The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-04-14
A Trip To Panama


only village of the same name, of $50
people. 1t was set aside by the early
SpaniardS as the dwelling place of
Indian slaves, in 1919 and tho dcS-
cendants of those people, now mixed
with negro blood, are the sole perma-
nent inhabitants. They work, when
they work at all, at raising pineap.
pies or doing petty trading with the
c0nVdlesccnts of the hospital there,
Il large frame building, which was
built and maintained there by the
French, now owned and operated for
the same purpose by our government.
The only farm we saw there had
for its sole farming Implement a long
chisel-like instrument, fixed to Il hoe
handle. On this farm We're corn, pine
apples, cOcianuts, and yampies, Il
kind of potato. The island is an ex.
tinct volcano with very precipitOus
sides, running down nearly to the
sea, and breaking abruptly into Il
Cable-land near the sea. md % feet
above the surface. On this table-land
is the village. The houses are IL con
Slomeration Of stone, adobe, bamhoo
and shell. or whatever seemed most
convenient to the builder at the time
llC IOilS Slt IldUt Oh req LliP, gen
orally. There are six saloons, six
Chinese shops and very old church
in which is shown bone, said to be
the bone of q real saint" The houses
are on two sides of the only street.
which is Just wide enough for ION
venient passing OF pedestrians-no We
hicle or EOrses being necessary. There
is very large hotel there, maintained
by white people. 1t is said that the
leopard cannot change his spots. nor
the Ethiopian his skin, but | know two
congressman who, after a surfbath in
! the ocean at the beach Of Tahuga.
/ lost their skin from the hurninet sun
and after several very uncomfortable
/ days, had brand new skin. much red.
der than the original.
One of the places interesting to
tourists is the leper colony, near the
| City Of Panama, open to md fire.
quently visited by sight.seers, us it
was by number of our party. The
claim is made that eight patients have
been discharged from there as per
Imanently cured
The night before Good Friday. af
ter dinner, my wife and | got il pony
coach and were driven through the
old part OF Panama, finding the
streets crowded with church goers.
We stopped at the Church of st. 10.
seph, one Of the oldest, and fingered
there for time. 1t is known as the
church with the golden altar. The al,
/ tar gives the impress ion of pure gold,
and is most magnificent 1t is gold
and is possibly 25 feet wide and 40
! foot hiuh lnrn in,
symbols and figures in bas-relief. A
pleasing fiction is to the effect that
at Old Panama, at the time of its de-
struction by Morgan, he overlooked
certain gold which was hidden, ana
that after his departure the faithful
brought this gold from its place of
hiding, moved it to the present city
builded this church, and in thankful
ness erected this altar of the gold
thus saved 1t is said to have cost a
sum but little short of a million dol
lars, and looks it. Being an unbeiev
Ier, however, | could only smile and
shake my head. 1t is pleasant, though.
to those who can, in spirit If revor-
lence, say: Lord, ! believe. "
At the entrance OF the vestibule of
VIZ NAN NAU II was Il illt SIZE uSuTP
of the head and body OF the crucified
Son of God, with the crown of thorns.
the look of supreme agony, and the
lElood trickling from under the thorns
and running down the, face. Each of
the faithful upon entering, Bonded the
knee and kissed the place where the
biz cd ran down. Again the congrega.
ton was made up of all sorts and
conditions g men, women an Chi
dHen, some clothed in purple md fine
linen, with gold and jewas. others
clothed in rags, as beggars in The
streets. Many barefoot, some shed.
Again primo and peasant, vagabond
l:Ei gentleman. virtuous maiden with
her duenna, and street coutesan with
no duenna at all, preferring to travel
alone. Each kissed the place where
the blood ran down, made the sign
of the cross; some muttered IL prayer
and in few minutes were in the
street again, either homeward bound.
, going to some place of amusement, or
plying their vocation of darkness, lit
tie rocking of the Man of Sorrows,
acquainted with GRIEF and some only
like Him in that they had no place
to Jay their heads"
Good Friday
| am reminded that, according to
the religious calendar this is the
fourth anniversary of the day when
America entered the world war and
we wondered if that would be the last
war. Today many of the men in the
streets are in the uniform of the re.
public-soldiers, indulging the fancy
that their country is at war with
Costa Rica, now ready to seek the
bubble reputation. even at the can
mons mouth. " Again we followed the
multitude to one of the old churches.
This time the figure of the Son of
God, in natural size, was represented
as lying in the tomb which had been
PROVIDED by Joseph of Arimathea. A
Roman soldier stood nearby, with
lance and battle-axe, while woman
in the agony of grief stood on the OPP
posite side of the body. 1t was
clothed in the habiliments of the
grave, covered with a purple covering
of fine-wrought silk. The crown of
thorns rested yet upon His brow, and
| the marks of blood were dried upon