The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-11-04

which is some % or 80 feet high, anC
about feet thick 1t is now much oil
lapidated. A few crumbling watch towers
from which Spanish sentinels once looked
out on the roaring waters below, still
surmount it. We walked along the base
of the wall, till We came TO part that is
broken down, and the path We were fol
lowing led up through the breach into the
town. Panama is monument OF de-
CAY ell grandeur. The massive ruins OF
It's Notifications, cathedrals, and resi-
dences are evidences of the wealth it con-
tanned in former days. We went first to
the old Cathedral, which is still In use.
1t is an imposing stone building, 'front.'
ing on the plaza, with towers at the front
corners. In the central face are twelve
inches, occupied by stone figures of the
Apostles. The building and the images
show the marks of times effacing fin
gers" On entering, we found nothing
TO recommend the inside, except that it
was delightfully."- cool. Everything looked
uncomfortable, dirty, tawdry. The only
seats in the building We're few wooden
benches near the centre The floor,
which is of stone, is inaid with num-
Der of tombstones, bearing Spanish in
scriptions. Large nicnes at the sides
and near the altar We're occupied with
images of saints and the Virgin. In
looking at these, We were struck with the
manner in which the Church of Rome
adapts her worship to the tastes of the
people whom she holds These images
were very different from those in the
Cathedral at Baltimore. The first one
we stopped before looked like dancing
girl, except that the lady was pierced
with two arrows. An old negro, who
acted as Cicerone of the place, told US
this was St. Sebastine. This and all
the other images in the Cathedral, were
tricked out with gauze and tinsel. To
add to the unpleasant effect of the inte-
rior, the old negro, who held hat con-
tanning few pieces of silver, most of the
time between his teeth, uttered every now
aud then sepulchral groans, evidently to
move us TO give aims. On leaving this
Cathedral, We went to see the ruins of
another, a short distance off, which was
evidently of much magnifcence in its
day. Now, it is used for stables. We
then sauntered around the walls and
through the town generally. The popu-
lation of the town is about 10000. The
houses are built of stone or of boards,
and reofed with tiles. The Inhabitants
show the various types of a mongrel race,
made up of Spauiards, Indians, Negroes,
&c. We frequently met negro officers
and soldiers on the streets. The houses
are generally dirty and uncomfortable,
and in the neighborhood of the wharves,
the people are especially squalid. Drink
ing shops and billiard saloons abound,
and we met several evidences of the ma
tive passion for cock fights. Altogether
Panama seemed to us town given up to
Satan, and those who know something of
the place, say that this is about the truth.
1t was the first time we had ever been in
a town in which we could not see any
evidence of the true knowledge of God.
1t appeared to us that death was reigning
as supremely there as we could expect to
find 1t in Hang Chou. We came off from
Panama in the afternoon by the lighter
which was taking our baggage to the
steamer, and towards daybreak the next
morning we were moving out of the bay
We had had another opportunity of
seeing that the harvest truly is plenteous
and the laborers few. While the sea and
the earth TEEN with proofs of the good
ness of God, who is near us all, yet men
glorify him not as God, neither are
thankful; and in blindness and wretch
edness they sink down to hopeless death.
The name of Jesus Christ is the only
name given under heaven whereby they
must be saved; and may all Christians
who read these lines, moved with com
passionate love, pray the Lord of the
harvest to send forth more laborers into
the harvest. M. II. H.