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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 26, 1912)
THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: MAT 26. 1912. V Uncle Sam's Fight with Devil at Panama 8 Miller, Stewart & fieaton Co. . Seasonable Goods at Popular Prices The Rowe Bed-Hammock s ? s . a. ? si v r I 1 ' ,rL si., i ft 1 t- I .A.i. -7. 5" j V &t - v 3? ' 1 St, - (Cl' (Copyrtrtt HIS. by rnk O. Carpenter.) 11.EBRA, Cnl Zone. Pcnam. -I have headed Ihla lattw "Uncle SamV Fight "With the Dev.-i." The title 1 ena tlonal. but It flta the atorv. It la the fight of Uncle Sam tor the aouls of hla canal employes. It trllt how be baa taken a. 000 or lO.Ono men., uch aa you find at a mining camp or on the frontier, haa put them to work at high wagea. and at the aame time haa kept them free from gambling, luat and the other vtcea which . have heretofore been ajwaya associated with such organ izations When the French atarted thla canal they baptised it In champagne Their official! locked handa with Lucifer and Baechua. They brought their mia traeaee with them from Parte, and graft and extravagance danced beaide them Jiver the canal xone on the road to bank, tuptcy and- financial destruction. I pllft Work Iw Panama. So far our canal haa been built without graft.- We have apent hundreds 'of mil lion! and no one haa charged that a cent er dollar haa gone Into anything but the actual construction of the canal or the legitimate expenses connected there with. More than that, the work haa been dxe m a Chtiatlsn way by a body of Orlatlan men. whose conduct Is morally as good as that of any social community In the United Statea or the world. This. It seems to me. la quite as wonderful aa the building of the canal Itself. How haa It been accomplished I It haa been dons by the marrying nt business to Christianity; by bringing to the front the forces which make for good and. aa far aa possible, eliminating those which make for the bad; by throwing the Young Men's Chrlstlsn association clubhouse and Its attractions as open s the devil throws open the saloon, and by feeding the mlnda and souls of the men with the good rather than the bad. The result has been a soeial uplift rather than a social downfall, and scores of ths employes who have come to Pan ama will leave hers la' better state morally than when they arrived. TnU tight with tha devil la still going on. It nay be seen along every part of tha canal sons today, and aa far aa I can sea In every one of tha canal towna the devil la getting tha worst of tha battle. f lab Hoasrs for Caaal Employes. One of the most Important featurea of ths tight Is the clubhouses which have been built tor tha canal employes. These have been constructed by the govern ment, and the experienced secretaries of tha Toung Men s Chiiatlan association fcava been called in to run them. They lia are so msnaged that they are largely seir supporting, and tha Toung Men'a Chris I mjm.imhah nA the envernment unite In paying the deficit. I don't know how much they run short, but their opera tion last year cost mora than I1M.W0. A great part of thla waa made up of dues and other receipts. Each of tha two thousand and odd members pay tie sn nually. and the restsurants and billiard rooms bring In a considerable sum. There are clubhouses of this kind at rv Matlnn of Importance along the canal aone. There Is ons at Porto Bello. on the Caribbean sea, where there are hundreds of men engsged In crushing rock for tha Oatun locks. There la an other at Crlstobsl. adjoining Colon, the American port on tha Atlantic, and a third at Gatun. where they are making tha dam. And then we have a clubhouse at Gorgon a. patronised by the men at work in the shops: another at Empire, at the beginning of the Culebra cut and one hero at Culebra, about midway 'of tha cut ' There la also a elubhouss on tha Pacific division of tha canal, at Co- rosaL lastdo tha Claa Hoases. I wish 1 could take you Into these build Inge. They hsvs all tha conveniences and comforts of our men'a clubs st home These houses are great pavilions . sur rounded by wide verandas, so that they are cool and airy. Tha walla are veiled In woven wire netting to keen out the mosquitoes, and svorytning is so iarae roomy that It la cool day and night All of the buildings have reading rooma and Ubrarlea. They have pool rooma sn billiard rooma. They have bowling alleys ut avmnastuma. aa well aa rooma for checkers, chess and other gamea. Each r-yrf house has Its own refreshment rooms, and X in tha lobby there are