The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-08-13
PICTURES OF NIGHT LIFE
OF THE SLUMS OF PANAMA
Among The West Indian Negroes IN me '''v AZ 'e "a
ciGc End of Our Canal-Whitc Slaves and Their
Jreaimcnt-Iile Among the Poor.
,C.plrieht. 1912. by Frank q. Car
penter.)

i
come with III" for Il peep under the
crust OF old Panaina of 4 SATURDAY
nf.1f We shall leave the Tivoil iio-
lei. where everything is proper and
mons. and the fashionable world l. a
danc,ua. and 90 oil into the by-"ays
and sums. We want 10 See the poor
OF the city, and also take q . aI
some districts where vice carries on
its mao spree until the Wee houio OF
the MORNING. We shall choose the
Saturday that comes after pay daE'
and shah nave abundant reason 70 say
why Incle Sam should control both
Panama and Colon. the two towns al
the ends of our ditch.
In New Caledonia.
We begin Our walk in New caledo-
MIA. At The TiNoIi the charges are 80
a day. New Caledonia is only a
stones throw away, but YOU can get
Il bed there for - cents a night, or
you NAV have Il room at $40 a montn
and crowd ten other persons inside it.
New Caledonia is made up OF such
rooms. They are filled with Jamalca
negroes. 4 single room will often
house = whole family and take IN
hoarierS to boot. Some Of the best
rooms ndTe curtains across them that
the female may have privacy "hlle
dressing. but as a rule the negroes
LIN - " w.
reicns supreme.
ON Saturday nights these West In
dian quarters are alive. lheFe are
dances in the saloons and out in the
streets there is the ~afnObureta, with
black and yellow men and women 60
ing through motions similar to those
OF the Gewazi in Egypt. Other ne
gro dances remind me Of the Nautch
girls Of india or the Ouled Nails Of
the Sahara. and there are some which
compare with the hoOche-koOche Of
the South seas. The negroes are dress
ed in their best and they go through
their amOrouS pastures with Wild
abandon. which is unsurpassed even
10y the bunny hug or the turkey trOt
of our wicked New York. They grow
more and more noisy as the night
goes on and by u O'Clock the whole
of Caledonia is mad. This is on Sat
urday. 1t is more quiet on other
nights Of the week.
Night Life in Panam City.
Leaving Caledonia we take carri-
ages for d drive through Panama, Wis
iting first the more respectable quar-
tiers. The houses here have balconies
which run out from the second sto-
ries over the streets. The richer peo-
pie live upstairs and these balconies
form the sitting and gossiping places
Of the better classes during the even
ings. In the stories below. where a
whole family may ave but n room.
the people come out on the sidewalks
and sit on III doorsteps or curb
stones. taking the air. The streets
are filed with such figures They form
two lone lines of humanity, one on the
street and the other on the balconies
above.
Some of the people are chatting
Some are playing cards. Here AND
there the humping of a piano falls or
the ear. and the graphODhOne with it:
ruty shrek slaughters the air
The most Of the groups on tht
balconies are family parties. Nice
girls are not allowed to have yOuns
men counting them. and the love-
talks with his sweetheart only in tn,
presence Of the family and must d.
all of his spooning under the eyes o
his possible parents-in-law. Thesa
scenes, however. are Spanish. n ar
much the same as those of Spanisl
cities anywhere in the world.
a Look ut the Sums.
We shall now leave the reSpectabl
quarters Of Panama and visit thos
OF which vice is the queen. We shal
not have to go far, for the wicked sec
tions are in the heart Of the city an,
their signs are SO plain they can b
. on the run. You ave heard o
Port Said and Suez. the two ba
towns at the ends OF the Suez cana.
Rudvard kipling has defined them a
the place where the Ten Command
ments come to an end.
Take one somewhere east Of Suez.
Where the best is like the worst,
Where there amt no Ten Command
mentS.
And you've not to raise a thirst
do not know just how bad Sue
ia. but you can see more wickedne!
in q day here than in a week at Pc,
Said. In the cities Of the Suez can;
the vices are hidden. The streets al
quiet. and there are no signs and a.
V~rtisements to attract the passersb
At Panama the slum quarters are
open AS is the YOshiwara Of Japa
One of the worst sections is not f
from the cathedral and in the We
heart Of the city. 1t is known as II
red light district AND the light is ele