The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-08-11
SCRAP BOOK FOR TO-DAY

E SCRAP BOOK FOR TO-DAY { | Hamilton, sixth in size among. the 1 cities of Canada and often called "the Birmingham of the Dominion,'' invites | the world to be it's guest during the week beginning today. The busy, Eus1lIng city on the beautiful bay at the western end of Lake Ontario was born just a hundred years ago, and, | in order that the centennial may be | properly marked, Hamilton. will for | this week lay aside it's business cares l and devote itself to the entertainment of such portion of the worlds popu- l lation as responds to it's invitation. A hundred years ago England and the United States were at war, and the tide of battle flowed up and down the Niagara frontier. Among the citizens of that section was George Hamilton. He was young and he had a wife and children to support and protect, and he decided that the Mia gara neighborl1ood was not heaIthful So he removed with his family and his goods and caattels to pleasant spot on the western extremity of Lake On tario and there laid out town.
 The community thus founded was given the name of Hamilton, after it's founder, while a number of the streets were named after members of his farnily-Catherine, Hannah, Ma ria, Augusta, James and John. The founder of the town was a public spir- ited citizen, and gave to the city the court house square, the Wood market and Gore park. Hamilton grew slowly but surely, and in 1846 assumed the dignity of a city. It is now a municipality of nearly 100000 people, and one of the principal manufactur- ing eenters of the Dominion. An industrial exposition and a reunion of Hamilton @'old boys' will be features of centennial week.
 Although Hamilton was the real founder of the town, there were a number of settlers in the vicinity long before his arrival. Probably the first was Richard Beasley, who carried on a hourishing traffic with the Indians.
 What is declared to be the true crown of thorns consecrated by the blood of Jesus is still in existence, and today, as on the eleventh of Aug. of every year the festival of the Crown of Thorns will be observed in the Parisian chapel built for it's re- ception nearly seven centuries ago.
 For many centuries the crown of martyrdom was kept in Constantino- pie. When the Crescent seemed about to triumph over the Cross, Emperor Baldwin Il sent the precious relic to St. Louis, his cousin, then king of
 
 crown was sent to Venice, and thence in 1239, to France. It is recorded that the king and his brother Robert of Artois, both barefooted, met the party carrying the crown several leagues be- ycnd Sens. The relic was kept in a cathedral in Sens for two years, until the completion of the chapel in Paris. There for centuries the transfer of the crown of thorns to France has been celebrated in the chapel on the elev- enth of August.
 Today is also the festival of St. Su- sanna, the patron saint of women and girls named Susan, Susie, Susanna, Su- ky and Sue. The name is of Hebrew origin and signifies "a lily.''
 If banner of strange design, yellow, blue and red, should break upon your field of vision, you may know that some expatriate Ecuadorian is ce1e- brating the independence day of his native land.
 That is not likely to happen, how to home and few of them ever visit Amerique Horte. They know the 1 Yankis-a name they apply to all North Americans, whether subjects of Uncle Sam or John Bull-principal- ly by hearsay. North Americans who | make the grand tour'' of the south | ern continent usually pass by Ecuador without stopping, owing to the evil reputation of it's principal port, Guay- l it differs from Quito, the capital, perched on the mountains two miles 1 above sea level, the highest municipal i ity in the world under the equator, | basking in the sunshine of an eternal l spring Quito is picturesque and un- | usually healthful, and, with the open ing of the canal at Panama and the | installation .of modern sanitary pre- cautions at Guayaquil. it is likely | to become a great health resort
 The tenth of August, E1cuador's na- tional holiday, commemorates the be- l ginning of the revolution against Spain on August 10, 1909 Both houses of | Congress, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, will convene in Quito to- | day for the annual session of sixty l days. Measures providing for vast | and expensive improvements of the l port of Guayaquil are now before the Iaw-making body, and will probably | be passed at the coming session.
 Ecuador's present president, Leoni- i das Plaza, was inaugurated year ago. The President of the republic is elected for a term of four years. The vice. president serves for period of l the same length, but takes office two years after the president, so that he | serves during a part of two adminis- ] trations. The army of Ecuador mum bers about 5000 officers and men, but | there are about 100000 reserves or militia subject to military duty in case of war.
 The revolution celebrates beginning with the deposition of the Spanish | governor, Don Rig de Castilla, and the establishment of a revolutionary jun ta, not successful The rebels were executed and Ecuador remained under Spanish domination until freed by Gen. Suore in 1922. Until 1880 | Ecuador was a part of the Greater Colombia of Simon Bolivar, when it became an independent state and has since remained.
 Ecuador now has about 400 miles of railways, and several new lines are now under construction projected.