Expedition Into Texas, 1675 



339 



rather favorable. He is not exposed to 

 the rigors of the elements, and partic- 

 ularly during the last few decades the 

 hygienic conditions have been brought 

 to a high standard. 



It is a fact that progress during the 

 last 50 years has been pushed along lines 

 even more important in their way than 

 the increase in tonnage, the cheapening 

 of product, or the raising of the stand- 

 ard of quality. The captains of in- 

 dustry in mining have, like others, 

 displayed increasing care of their armies 

 of men. 



It has become an axiom with every 

 enlightened manager that every means 

 which shall render more satisfactory the 

 surroundings of the worker is bound to 

 tell upon the results of their labor. A 

 comparison of our modern mines and 

 plants with those of former decades, of 

 which some even now survive, proves 

 what attention is paid to making the 

 conditions under which manual labor is 

 performed as tolerable as the circum- 

 stances will permit. There has been a 

 tremendous improvement in this direc- 

 tion, and it does not lessen the achieve- 

 ment when we frankly acknowledge 

 that it is largely due to the recognition 



of the fact that progress in this direc- 

 tion pays handsomely. 



Let me go a step further, and that is 

 to make the claim that the crowning 

 glory of the efforts to improve our min- 

 ing and metallurgical industries has 

 been that they have contributed their 

 full share to the development of this 

 materialistic age. They have helped to 

 bring within the reach of an ever-grow- 

 ing circle of people not alone the neces- 

 sities, but also many of the comforts and 

 some of the luxuries of life. Let me 

 confess that it seems to me the greatest 

 and most commendable of achievements 

 to raise ever so little the mass of hu- 

 manity in civilization, and that is what 

 progress in the mechanic arts during the 

 past century has accomplished in a strik- 

 ing manner. Start the masses on a 

 higher plane — level them up. The great 

 genius may not tower so far above them 

 as once he did ; but that is again in har- 

 mony with our democratic institutions. 

 Let there be an increasing equality of 

 opportunity, even though it makes the 

 struggle fiercer and fiercer, if only pub- 

 lic conscience will demand with sterner 

 emphasis that the methods for achieve- 

 ment be lawful and fair. 



EXPEDITION INTO TEXAS OF FERNANDO 



DEL BOSQUE 



Standard-Bearer of the King, Don Carlos II 

 In the Year 1675 



Translated from an Old Unpublished Spanish Manuscript 

 By Betty B. Brewster 



ON the 19th day of November, 

 1674, Don Antonio Balcarcel 

 Rivadaneira Sotomayor, al- 

 calde maior of the town of Nuestra 

 Seiiora de Guadalupe de la Nueva Es- 

 tremadura (now Monclova) , having de- 



cided that the good of his majesty's 

 service required a military organization 

 to show the force and arms his majesty 

 could bring to resist the Indians, who 

 might not wish to live peaceably under 

 the royal protection and who by their 