cigar and candy stands. " Let as take a look at the clubhouse 1 Vera at Culebra. It stsads high shove the great cut. and so eommanaa n tnat you can sea for severs! miles the work going on beneath you. The building la about W feet long and fifty feet wide. We m throucH ths wide front door, which leada to tha lobby or office, which Is also th. library. The library contains aooui I OCS books, consisting largely of biogra phy and Action, and Is well peironiiw. Tha hooka drawn out at Culebra this moath numbered . and those distrib uted throughout the whole sons were more than a.. But listen to ths music! It comes from thai ahoooe-raim there at tha right On tha oppostts side of tha hall Is sn upright piano, which ws snay hear later on. Passing through the lobby ws turn to the right end go Into tha resding room. This is filled with men in easy chairs reading and chatting. They are In their shirt sleeves, and took very ooraronaoie. 3 ' . -T flit ' I U 't 1; UiT- I .1 in. i hi '";. .... ' . :,t "".-w' f IT liggsl m L T lyirr'Jt . i . . .. Nfci j w , AU 1 fMh Mil 11 t Ml j ti Vo-wiwgLfeTgs I 11,11 ,MW l w IboJ Xoom itGatuji Club 2ous? aiines. evejnty-flva of the best period!-1 cala and Journals are taken, and one can find everything hers from science to fic tion. As to the writing tables, 1.000 let ters are sent out from this room every month and from the seven clubhouses 9.000 or 10.000 are mailed home In that time. la tha Billiard Rooaa. But let ua go to tha other sids of ths hall and enter the billiard room. Every one of these clubhouses haa billiard ta bles and cues. Ths gsms keeps the men out of ths poolrooms of the saloons, which were nightly filled with employes before ths clubhouses were started. Tha members pay 30 cents an hour for the use of tha club tables. They are good players, too. and they have billiard tournaments Saturday nlghta when the men coma In crowds to look on. If you would know lust how popular thla form of amusement Is I would say thst 7.000 pool gsmss wars played here at Culebra last month snd thst a similar propor tion waa played at ths other clubhouses. Ths canal commission and tha Toung Men'i Christian association believe that pool and billiards are good exercise, snd they encourage them. In ths mesntlms ths patronage of tha poolrooms of the saloons hss fallen to nothing. There are a dosen such In Culsbrs. and I could not find more than a couple of employes la any of them. Base Ball and Bowling. Among other popular amusements here are base ball and bowling. Every club house haa Its bowling . room, and there are" bowling clubs, - which contest with ons another. There ars bowling tourna ments, in which ths most expert tenplr, men of ths different canal settlements come together and compete and there are duck pin toumamenta as well. There are also weekly' meetings st the various towns, where the best duckptn men and the best tenpin men compete, and It is Impossible to appreciate the rivalry as to auch matters. Every settlement hss its baas ball clubs and there la also an Isthmian basket ball league. The base ball clubs of Culebra and Empire play each other several ttroea every season, snd It is the same with tha other towns along the line. Every place haa Its. own team and !tt regular daye ef practice, and there are athletic meets, which srs attended by the expert gymnasts from all parts of the Isthmus At these meets the program includes the hundred-yard dash, the mile run. the relay races, the ahotpat and the pole vault. The prises are medals of gold, silver and bronse, and the compel tors are not only from the employes on the canal, but from tha Infantry and marine corps stationed hers on ths sona Coaeerts aad Minstrels. But there Is a show gome on now In the hall overhead. Let us go up. Ws find the room filled, and on the atage at tha hack a troupe of amateur minstrels is holding' a performance. Tha men are canal employe with blacked faces. They look like the old-time minstrels of the United States, and do not wear satin suits aa In tha new-fangled shows of today. The Mtea contain many hits on local matters, and bring down tha house. These minstrel shows are gotten up by the secretaries of tha clubhouses, who hunt out the best actors and bring them together. A popular troupe will go from town to town, until It vlatts all the gone settlements. Tha band, which Is playing tonight be longs to the Tenth Infantry. Next the music may be furnished by the ma rines, or by the band of the isthmian canal commission. The latter la sup ported by the government, which