Argentina 143 



of the year in the wheat-fields, and then go back to their 

 homes. Some, who come with the expectation of re- 

 turning, settle down in the land, and thus a very large 

 part of the more recent additions to the population have 

 been Italians. The study of the railway maps and of 

 the names of stations and towns reveals in an interesting 

 manner how exceedingly various have been the nation- 

 alities of those who have occupied the soil. Temperley, 

 Claypole, Nelson, and Lincoln are towns with English 

 names. Rauch and Lehmann are places concerning 

 which it does not require a linguist to decide that they 

 were settled by Germans. Names like these are 

 sprinkled all over the map of the country, as well as 

 names which are purely Spanish and Italian. 



Buenos Aires, the capital, is a cosmopolitan city. 

 The tendency of populations to concentrate in cities, 

 which is characteristic of modern times, is illustrated 

 forcibly in the case of this great community. There 

 are about one million and a quarter of people in Bucros 

 Aires. Rosario, the next city in size, has about two 

 hundred thousand. More than one-fifth of the popula- 

 tion of Argentina is gathered into its cities. There are 

 thoughtful men, with whom I conversed, who deprecate 

 this fact, as there are men in our own country who dep: e- 

 cate the tendency of the masses to congregate in the 

 towns. The cry ' back to the soil ' ' is being heard in 

 Argentina, as in the United States. Many of the wealthy 

 citizens of the Argentine metropolis are in fact agricul- 

 turists and great landowners. Their presence on their 

 estates being only required at certain seasons of the year, 

 they have elected to live in the city and to enjoy the 

 conveniences and social intercourse which are afforded 

 by urban life. They may be pardoned for their choice, 

 but for every millionaire who lives in the city there are, 



