enumerate a few of the qualities which contribute to the
essential greatness of the Dominican people--qualities
which, notwithstanding certain surface similarities with
various other peoples, would seem to be as plain as a zebu's
hump against the setting sun on the Dominican pastures.

There is little that is "mysterious" about the Dominican
character. To attempt to envelop it in a strange, bewilder-
ing miasma of national psychoanalysis is merely to play
with phrases, a fruitless, footless enterprise which does the
Dominicans no good and contributes nothing to the under-
standing of the rest of the world. At the risk of over-simpli-
fication, it may be set down with all confidence that
Dominican thinking, Dominican aspirations, the soul of the
people, may be narrowed down to a few general state-
ments without going very far wrong.

What, then, is this Dominican character? If there is such
a thing, for purposes of discussion, as a "typical" Domini-
can, what is he like?

First of all, he is never abashed upon encountering a
stranger, never unduly impressed, never excited. He acts
as a man sure of himself. He has a quiet self-confidence
which is as natural as it is inoffensive. Says one observer:
"He knows he is as good as you are, but he sees no need
to labor the point."

His courtesy, like his self-assurance, seems instinctive.
He is innocent of servility on the one hand and arrogance
on the other. It is almost unheard-of for a Dominican
wantonly to go out of his way to insult another person,
to make himself obnoxious--or, which is more important,
to decline to help a person in temporary distress. For ex-
ample, when a sudden shower falls, the stranger walking

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