The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-03
GORGAS TALKS ON
 PANAMA CANAL
GIVES HISTORY OF ALL OPERA TONS ON THE ISTHMUS-AUDl- ENcE FILLS CLARK HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY.

University, July 2.-(Special)-An audi ence, which filled Clark hall gathered last night to hear Col w. c. Gorgas lecture on 1.-The Panama Canal" When the fam ous Alabamian came upon the rostrum after a felicitous introduction by pr Buchner, he was enthusiastically applaud ed by the large crowd of Tuscaloosa and university folk.
 The speaker began by pointing out on a map some little known, but very in- teresting, geographical facts concerning the canal by tracing the history of the isthmus, and by telling of the various methods. including the railroad, of trans portation across the narrow strip.
 The canal he said, was projected very early, but the Spaniards for hundreds of years refused to allow 1t to be built Many routes were at first considered, but these were finally narrowed down to two, those of Nicaragua and of Panama. The French under de Lesseps finally chose the latter and decided on sea-level plan. Having begun work about 1880, they con- tinued it until 1889, when, after they had spent about s250, GOO. the company failed. In 1904 the United States acquired the French rights for $40,OO0,oo0 and ad- ditional grants from Panama for $10.00O,- GOO.
 After much discussion the United States decided on high level lock canal in preference to the sea level scheme for three reasons: the cost of construction will be cheaper by about one-half, it can be finished sooner, and vessels will be able to steam through much faster. It is estimated that the canal can be finished by 1915, and that it's cost will approxi- mate $20O, 900, 900. The building of the locks is the most important part of the work, for the actual cutting is for only about nine miles.
 Colonel Gorgas by blackboard diagram illustrated clearly the general structure of the canal and gave some interesting figures concerning the removal of dirt. He closed his talk with a brief discus sion of his part of the work, that of sanitation, in which he showed how, by taking advantage of the scientific knowi- edge gained in Cuba concerning the transmission of malarial and yellow fever, we have been able to practically stamp out these two diseases, for so long the terror of the tropics.
 This morning at general assembly Pro- lessor Losey made talk on King Lear' which equalled, if it did not surpass, any of his preceding lectures. He said that according to Hazlitt words are inadequate to express the feeling inspired in one by King Lear, for the wild forces of man and of nature break forth with such fury that they are appalling. The play is Shakespeare's greatest imaginative pro- duction, though not his greatest play, for the poets imagination so got the better of him that he created piece too im- mense for any stage except that of the imagination. After these general remarks Professor Losey gave clear outline of the plot that the remainder of his lecture might be better understood.
 He said that Johnson had criticised Shakespeare for not meting out poetic justice. But that was not his way; his works are based on life, not poetic the ories Although Shakespeare did not preach, we can learn the greatest moral lessons from him. What a pity we do not go to him and be lifted from our petty coward lives.
 The last part of his talk Professor Losey devoted to a brilliant and con elusive refutation of the claim of soma critics that Lear is study in pessimism. It Is in reality a study of purification through suffering. At first we find Lear headstrong, vindictive King, used to being obeyed. In the third act of the tragedy we see him an outcast in the pitiless storm, praying-not for himself but for poor naked wretches.