El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-08-10

He owns also the Star and Herald. one
Of the chief. newspapers OF the isthmus,
He pays the Panama republic for the
license to run the lottery, and his
profits from it amount to something
like $4,000 a year. The drawings are
picks out the balls containing the
blanks and the prizes. This lottery is
a great evil to Panama. and the drain
Of it is mostly on the poor, who buy
tickets and parts of tickets even when
they must so hungry in consequence.
Builfights.
Panama has a bullring outside the
city, and bullfights take place every
sunday whenever there are any. bull
fighters here on their way from Spain
to Lima. Peru, or Mexico City. The
bulls, however, are not dangerous, and
the sport is usually fraud and q
fights, and at one time watched A score
of Panama boys rush into the ring and
have a hsnd-to-hand fight with the
bull This was 70 get a ten dollar gold
of the bull Each man EaI = red blsn-
lzet. which he tried to throw over the
bulls eyes in order that he might
grab at the gold Several Of the boys
were badly injured. but one OF them
finally got the ten dollars.
Changes in Panama.
In the meantime. Notwithstanding
these blOts upon its escutcheon. Panama
City, is far better off than it has been
in the past. I first visited it in 1888.
Il years ago, when on my way around
South America The city was then one
of vile smells 1t had no sewerage, and
the wells and CesspoOls were side by
side in the courts. Business was dead,
and the barefooted cabmen slept in
their shabby old coaches. Today the
town is alive. II has modern improve
ments- 1t has waterwOrks and all
sanitary convenience Outside the
-
whatever. Every one Of the better
classes rides about in carriages, and
there are victOrias for hire at every
street corner which will take you on
the trOt or the lope from one part of
the town to the other These victorias
have dinner gongs underneath at the
front, so that they can be ring By The
foot of the driver. and there IS a con-
tinual belling going on
The New City.
It was during my second visit here
that Uncle Sam took hold OF Panama
and made it sanitary. He dug up the
streets, put in sewers ana sater
supply and paved the main streets
with vitrified brick lie did the same
with Colon, and you VIII not find two
towns in the tropics which have as
good streets as these.
Both places are growing There are
new houses on almost every block. and
the Avenida Central which runs from
the plaza TO the railroad station, at the
stores all the way. They are Panama
stores, and some of them carry large
stocks OF goods They are nothing like
our business establishments, and some
are more like the general store which
you find at country cross roads or in
villages
IN the center of Panama are many
fine buildings. The National Palace
and theater cost something like three
quarters of a million dollars, and the
Panamanians will tell you that the
theater is the finest in the world. This
is doubtful Nevertheless. it has sit
ting and standing room for 1900. and
a fireprOOf metal drop curtain which is
wonderfully made. The new city hall
facing the plaza. not far from the ca
a third is the national institute, de-
voted to education. The institute cost
a million pesos or more, and il will
in time, develop into a university Al
present it has about 500 students. rang
ing from those Of the kindergarten
TO those in the college. These buildings