the site of the Harvard Astronomical Observatory. This town, although far from any other settlement of size, is much more advanced than the cities to the south. The sanitary condition is unusual for South America, and there is a club established by the members of the observatory staff. Professor Brewster concluded his lecture with views and a brief description of Lima, the mountain capital of Peru.