New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1917-05-16

In that year his bones were transferred
to the cathedral with imposing cere-
monies. On many state occasions the
inhabitants held funeral over the
remains of the departed explorer and his
remnants were paraded with great
dignity. After the American occupa-
ton a kindly bishop from New York
state placed the few remaining parts in
sacred receptacle and reverently sealed
them in granite niche where it is to be
: hoped they will remain.
We have loose way of referring to
Spanish-American countries as Latin
America. This only partly tells the tale.
Latin in this sense means Spain, and there
I is no use of robbing Spain of the mantle
of her departed glories by change of
appellation. From Ponce de Leon down
.. to the American occupation and even to
! the present day the stamp of Spain is
written all over the countries south of
the Rio Grande and particularly is this
true of Porto Rico. For four hundred
years this island remained Spanish
possession. Forgotten at times by the
mother country, she still remained true
to her ancestry and her fortressed city
repealed all invaders. Spanish archi-
lecture, Spanish customs and the Spanish
language obtained in all its, original
purity, and some Of the social customs,
planted in the beginning by southern
Spaniards remain to this day, altho the
march OF time has wiped them from the
land of their origin.
! A Relic of the Past "
The first sight which greets the
traveller is the turrets of Moro Castle
which rises from the sea at the entrance
OF San Juan harbor like spectre of the
past. There is something startling in
this apparltion of stone and cement with
it's battle-scarred walls, silent sentry
boxes and gaping port holes. We some
on the other side, but to find them here,
four days from New York, and sur
mounted by the Stars and Stripes, fixes
ones attention on the incongruity Of
things as they are.
Moro Castle and her sister forts, San
Sebastian and San Christobal were the
especial pet projects of early Spanish
politicians. {. The Spanish pork barrel
was rolled for all it was worth and the
results were enough to make a modern
congressman tear up his rivers and
harbors appropriations with shame and
envy: Every Spanish galleon was ex-
pected to bring a few blocks of granite
!, to Porto Rico. The wealth of Mexico
and Peru was lavished on the fortifca-
lions and roads of Porto Rico, and the
lives OF race of natives long extinct
were worn out in slavish toll on Porto
Rico public works.
And they were, we'll built. They
stand today in many places as strong
as ever, and while only a grim memento
OF style OF warfare long extant, they
are precious relic which our govern
ment would do we'll to preserve.
A Fort That Never Fell
Against these impregnable walls came
IL lgllsh, French, Dutch and whole
horde of pirates and buccaneers ut W tn
out success. Indeed Admiral Sampson in
1898 took few pot shots at the ancient
cltdel and his imprint lie mains t ,dav
but he sailed on without reducing the
structure. Sir Francis Drake came the
nearest to capturing the place but disease
finally crippled his troops and he sailed
away leaving his cannon behind, which
same cannon were afterwards used to
cast a bronze statue of Ponce de Leon
which stands in San Jose Plaza in the
city OF San Juan. !.
=. ..,.,,..s,i Th,e Walled City.
San J AN the walled city, to which
all Of the foreg in. has reference is the
capital city and the largest. The popu-
lat on is given all the way from ffty to
titty-tve thousand. It has fine harbor
which Tor the past two and a half years
mas been used as a haven of refuge by
three German boats, two merchant and
one converted raider, formerly British.
Built on an island it naturally has but
one means of egress-a narrow bridged
n eek to the east of the city, similar to the