The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1913-08-20

ford to rest, for,
Earth has no cure
For the nervous quest,
| The tense unrest,
The hurrying haste of fate:
Like the soothing balm
Of the tropic palm
And the land where things can wait"
However, you gave us great city,
admiral, a great city. We now boast
of an ancient "intra-muro" with beau
tiful cropped grass plots en- the walls
| "a business section on the north side
of the Pasig river, whose numbers,
including those within the wall, have
reached 235,OOO-and what relics
old church preserved and broken
down-ancient forts whose every stone
could tell it's tale of woe-organs cen
turtles old, the most curious of which
is the one at LasPinas, made in 1897
by Padre Diego Cera. This genius
from old Spain was not to be stopped
because the customary materials
were not at hand He said, 81 will
make an organ of bamboo" and he set
at his task. Of the ia pipes, nearly
all are bamboo. There it stands to-
day in the nave of the old church pro-
tected by new steel roof 1t calls
no more the people to worship through
the avenue of song. No music comes
from it's weather worn reeds and
pipes. It stands mute witness to the
skill of Spanish Friar who wrought
task unlike in all the world.
Then, admiral, we would not have
had next thing to a bull fight, the
cock pit, if you had not succeeded.
There are a plenty of these hay-barn |
affairs, and they do have the crowds,
especially on Sundays. did you see
the fght?' That is a leading ques-
ton. We saw the buildings and can
tell you something about the way the
fight is carried on. Everybody knows |
and we were supposed to ask ques-
tons.
Sunday is the big day. From morn
til Dewey eve the fight goes or.
Betting is in progress all the time and
money flows freely. In the center of
the large building is square ground
floor usually somewhat higher than
the surrounding level. This is divided
into two sections, the one for the
fight and the other for the principal
betters Back of the "betters" stand
are the benches for the spectators. On
the other three sides of the "pit"
proper is much standing room for
those who pay little to see and whose
betting is on small scale.
Two men go into the pit, each with
rooster under his arm. When all is
ready, man number one takes his
rooster by the head and exposes the
neck for the other rooster to pick.
When he is sufficiently maddened,
the order is reversed. Both roosters
are now angry and ready for the
fight. The Judge comes forward and
like steel spurs, runs his finger along
the edge and announces all is well.
The roosters waste little time in get
ting down Ito business. Usually the
contest is short. We came nearly Civ
ing ourselves away by saying the one
we witnessed lasted Only five min
utes. It is surely cruel. A stab in the
breast, the poor bird staggers back
ward, stands for moment and then
falls dead with scarcely struggle.
Two more roosters are brought and
the so-called sport goes on.
If this were all you brought to us,
!; admiral, there would be little cause
for congratulation; but it is not ALL
A trip up the St. Lawrence, through
the Thousand Islands, is considered
, worth much time and money to see
Here, however, you have delivered to
our care, not one, but three thousand
den is unexcelled in all the world
Seven million of civilized and unciv-
ilized human beings, warlike and
peaceful, giants and pigmies, tropical
fruits, great forests and an open mar
ket for $2O,OOO,OOO annually of our sur
plus products, and yet, with her eX-
ports of nearly $25,OO0,O0O to all
countries, and being primarily an ag-
ricultural country, only one-ninth of
this fertile land has been cultivated
Then you gave a chance for school
teachers of both sexes and the results
have been marvellous. For three hun
dred years Spain ruled and six per
cent of the people speak Spanish.
Americas rule has been twelve years
and ten per cent of the natives speak
English. Not only so, but on last
January first the assembly voted that