The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-05-17

fouatain Of youth ard herr IL was tha
his remains were brought when an In
, dian rrrow laid him low and he finally
succumbed In Havana.
Ponce de Leon still Prominent
Ponce dc LcoE while a long time
dead is still prominent figure ir
Porto Rico. His bones repose in q
shady richie in the magnificent cathc.
dral Of San Juan. But they have no,
always rested. Until 1868 his remains
were deposited In the ancient San Jose
church before which a bronze statue
Of Ponce stands sentinel. In that
year his bones were tran 4ferred TO the
cathedral with imposing ceremonies.
On many state occasions the inhabi.
tants held fuacral over the remains
Of the departed explorer and his rem
nants were paraded with great dignity.
After the American occupation kind
ly bishop from New York state placed
the few remaining parts in a sacred
receptacle and reverently sealed them
in "a granite niche where it is to be
hoped they will remain.
We have loose way of referring
10 Spanish-American countries az
Latin America. This only partly tells
the tale. Latin in this esnse means
Spain, end there is no use of robbing
Spain of the mantle of her departed
glories by change of appellation.
From Ponce de Leon down to the Am
erican occupation and even to the pre-
sent day the stamp Of Spain is written
all over the countries south Of the Rio
Grande and particularly is this true in
Porto Rico. For four hundred years
this island remained Spanish pos
session. Forgotten at times by the
mother country, she still remains true
to her ancestry and her fortressed city
repealed all invaders Spanish archi-
lecture, Spanish customs andthe Span
sh language obtai,ed in all its origi-
nal purity, and some of the gocia! GUS
toms, planted in the beginning byI
southern Spaniards remain TO this
day, although the march Of time has
wiped them from the land of their
origin.
A Relic of the Past
The first sight which grcets the
traveller is the turrcts of MORO Castle
which rises from the sea at the en-
.raacc Of San Juan harbor like
,pectrc of the past. There is some
hing startling il this apparition Of
stone and cement with its battle
Scared walls, silent sentry boxes ard
gaping port holes. We somehow ex-
,cct those things when travelling or
he other side, but to find them here,
our days from New York, and sur
mounted by the Stars and Stripes,
ixcs ones attention on the incongru-
ty of things as they are.
MORO Castle and her sister forts,
San Sebastian and San Christobal
we're the especial pet projects of ear
y Spanish politicians. The Spanish
'ork barrel was rolled for all it was
,orth and the results were enough to
lake a modern congressman tear up
is rivers and harbors appropriations
nth shame and envy. Every Span
;h ga'leon was expected to bring
nw blocks of granite to Porto Rico.
he wealth of Mexico and Peru was
wished on the Notifications and
Dads of Porto Rico, and the lives of
race of natives long extinct were
,orn out in slavish toll on Porto Rico
ublic works.
And they were we'll built They
and today in many places as strong
5 ever, and while only grim me-
Iento of a style of warfare long ex-
int, they are a precious relic which {