The Glenwood post., 1924-05-15
UacIe Tets BED Tine Stories
Current Events for the Ch1ldr1
and orown-ups, Too
THE pAN,AMER1oAN UNION

All day it had been play and work
as hard as they both could keep at it.
Ruth had helped mother all morning
with house work and Jack had split
wood and worked in the garden. There
was lots to be done and Uncle Ted
planted flower and vegetable seeds
after Jack had rahed the ground and
cleared it of all the trash that natur-
ally collects during the winter.
During the afternoon, Jack had gone
into the country to play with some
friends whose daddy had big dairy
with lots of beautiful cows. There was
a little boy there from far away South
America; in fact from Nicaragua. He
was a cute little fellow and very po-
lite, and seeing him started Jack to
thinking and wondering what South
America was like.
1t was only natural then, that after
supper that night he should tell Uncle
Ted all about it and ask for a story
on the subject.
'I1l tell you a story about those
countries and / think the best way to
tell you is through description of the
Pan-American Union, with headquar-
ters located in Washington. You kid
dies both should remember that beauti-
full building where we saw all of the
palm trees in the center of big square
room.
"I remember said Ruth. "There
WASH It any ceiling on the. room. 1t was
like outdoors. There was fountain
and birds and all sorts of funny look
ing plants.'
"That's right, Ruth That kind of
a room is what is known in South
America as patio. The ceiling is
open to the sky but in this building
there is sliding roof that can be
pulled across the top in case of bad
weather. That building is the head
quarters for the Pan American Union,
the great organization that has brought
together the countries of South and
Central America. The building cost
over $l,009,000, and Andrew Carnegie
gave three-fourths of the amount, the
remainder being contributed by the 21
republics forming the club. The United
States did it's part by buying the land,
amounting to $250,000.
"The an-American Union started
about 35 years ago when several big
men from these various countries got
together in Washington to bring their
countries together for peace and friend
ship. From this meeting grew the In
ternational Bureau of American Repub
lies. Other meetings were held aftel
that at various cities in these coun
tries until at Buenos Aires, the name
was changed to the PanAmericaI
Union. The latest big meeting of thu
union was held last year in Santiago
Chile. The u American republic
forming the union include Argentina
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cost
Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecua
dor, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mex
leo, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay
Peru, Salvador, United States, Uru
quay and Venezuela. The Union of
fices at Washington are conducted b.
director general, an assistant direc
tor, elected by a governing board mad
up of the secretary of state of tn
United States and the diplomatic repre-
sentatives of the other twenty coun
tries in Washington and a counselor
Our secretary of state, in this case,
Mr.. Hughes, heads the board. In add
tion to these officers the buildin
houses big staff of experts who ar
of untold help to the business men o
these countries. There is a library o
10000 volumes, known as the Colnn
bus Memorial library, the largest co
lection of works on Latin-America
subjects in the world. All kinds Of in
formation and advice are available
Thousands of letters are received an
answered each year from people in a
of these countries. They ask for il
formation and advice on agriculture
manufacturing and the best way t
market their goods. Some of the r,
quests are very funny. One man had
freak animal in this country and wan