The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-04-13

the brow of the hill, looking back
ward over the city which we had left
behind us, we had our first view OF
the Pacific ocean. Josephine looked,
drew long breath and exclaimed
"Now | know just how Balboa felt"
and we will let it go at that, rs that
was probably the way the balance of
us felt. Registering at the hotel.
which is owned by our government
we were handed visitors cards to the
Century and Union clubs, by the
courtesy Of the officials of the clubs
and at the suggestion OF our minis
ter. The Century club is but a stones
throw from the hotel, it being one Of
the principal clubs OF the city. 1t
proved to be Il typical Panama resi-
dencc OF the better class, was of Il
~" shape and at the apex OF the
~ was the iron post Before referred
to. 1t was originally built by ST..
PorraS. the present president of the
republic. as Il private residence. From
the center OF this iron post, the line
between the Zone and the Republic
proceeds through the exact center of
the house, thus leaving the house un-
der two fagS--the American ana the
Panamanan. Thus. also. one may
drink all one chooses i'll one side of
the house and remain virtuously dry
in the other. Should | declare which
side of the house was in. there
would be those who would disbclievc.
so what's the use in saying?
/ One instinctively thought of Ouila's
story. Under Three ! rags" and .
/ was SAID that some OF the visitors 10
that club saw even a great many more
fI,p e.f.h III
Panama's Population
The population of Panama is most
interesting. but difficult OF description.
...ere are exceptions, OF course. hut
for he most part they seem To be IL
mixed race--a poly-lot people. lndlan
! The Negro. Monaghan, CngHlese.
many others.
The hoi polli are very, very poor,
apparently, wearing only two ga.
ments, cotton. and most all of Them
being innocent of shoes, or stockings
In tlIe native quarter OF the city the
little boys. and sometimes the little
girls. wear only the garb provided by
nature. Even at that, there is such
a riot of color in the different skins
that the effect is rather pleasing than
offensive to the tastes of the conven
tional, reminding one OF 4 human ka
leidoscope.
The Tivoli hotel was originally
built by the French, when they
were working on the Canal, and was
used by them as an administration
building. 1t was purchased by orr
government along with the other
French possessions, and was added to
and remodelled so that the original
building has been nearly lost in the
structure as it now is
The Panamanians are very pleas
ure loving people. being fond of
sports. which, to our aesthetic tastes,
are crude. They indulge in cock fight.
ing, bull-tighting, and lottery; we in
prize-fighting, football, and poker. On
, the whole, our little brown brothers,
in this respect, at least, seem to have
rather the better of it.
The principal thoroughfares have
many very old and very poverty
stricken women, sitting, all day long
! and far into the night, on the curbs
selling lottery tickets. They seldom
! address one. but just sit, and look al
, one in an appealing kind of way, oc
casionally making Il slight motion
with bunch of tickets, by way oil
, attracting attention to their wares
! 1t is interesting to watch the would
be purchasers, how very CAREFUL,
they select the numbers, hoping 70!
winners. The drawings are hold OF
Sundays.
Old Panama
On Tuesday, March %, Mrs. d. ant
; drove to the Ruined City known as
. Old Panama 1t was founded in the
year 1919, by the Spaniards, was con
structed. as evidenced by what re
mains of it,, of stone, and among its
, principal buildings, as shown by the
= ruins, which neither the hand OF mar
nor time has been able to destroy, are
: found n convent, a cathedral, a build
ing said to have been an administra
!. ton building, or what we would cal
a city hall. Also the ruins of /; store
-, house for yaluables and said to have
been the building where the gold, tax
en- from Central American mountain.
and rivers, was minted into doubloon:
and other coin of the realm. In the
Z near background was noted the ruin.
: of cemetery of that day. where, a.
scars upon the bosom of Mothel
Earth. are shown the narrow houses
> of those who fell upon sleep, ere Nor
{ gan came, in 1871, with fire and swort
!, and so rudely disturbed the peaceful
= life of the city. All is now in ruin,
: and we are wont to believe that thos,
/ who then lived and died are happie
:. than they who remain to live in ;
higher civilization and are burdene,
with the cares that infest the day:
= who delve and worry and struggl,
with wars and rumors OF wars. Nav
hap their trials were as real, as bur
; densome to them as ours to us; the,
4 no longer have brought to them tn,
: question:
I "Will countless trials which press m,
: sore,
Perplex me, never, nevermora?
! Will heartaches. failures. all be DER
L | wonder?"
AS for us
= HE says Unto the weary, rest. unit,
IT the friendless,
s. Home, so best
a And so. to Him, I'll leave the rest
Nor wonder"