El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-05-25
than couple Of employees in any Of
RasebaII and Bowling.

them.
Baseball and Bowling.
Among other popular amusements
here are baseball and bowling Every
clubhouse has its bowling ROOM and
there are bowling CLUBS, which con-
test with one another. There are
bowling tournaments, in which the
most expert tenpin men of the differ
ent canal settlements come together
and compete, and there are duckpln
tournaments as well There are also
weekly meetings at the various towns.
where the best duckpin men and the
best tenpin men compete, and II IS
impossible TO appreciate the rivalry as
20 such matters.
Every settlement has its baseball
clubs and there is also an isthmian
basket ball league. The baseball clubs
Of Culebra and Empire play each other
several times every season, ana II IS
the same with the other towns alOng
the line Every place has its own team
and its regular days of practice, ana
there are athletic meets which are at
tended by the expert gymnasIs from All
parts OF the isthmus- At these mee-s
the program includes the 100 yard
dash, the mile run, the relay races, the
shOtput and the pole vault The prizes
are medals Of gold. silver and bronze,
the employees on the canal, but from
the employees on tn ecanal, but from
the infantry and marine corps sta
I TONED here on the zone
Concerts and Minstrels.
But there is a show going on now IN
I the hall overhead Let US 90 up We
find the room filled, and on the stage
at the back a troupe Of amateur min
strels is holding performance. The
men are canal employees with blacked
faces. They look like old time min
I strels Of the United states, and do not
wear satin suits as in the new tangled
shows of today. The jokes contain
many hits on local matters, and bring
down the house
These minstrel shows are gotten up
by the secretaries Of the clubhouSes
/ who hunt out the best actors and
bring them together. A popular troupe
viii go from town to town, until II Vis-
] Its all the zone settlements
The band, which is playing tonight
I belongs to the 10th infantry. Next
! week the music may be furnished by
the marines. or by the band Of the
| lsthmian canal commission. The latter
Is supported by the government which
spends something like SlO,UOO a year
Tor music alone. The canal commits
sion band gives concerts all along the
line Of the zone.
Among other features OF the club
mouse entertainments are moving pic
Jure shows, the machinery and films
LOT which are sent down from the
states These are free to the mem bers
OF the clubs, but outsiders must pay %
cents for each admission The pictures
are carefully censored and the men
OLten Drlng their wives ana daughters
to see them
And then we have many lectures at
the cluDhouses. We have frequent pub
lie debates and also high class musical
entertainments Last year there was
an operate carnival made up Of anna
teurs, which played the various canal
settlements, and the oratorio, The
Holy City" was given by large
chorus composed of canal employees.
Literary Societies
Nearly every club has ITS literary
society or discussion club In these
current topics are taken up essays are
read and lectures sometimes given.
For instance. the discussion club which
met here last Wednesday night had
the topic. What is happiness and
that of Gatun discussed, What Is fall
ureE' while another society used the
college man" as its subject OF discus
sion I doubt not the political situa-
ton viii be well canvassed at these
clubs. There are now 100 men enrolled
in the dramatic clubs, So in the camera
clubs and there are zoo VINO serve on
various club committees Ihere are also
Bible study clubs, which meet together
on Sundays and which Work lndepen-
dent Of the churches
Among the other Institutions of these
cIubhouses are the barber shops and
pressing clubs. Good BARRIERS are a