The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-11-26

John Fleming Wilson in Lippincotts
Magazine.
IN ANAMA is a city of madmen, a
playground for the insane. The
4 streets and cafes are thronged with
men intoxicated not with liquor, but with
the deadly poison which our American
strenuosity distils when transplanted
under the tropics.
We are doing, we say the greatest piece
of engineering work ever done in the
world. We boast of it across the world.
The Panama canal is the most prodigious
achievement of mortal man. They tell
me here in hard, austere tones that it
| is the monument of American genius.
That monument stands over the grave
Of American sanity.
| landed in Balboa, on the Pacific en-
trance to the canal. and realized within
ten minutes that I was in the oldest OF
odd lands. The eyes of the men on the
great government pier were the eyes Of
slaves, the set eyes of men obsessed by
a single and enormous idea. They moved
quickly, without wasting muscular ener-
gy. They halted precisely on the spot
they wished. They heard nothing but the
gist of what was said. They responded
to questions with a clipped Yes or a
brusque mo"
They were machines. moving more
freight across the Isthmus than had
ever been moved with such facilities in
the history of the world They were
helping to dig the biggest canal on this
earth. The first ship was going
through in 1918. They cared about
nothing else
Later, at the old hotel, found for
mer acquaintance, with whom I had
often whiled away an Afternoon in the
Parque de la Cathedral. He looked me
over critically and then smiled.
'It is good to see a sane man" he re-
marked.
You mean-?"
"All other Americans are mad" he
answered gently.
We sat and smoked quietly. The dim
stars shone upon US through the high
mist that was soon to thicken into the
clouds of the rainy season, and huge
night moth slowly swung round the
STAFF of palm in his nocturnal, dreamy
maze l was content and at peace.
After ALL the old city of Darien still
held its humanity and peace
But there was brisk clatter of
hoofs. the rumble of wheels, and a
coche swung up before the hotel and
two men leaped out. They were talk
ing in rapid. high tension voices. They
| pushed into the cafe, and we heard
their impatient order for beer. Three
minutes later they were again in their
rig, rolling away down the street.
Drinking on a wager?" l suggested
sober men," my friend answered,
but Americans, canal diggers. They
could spare only three minutes. Your
sighed. r
For two days l wandered about, the
one idle American in Panama. Then the
police became suspicious of me. and |
sought my friend, Ell Teniente Cecilio
/ sinisterra of the "vigilantes, To him
explained my peaceful mission. Now,
why do your COMPOUNDED police bother
me?" I demanded.
| Sinisterra' passed the compliments of
the day and apologized. 1T is because
you are not mad about the canal" he
said.
| you mean"
"You sit down and keep quiet. You
talk of other things. You do not address
strangers on the subject of cubic yards
and shovels and the /. G. c., my friend
1 will tell my men that you are an Eng
iishman."
But I'm an American as you we'll
know" L protested
Sinisterra shok his handsome head
NO one would believe it, All Ameri-
cans know nothing but the digging of
the canal. No American would come
here except to work or to criticise the
work of others and hasten the compile
ton of it."
| Later 1 received due apologies from
the police officer, who smoked a friend
| ly cigarette with me and minated that
/ should not have written down. on the