vi FOREWORD 
for the same reason—will the United States 
have another opportunity such as the present 
one, to enter those fruitful fields to the south, 
where Europe in general, and Germany in par 
ticular, has reaped a golden harvest for so 
many years. 
A careful reading of this book—not a diffi 
cult matter, for unlike most works on com 
merce it is full of lively interest—will be prof 
itable to every business man interested in the 
subject of Latin America. It will be valuable 
to those who are equipped or willing to pre 
pare themselves to cope with conditions as 
they really are, and just as valuable to those 
who are not, for it may save them from the 
costly mistakes of experimentation in foreign 
fields. 
Maurice Switzer. 
New York, March 20, 1915.