The Republican journal., 1903-02-26
the bowels

the bowels.
this is an age of contrasts. 1t was open
ed for its present use few years ago
by Sara Bernhardt, as that queen OF the
demi monde, "Camille." Among other
noteworthy buildings are the Governors
palace, which commands a charming
view of the bay and its green islands;
the late sumptuous headquarters of the
defunct Canal-company: the Colejio
Esperanza, Hope College, for girls,
directed and taught by teachers from
the old churches. Among the latter
/ that of Santo Domingo is perhaps most
| interesting. though now in ruins. 1t
was built soon after the founding of
the city, and in its day was one of the
! richest sanctuaries in the New World
possessing extraordinary store of jewel
! led vestments, golden altar service,
! lamps and cruciiXes. The church it
self was built by the Queen of Spain and
the ladies of her court, each contribut-
| ing to the pious work what money she
could afford.
When the time came for casting bells
for its tower, there was no money left
to pay for the metal they should con-
tain SO the Jealous queen invited not
! only the nobility. but people of all
classes. to come and witness the cast
ing of the bells and contribute thereto
! On the appointed day they came III
crowds. high and low, rich and poor
! When all was ready the Queen threw a
! handful of gold into the great crucible,
and the ladies and gentlemen of her
court did the same: and then the poor
followed with donations of silver and
copper. greater in quantity but less i'll
value Thus the amount of metal
rapidly increased. but still there was
not enough Then the Queen threw III
all the golden ornaments she wore; her
ladies did the same. The gallant cour-
tiers cut the silver buttons from Their
Jackets, the buckles from their shoes,
and the officers Wrenched the JeWelled
handles from their swords. The excite
! ment grew intense. Rings, bracelets
and valuables of all sorts, some of them
precious relics and family heirlooms, to
gether with brass and iron and the
meaner trinkets OF hoi polloi, all went
into the crucible. And thus the bells
of Santo Domingo were made. Their
tones were the sweetest and clearest
ever heard and whenever they were
heard priests and people crossed them
selves and said prayer. When the
church for which they were designed
was burned, about twenty years ago,
they were not injured by their fall from
the lofty tower and were afterwards
hung in the cathedral but listening to
the discordant, ear-splitting clatter that
issues continually from its tower, one
is inclined to doubt the story of the
sweet tones of the famous bells.
Panama La Nieja, or all that remains
of it, is six miles from the present city
You take carriage near the main plaza
and turn into the street Of the Nuns y
Arrived at the city walls you should
walk little distance in order to inspect
''The gate OF the Monks s'-an antique
archway, quantity caIved and crowned
by a watch tower, which leads through
the moSs-grown ramparts to the beach
Following the path of the Monks of old
YOU presently find yourself on a wide
expanse of coral reef, which, if the tide
is out, is literally alive with shrimp
hermit crabs cutie fish and other forms
of deep sea life, and strewn with kelp
marine ferns and moSses and shells OF
curious forms and colors.
GLOW are the mighty fallen" is the
thought that is uppermost in mind
when you are searching the site of Old
Panama for traces of its former mag
niticencel Historians tell us that among
its seven thousand houses were many
stately palaces, furnished and adorned
with great magnifcence; and that be
yond the city. far and wide, stretched
the plantations which supplied the mar
kets with fruit and vegetables, and the
groves and pleasure gardens wherein
the fair Panamains, with their cabal
leros were wont to resort in the coo
of the day. There were churches and
monasteries and converts, all wonder
fully rich in jewelled ornaments ant
altar-pieces wrought by the foremost
artists of the time; long lines of build
: ings used by the opulent Genoese as {