“But man--Florencito,” (rising, pacing, and puffing at my cigar) “really, all this and nothing are much the same. These programs, in which one speaks eloquently of the beauty and richness of the Aztec language are no more than pretty theories. This book upon the richness and beauty of the Aztec language, with all its elegant binding, is but a pretty theory. _The practical! The practical!_ Let me give you my opinion in the matter briefly, and in four propositions: _First_, the ecclesiastical government and the civil government have the obligation and the mission of civilizing the Indians; _second_, for this, in each bishopric and in each State there ought to be chairs of the Indian languages spoken in the territory--for example, in the Seminary and in one of the State Colleges of Mexico, there ought to be a chair of the Aztec language; in the Seminary and State College of Queretaro, there ought to be a chair of Otomi; in the Seminary and in the State College of Morelia, there ought to be chairs of Tarascan and Matlazinca; in the Seminary and in the State College of Guadalajara, there ought to be a chair of the Cora language; in the Seminary and State College of San Luis Potosi, there ought to be a chair of the Huastec; in the Seminary and the State College of Puebla, there ought to be a chair of Aztec; in the Seminary and the State College of Jalapa there ought to be a chair of Totonaco; in the Seminary and in the State College of Oaxaca there ought to be chairs of the different indigenous languages spoken in the territory--chiefly the Mixtec and Zapotec, etc.; _third_, it ought to be, that from the seminaries there shall go forth priests to be _curas_ in the Indian towns of the bishopric, who shall preach to the Indians and catechize them in their own language; _fourth_, it ought to be, that from the State Colleges, primary teachers shall go forth to teach the elementary branches to the Indians of the State, in their own idiom--and shall go forth _jefes politicos_, who shall be able to treat with the Indians, talking to them in their own languages.” “Sir, these things appear to me impossible.”