The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-08-14
AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF
 MANILA

Just twenty-one years ago today American troops hoisted the stars and stripes over the strangest city in the orient, Manila. It is a city of contrasts where the ancient and the modern clash on every hand. Manila is a walled city. The disease breed ing medieval moat which surround ed the city however, has been filled in and turned into the first Philip pine playground. Other improve ments have been instituted; vast tracts of swampland have been re- claimed and made beautiful by foliage and flowers and in the parks can be heard of an evening the music of Philipino bands.
 Today there will be a celebration in Manila. There will be fireworks, speech making and banquets and the veterans of the Spanish-American war now residing in the city will hold reunion. The pleasure loving natives will take par- Tn the festivi- ties but who shall say that in the hearts of many of them does not burn the desire for independence and the restoration of the republic which was the ill-fated project of Aguinal- do and his followers
 The residential section of Manila. retains to large extent it's med1ae- val picturesqueness. Ancient streets narrow and twisting, wend their tor turous ways through the section. Low roofed buildings with their enclosed courtyards borderG the streets. These
 domiciles are marked by their blind entrances and allies and small bar red windows. Here and there an en- closed garden gives a modern touch to resident but for the most part the homes of the natives are old and comp pressed. In other parts of the town the houses are open all around with palm shaded gardens. Broad verandas encircle these residences. In the business section Japanese tiendas are sandWiched in between pretentious modern shops and office buildings of the latest type. It is in- deed a strange medley of old and new that greets the eyes of the visitor. Walk up street and you will, per haps, come to an old church of Span | ish architecture while some little dis 1 tance further a modern American n | church will thrust it's steeple toward | the sky. Then you will perceive the i woven houses of natives beside inn
 posing dwellings.
 l There is much traffic in the city 1 and on the streets crowd autom obiles,
 trucks and the little one pony calesas | and carts drawn by water buffalo.
 It is indeed a singular cavelcade. And l above all is a hustle and stir quite | out of keeping with oriental habits. | White duck is the universal cos l tune for men of all classes and races. | The dress of the women, affords 1 more variety and color. When it is very hot which i~ the usual thing in Manila the children play naked in l the streets.
 | With the American occupation of l Manila a death blow was struck against the unsanitary conditions which had previously made the town | a disease ridden hole. Manila is now
 one of the cleanest and most health ] full cities in the orient, the death rate
 being now only about a third more l than exists in such cities as Wash ! ington, Toronto, Dublin, Rome and | Venice.
 Such is the singular city of Ma nila and should you by any chance happen to visit the orient, you vii miss one of it's most fascinating nys- teries if you neglect to walk through
 the old-new streets of the city of con-
 trasts.