The daily sentinel., 1913-02-06
ENROLMENT Of
SCHOOLS HIGHER
THAN LAST YEAR
Father Conway Makes Great Ad-
dress TO the School Pupils
on Summer Travels.

The students and faculty of the
high school listened "Wednesday
morning to an exceptionally interest
ing talk by Rev. Thomas NJ Conway.
Rev. Conway lectured upon his
summers travels. He made his talk
especially interesting by eliminating
generalizations and focusing the at
| tention of his hearers upon one fea-
ture of his trip, namely, his visit
ON the island of Madeira. He stated
that there are several islands in this
group, but that Madeira is the prin-
cipal one, the Others being very
small. As Rev. Conway described the
island of Madeira with its tropical fo-
liage, its mountain sides and its
qaaint capital city, Funchal, his hear
ers seemed to see the island and al
most to feel the tropical climate with
its balmy bTeeZes and summer skies.
Ten days after leaving New York,
the people on board ship we're ava
kened by the sound of strange voices,
and peering from the port holes they
saw many little boats. each boat con-
tanning a boy rover and two other
boys. These boys were divers and
amused the party by diving for dimes
and nickles. They would not dive
for pennies. They were skillful in
diving, and no matter how far out
the passengers would throw a coin,
they would dive and catch 1t in the
mouth before 1t reached the bottom
and come up with II in the month
and then raise it in the hand to show
they had it. The remarkably clear
waters enabled the boys TO see the
coin a long distance.
The Madeira islands lie west of
the north coast of Africa, and are on
ly about "a hours sail from the shore.
1t is the station of the great cable
connecting Rio Janerio with Portu-
gal. There are no docks for vessels
which have to anchor out in the
ocean and have their passengers ta-
ken away in small boats.
The islands are of volcanic origin
and are made of lava which, by the
action of the weather for many CEN
turies, has a fine soil on top. The
Inhabitants cultivate every foot of
this soil with the greatest care. Ey-
cry peasant, no matter how humble
his home, has wealth of flowers
about his cottage.
II is said that even before the
Christian era, the Phoenicians visit
ed these islands. Others came in the
twelfth century. but the island was
not really settled until the four
teenth century. The inhabitants are
largely Portuguese and number 150,-
600, having many thousands more
women than men. They live a lone
some. yet simple, happy life, away
out there in the ocean all alone.
The people of Madeira are indus
trious and hard workers. They raise
great quantities of grapes, from
which the celebrated wines are made.
A very large proportion of the will
low chairs used all over the world
come from Madeira. Making these
chairs is one of the chief industries
The principal city is the capital,
Funchal. This is a quaint city with
many humble homes, cobble stone
streets. and finely appointed hotels
for the accommodation of the many
tourists.
The mountains are beautiful with
their palm trees and the ever bloom
ing flowers. They rise from the sea
level to a height of 1000 feet.
Although the island is only a few
miles in circumference, they have a
cog wheel railroad on which the
travellers go up the mountains. Chill
mountains, giving Towers and fruit
to the passengers from whom they
expect TO receive tips when the top of
| the mountain is cached.
In Funchal, the cathedral square
| is the center of activity. Along the
streets can. Frequently be seen oxen
harnessed to sledges This is GER
| tainly peculiar--sedges with snow
| They make strange noise as they
are drawn over the cobble stones
Some of the sledges have wooden
| runners and some nave steel runners
/ Some are fitted with a car, having
curtains These are for the tourists
The cobble stones are generally ar
ranged lin geometrical designs, the
various colorings Producing an at
tractive effect.
Instead of the heavy yoke which
oxen have in other countries each
OK has a hole through the tip of one
horn, and they are fastened together
with "A leather thong. Only fouI
persons can usually sit in sledge
and the drivers never ride, but run
along the sides OF the sledges, urg-
ing on the oxen.
They speak only Spanish, but a
great deal of II In loud tones and in
a short time The speaker said he
/ thought that If they were lrishmen
they would have had several fights
The speaker vividly described the
magnificent view from the top of the
mountain. Below them lay the slop-
ing mountain sides covered with
palm trees and flowers and other
luxuriant tropical vegetation, The