The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-03-08

old miss ions. There are several of these
 ancient churches to be seen in and
 around San Antonio, which were built during the early days of the Spanish su-
 Fl emacy.
 Old Cathedral.
 The cathedral, situated in the heart of
 the city, on Main plaza, Is neither .im-
 posing nor beautiful. but its faded walls
 breathe the very spirit of the past and
 on entering the dimly-lishtt d nave, the
 visitor stands atashed in the presence of the antique altar and other furnishings that proclaim. its age. This cathedral was erected by the Mexcans long before | the sturdy Texens dreamed of .ndepend- | ence At the rear .s a small adobe mis-
 sion, built ir. the seventeenth century, | which was used by Santa Anna as head quarters Curing the siege of tho Alamo | san Antonio has many handsome build | infs, as well as large nun Der of small | shops adobe huts and similar structures l that are not. The great number of tour 1 ists who annually visit San Antonio fur nish patronage for numerous handsome | hotels me st of them apartment hotels | he atmosphere is so clear that lights | shine with great brilliancy, and the /, buildings show up unusually well al | evening.
 Another feature of San Antonio for which it's tourist population is largely re- 1 sponsible, are the clric stores. These arc | in the greatest abundance. and it is a
 mystery how most of their propfietors
 manage to make a living. They sell every | imaginable curio that the Indians, the
 Mexicans, and certain large eastern fac | tories can produce. Many a trustful
 tc arist pays several prices for cher- | ished Me xican' curio which he could | lave purchased much nearer homa. Tar
 antulas. horned toads, Mexican opals, sa-
 tr.s, pistols. Indian blankets, pipes, bows arrows and hundreds of other arti- | oles are on sale at exorbitant prices
 Souve nirs of the Alamo are most in de- | mand Everywhere are pictures, souven-
 firs and d, scriptions of the historic build- | ing Ever in ether than curio stores,
 laintings and engravlrgs of the fall of l the Alan are in profusion. Tho little | church seems to dominate the entire city. | ] he tourist can purchase loo Alamo sou venirs and then not have two alike. Population.
 I Covering an aiea of seven square miles, San Antonio has a population of about 70, 000s Of this number, a large proportion is made up Of tourists wintering in the city, consumptves and MeXicans. San Antonio is distinctly a residence city, and in the summer when there are no tourists, the town is very quiet. The con sumptives are permanent fixture, how ever. The poor unfortunates are con stantly arriving from the north and east
 in the hope of prolonging their lives for
 few years. The clinrite Is probably as | fine as can be met with in the United States but nevertheless many of them | die.
 | The Mexicans constitute by far the most picturesque part of the population | They are of all ranks and classes, from I the elegantly dressed young dandy, re- vealing unmstakable traces Of spanish | blood, to the humble peon in jeans or | overalls with skin darker than that of many negroes A great many of the 1 poorer class sell candy and souvenirs on l the street corners, others do rough labor | and still others serve as conductors ana motormen The prosperous class is com posed of merchants clerks and restau- rant proprietors.
 The Mexican quarter is an interesting place to visit, but is not considered a very | safe locality after dark Strangers are warned not to trust themselves in the Mexican quarter at night unless a | friendly gun" is taken along. The ] Mexicans are unruly citizens, at best and when their hot blood is infiamef by whisky, gambling and anger. they don'l | feel the slightest delicacy in sticking knives in each others backs, or the back | of any one else who crosses them. This l is the Tenderloin of San Antonio. The young fellows about town tell somS