The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-06-09
BAGUlO, THE "SUMMER CAPITAL"
OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
Maniua, P. l., May 20, 49,

Maniua, P l., May %, 1911.
To the Editor Ocala Banner:
A thousand miles of isle-strewn sea-
stretching fairly across the great
gateway to the Orient, and beyond; a
depth of blue in sea and sky, whose
beauty neither poets pen nor paint
er's brush will fully ever tell: a world
of safely sheltered waterways, where
palm-fringed beach and coral reef
frame the mirrored beauties of trop-
ic sky; mountain ranges, between
whose pine-crowned heads and Jungle
hidden feet there grows the foliage
of every zone; climate of perpetual
summer with a world of spring-time'
balmy air and autumn's cooling
breeze; a soil so rich and natures
products so abundant that 'twixt toll
and plenty necessity has never built a
bond; a people in whom the Genius
of the Orient" has found its most
unique expression; a civilization in
which the north and the south, the
east and the west, meet upon terms
of equality; in which the Orient and
the Occident stand side by side, and
together work out the problem of the
races in peace.
This is the Philippine Islands, the
new old world which the United
States has discovered and is develop
ing and undermining in Oriental wa
tiers.
Everyone has a general idea of the
Islands. their position, extent. climat-
ic conditions, peoples, and lastly, their
centers of pulation-Manila stand
ing foremost. 1t is here that most of
the great government problems are
worked out But perhaps everyone
does not know that during the three
warmest months of the year in the
owlands-March, April and May-the
Manila to high up in the Benguet
/ hills, where hests the beautiful little
city of Baguio, the so-called summer
capital" $500 feet above sea level
! For twelve months in the year this
is a lively little place, full of tourists
and lovers of ease and plenty. But
during the season just mentioned, the
population is increased by thousands
in very few days; every hotel and
cottage is filled to oyerflowing, and it
assumes every phase of noisy, busy
city
Baguio has an easy approach, being
only one day from Manila. The Ma
nila-Dagupan railway carries you to
the foot of the mountains, where con-
nections are made with the excellent
auto" system of the famous Benguet
road
This road is said to be the most re-
markable engineering feat ever at
tempted in this part of the world. 1t
is built along the canyon of the Bued
river, is as smooth as asphalt from
end to end, represents an expenditure
of over $4,000, 900, and rises during it's
comparatively short length from sea
level to an elevation of $500 feet.
The scenery is magnificent. The
road is built in a most wonderful
manner along the sometimes nearly
vertical wall of rock, and, deserving
the bed of the canyon almost at its
beginning, mounts higher and high
er, until at the "zig-Zag," near it's
highest point, the river becomes a
mere strip of silver 1000 feet below.
The journey either way is one long
to be remembered; but for him who
is fortunate enough to make the down
trip on some moonlight night is re-
served the choicest of all thrilling ex-
periences and the most beautiful of
all pictures to be found in the rare
setting, when, in less than one de-
lightful hour, the powerful machines,
running mostly on gravity alone, the
speed regulated by the skill of the
driver and the nerve of the passen-
ger. glides from the cold gray pines
of the upper plateau to the warm, lux