The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-07-31
CUBA, JAMAICA AND PANAMA

(By ]. E. jones'
1t seems only yesterday since our
great ship sailed from its pier in the
Hudson river, and the recollection of
the sky line of New York is still vivid
ly in mind. One loses absolute track
of time on these long sea voyages, but
the captain at lunch today reminds
us Of the ports at which we are to
call, and though Sandy Hook is many
days away, | am beginning to realize
once more that life is not all play;
so down here in the Caribbean Sea,
where the trade winds always kick
up a laundering fuss, l am going to
undertake to write Of the worlds
premier trip,"-for such it is.
The voyage began in Americas
greatest city, brought us down through
the Bahama Islands, with a stop at
Santiago de Cuba, including a dash to
San Juan Hill; then a long climb up
through the hot sun, to the heights of
Moro Castle. 1t is here at Moro that
one loses the last atom of respect for
our enemy Of 1898, and feels again
the JOY of war days, when the news
flashed round the world that the Span
ish fleet was destroyed. Jamaica held
us enchanted, and the recollection is
like the bands music that now swells
out over the waters as | write. Jamaica
is indeed a little fairyland in the
bosom of the great restless sea.
My narrative leads me on to Pana-
ma, to gaze upon it's great locks, and
its Culebra cut, and to chat with the
mighty builders-for this was the goal
of the journey. IT'S here l have seen
the great scheme for the wedding of
the seas, and gloried with thousands
of my fellow countrymen in the great
est engineering achievement of the
world.
Even the planets OF the heavens
are different in the tropics, and be-
meath the Southern Cross, ten degrees
from the equator, the greatest nation
of the world has SEN it's bravest men
and women to sever a continent in
twain.
1t was Saturday evening, and we
We're at sea. The lights along the
Jersey coast gave the last signals to
remind us that we were drawing away
from the United States, and we con-
templated a pathway that would wind
its course DER the briny deep for near
ly three weeks, before We could again
see these native shores. On that first
night out we began to get acquainted
and II there ever were a finer lot OF
people than those who sailed on that
voyage Of the good ship Carl Schurz,
then the world is better than / had
thought. We were a cosmopolitan
crowd, and besides the American pas
sengers l found particular interest in
a number of young men returning
from u schools and universities to
their Central and South American
homes. Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, and
Chile. each had their representatives
bright, intelligent young fellows,
who had sought our educational insti.
tutions to better fit them for the at.
fairs of their country. Thousands upon
thousands of these youths travel back
and forth in this way each year; and
fellowship with these people on board
ship, impresses one that a new South
America, and Central America, is not |
far ahead. In the changing scheme of
the Universe there will follow, with |
the completion OF the canal, a great
educational, commercial and indus !
trial evolution to the southwark. These
young fellows easily acquire our ways
and customs, and compare favorably
with our own best young men. They
are to become the powers Of their
states and republics, and under them
a new America will some day take its
proper place in the order OF things on
the western continent. God has given
to these countries bounties as rich
and marvellous as our own, and it
would appear that in this passenger
traffic Of the high seas. there Is the
ultimate solution Of all that lies ahead.
For education carried on under so
large a scale IL bound to conquer, and
solve the problems OF these people.
The Cuban colony aboard was large,
and frequently jsb6ering controversies
In thesr native Spanish tongue, re-
minded our party that there is an