AR-News: (NM - US)Teacher notices same problems over yrs:animal cruelty, drought, schools

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Saturday, February 21, 2004


Animal cruelty, drought, schools

Things never change, at least if you're reading the newspapers


La Historia del Rio Abajo By Richard Melzer 



(La Historia del Rio Abajo is a monthly column about the history of Valencia 
County written by members of the Valencia County Historical Society. This 
month's column is written by Richard Melzer, president of the historical society 
and a professor of history at the UNM-Valencia Campus. For information about 
joining the historical society, call 821-0581 or visit the Harvey House Museum 
on South First Street in Belen.)



I've spent countless enjoyable hours reading old newspapers in the libraries 
and archives of New Mexico. These newspapers are virtual gold mines of 
historical information, full of human drama, tragedy and, yes, even comedy.As I read 
old newspapers, I am continually struck by how the issues and concerns of 
almost every decade are much the same as the issues and concerns of today. I tell 
my history students that if you cover the date at the top of most newspapers, 
you would have a hard time knowing if the date was today's or one from 40, 50 
or nearly 100 years ago.I came to this same conclusion recently when I 
discovered some old editions of the Belen Tribune, one of Valencia County's earliest 
newspapers (1907-13). Very few editions of the Tribune still exist, but some 
from 1909 and 1912 have been preserved and are quite revealing.Issues such as 
poor roads, inadequate jails and prolonged droughts were prevalent, but I 
noticed at least three areas of particular concern that are still largely present 
today.First, there was the issue of education. The Tribune's editor, William B. 
Berger, boasted that Valencia County had many fine teachers and schools. But 
Berger wondered why so few parents took the time to visit local schools to get 
to know their children's teachers and to check on their students' progress. 
Berger asked his readers just "how much do you know about the workings and 
business of the educational matters of your community?" Sound familiar?Drinking 
and liquor sales were other major issues back then, as they are today. The 
Tribune applauded towns such as Farmington and Mountainair that had banned the sale 
of liquor in local option elections. William Berger only wished that towns in 
Valencia County would do the same, asserting in early 1909 that "over 
two-thirds of the court expenses of Valencia County during the past 10 years have 
been expended for trials due to the rum traffic."The Tribune was especially upset 
about Sunday liquor sales and the sale of alcohol to minors. Despite 
territorial laws banning liquor sales on Sunday, by mid-1909, there were saloons in 
Belen "that are openly violating the law by ... admitting patrons to their 
premises through rear ... entrances."A lawyer as well as an editor, Berger declared 
that "the sheriff should wake up and catch one or two of these lawbreakers 
and have them hauled up before the court" to serve as examples to all 
others.Worse yet, mothers in August 1909 complained that certain local saloonkeepers 
were allowing children "to frequent saloons, pool rooms, and other places of 
vice." The Tribune urged mothers to provide evidence of such irresponsible 
behavior so the police and the courts could deal with it as soon as possible.The 
Tribune went so far as to print a verbose speech by an "old drunkard" who 
supposedly warned young men about the danger of alcohol in an unnamed local 
saloon:"This swollen countenance that you gaze upon was at one time as clear and healthy 
as yours. This body, now vacillating and trembling, at one time was as active 
and graceful as any ...."I (once) had a wife as beautiful as the dream of any 
artist, but I dropped the ... honor of that pearl ... I had sons as ... pure 
as the flowers of the spring, and I saw them wither and die beneath the 
scorching maledictions of a poor drunkard ...."I had a home wherein burned the fire 
of love and in its place fell darkness and desolation. I had ambitions and 
aspirations that mounted as high as the morning star, but they were crumbled and 
throttled ..."Now I am a husband without a wife, a father without sons, a 
vagabond without a home and a man with all his aspirations and impulses dead."All 
has been brought about by drink."Unfortunately, youths often ignored such 
warnings and the problem persisted. Liquor sales to minors remain a serious issue 
across the county and throughout New Mexico.Finally, there was the issue of 
cruelty to animals, another tragic concern that still haunts us today. In March 
1912, William Berger believed that the problem was so bad in Valencia County 
that he encouraged the creation of a local chapter of the New Mexico Society 
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals."There is hardly a day passes," wrote 
the Tribune's editor, "but some poor ... half-starved horse or team of horses 
are seen driven through our streets pulling over-loaded wagons." Berger 
suggested that this practice had "become so fixed a habit because of ignorance and 
because (humans) have not been taught to regard animal life as being subject to 
kind treatment."Much the same could be said regarding the harsh treatment of 
many pets and farm animals — including horses — today.Does this mean that the 
press only reported bad or controversial news in 1909 and 1912? Hardly. In 
fact, the Tribune was generally optimistic about the Rio Abajo and New Mexico as 
a whole. The Belen railroad cut-off had just been completed in 1909, and New 
Mexico had just entered the Union as a state (after 62 years of trying!) in 
1912.Perhaps best of all, heavy winter snow in early 1909 promised "very badly 
needed ... moisture" for the thirsty fields of Valencia County. "The conditions 
for good crops this year were never more favorable and the hearts of the 
farmers are glad," wrote the Tribune.But, as in all communities, Valencia County 
had its share of problems — including a lack of parent involvement in our 
schools, illegal liquor sales and animal cruelty — much as we have today.Does this 
mean that history repeats itself, as the old adage would have us believe? I 
doubt it. It's just that we often don't learn from our mistakes from generation 
to generation and, given our extreme human frailty, we tend to make the same 
mistakes over and over again, often at the expense of our weakest residents, 
especially children and animals.We must do better with our major problems, lest 
historians of the next century will look back and lament how similar things are 
then to how they are now — and had been since the early 20th century.Or we 
could surprise future historians and leave a different legacy by changing our 
ways with undoubtedly happier, healthier results for the residents and 
communities of the Rio Abajo.

    


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