The Press., 1913-01-15
WILMINGTON.

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 chine, spent Sunday at his home in
 Mount Carmel.
 Mrs. Ida M. Brown returned Satur.
 day from a delightful two weeks in
 Boston and vicinity. She called or
 Mrs. Gilbert Brown in Somerville,
 Mass. where she has been since the death of her husband, the father of
 the late Rev. Charles H. Brown,
 former pastor of the Baptist church here.
 Considering the rain and the bois-
 terous weather there was good at- tendance at church and Sunday
 school, where the services and exer-
 cises were uplifting as usual. Rev.
 MT. Darrow's text was Rev. 32: I.
 Rev. MT. Yukal led the excellent
 prayer meeting last Thursday even- ing. Rev. MT. Darrow will lead the
 meeting this week.
 The Ladies' Aid meeting Friday afternoon was we'll attended. The
 usual devotional and business meeting was held and satisfactory amount of work accomplished. It was voted to hold an all-day sewing meeting on Friday, the 3lst, commencing at 9 clock m., for the purpose of cov- ering the church pew cushions. The Ladies' Aid society, now consisting of 28 mem mbers, have purchased and paid for the material for the covers. Nine of these members have cut and made the covers. Presuming that all the ladies in the community wish to have a part in the good work, this all-day meeting has been planned for the 3lst. It is hoped that enough helpers will respond so that the work can be completed in one day. The church and conference room will be warm, and coffee will be served at noon for the basket lunch that the ladies are requested to bring.
 (Commun1cated)
 My two-mile-distant neighbor, Capt. A. Horton, owner of the Lucien Holt place, is at home from Panama for his winter vacation. I had oc- casion to call upon him recently and was most agreeably entertained in body and mind. I was greatly pleased with his graphic sketch of his early life up to his receiving his diploma as a skillful navigator on all steam or sailing vessels of over TOO tons bur- den on any ocean, and then, as he had three hundred men under his charge at Panama, I wanted to know little of the inside affairs going on there. ''To start with,' said he, Panama was but huge pest hole when Uncle Sam took it in hand. Insects, levers, everything made life miserable. Now the best reports from there even fall short of the truth The grandest work that the world ever saw is being done there. It has been said that great occasions develop and call forth great men. One of the best and great est is Col. Gothols, the commander at the isthmus. Lincoln was a great man because of the humility and great breadth of mind. So is Col. Gothols. ! He is no Capt. Jinks of the horse i he is one who stops to speak | to the lowest laborer, white, red or yellow, and has cheerful word and l pleasant smile for all All day Sun 1 day he is in his office to listen to any grievances that are brought before ! him; and if a superior officer has ! even common laborer, that 1 officer is given to understand that an other such offense will mean dismiss | sal. Rich and poor, high and low ad | mire and love the colonel. You hear that we are free of fever. So we are. We got rid of mosquitoes by spraying with crude petroleum, and now have | neither fever or mosquitoes. Then we have garbage cans everywhere, snot even a banana peel being allowed to be thrown in the street, and so no 1 flies Just think of it! not a fly or to be seen !'' Well, how 10 you live there?" I asked: 'Oh, we are in socialist heaven," said he. ; "I know that there are all de- grees of socialistic ideas, but really | Panama has an ideal life of that na- 5ure. We have no money there; don't | need it. The government owns every grocery store, the dry goods establishment, the butcher shop, the fish market, the drug store-all, One buys a book for BIS. It contains checks in denomina- 5ions of one cent, two cents, five cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, 50 cents and one dollar. When things are bought ;he book is presented and checks of jhe amount purchased are torn out and punched. No chance to steal or graft ;here. We'll, that is socialistic. '' How about prices? ?'' "I can get any article want for 25 per cent less than can buy it in our towns here Fresh ,od, 1Oc pound; round steak, 12c; 'our dollar shoes for three fifty, and 10 on in everything. Talk about so- here is the best embodiment )f those ideas'' "How about the work there?'' "No shirking or sol liering there. have often been on luty from 6 in the morning till 10 It night, and so have many others. No wonder the work is going on rapid y. The canal will probably not be opened officially until 1915, but in 'eality it will be finished and used be- ore the close of the present year, as p per cent. of the work is already lone. " Capt. Horton is a native of Denmark, a most interesting speaker md full of energy and of progressive deas, and fraternally and otherwise good man to know and to have in own. Gall and see him.
 J. D. Taylor.