spends something like H0.OOO a year for music ralone. The canal commission band gives concerts all along the line of the sons. Among other features of the elubhouss entertainments are moving picture shows, the machinery and films of which are sent down from the states. These are free to the members of the clubs, but out siders must pay 5 cents for each admts sion. The pictures srs carefully censored and the men often bring their wive and daughters to sea them. And then we have many lectures at tha clubhouses. Ws have frequent public de- . . . m immi am two men T da vine ehass. and at tn opposita sioej " p ' L -j tatnmenta. Last year there was - aa W Ths scene ars for all the world like 1. those of a big city club In the United f-tatea. The tables are covered with mag-1 operatic carnival mads up of amateurs, which played tha various canal settle ments, snd the oratorio, "Tha Holy City." waa given by a large chorus composed of csnsl employes. t Literary ftorletlea. Nearly ever)- club haa ita literary so ciety or discussion club. In these current tuples are taken up, essays are read and lectures sometimes given. For Instsnca, the dlacutsion club which met here last Wednesday night had the topic, "What Is Happiness?" and that of Gatun discussed " hat la Failure r'- while another so ciety used the "College Man" as Its sub. Ject of discussion. I doubt not ths politi cal situation will be well canvassed at these clubs. Thar are now 160 men en rolled In tha dramatic clubs, alxty In the camera clubs, and there are 300 who serve on various club committees. There are also Bible study clubs, which meet together on Sunday and which work In dependent of the churches. Among the other Institutions of these clubhouses are the barber shops and pressing clubs. Good barbers ars a neces sity in the tropics and ths msn know that they can find canltary ahopg at tha club houses. Many of them pay so much a month to have their clothes pressed, the I barbers and pretsers bringing In some- I thing of an Income to tha institutions. . Talk with Daperlateadeat. j During my atay here I have had a chat with Mr. A. B. Dickson, who la the head of the clubhouses under the Isthmian canal tommission. He wss formerly the financial secretary of the Twenty-third street Young Men a Christian association in New York City. Among the questions 1 asked were whether many voung men had been ruined by their life In the canal sone. To this hs replied: I do not think so. Ths Inducements to keep right srs as strong here ss in sny part of the United States. Drunken ness and gambling are quit aa disgrace ful, and the men who engage In them are regarded Just the same aa at home. The clubhouse haa done much to elevate the moral standing of the canal com munity. It ia the chief meeting place and the men go there to loaf rather than to the saloons. You must remember that our canal employee are far above the average of mankind as to their hablta and ambitions They are picked men who are earning high wagea They ars now saving money and planning as to Vhat they will do when they leave. They find that the clubhouse costs them practically nothing, and that It takes the place of ths mors expensive and wicked amuse ments found In the saloons Without these clubs they would hav nothing to do except stsy st home or go to the saloons. Their work la strenuous and they need recreation. Thla -need baa been supplied by the clubs. Indeed, I may aay that the club ars sn absolutely necessity to efficient labor on the canal. They have aided In making the employes contented and hav also dona much for the high moral standing of the American com munity. Boy neoate of Panama, Connected with these clubs are uplift morementa of various kinds and among others that of the boy scouts. W hsve now seven companies of these scouts on the sone. Each compagjr has a piece of land for a elubhouss which hss been given by the canal commission, and the boys have erected their- own clubhouses, the lumber' being given by the canal au thorities The most of them hav eight by ten-foot shacks, very roughly finished. The scours are to have a charter from the national headquarters of New Tork and they ars to be known as th Isthmian Scout commission. Not long ago General Baden-Powell, the commander-in-chief of ths boy scouts, visited the Isthmus A number of the boys went to Colon to meet him. and the general went over the work with the scout master and expressed himself pleased. mare-he f the Mtan. A good fight with the devil Is being waged by the Chrlstlsn churches which have been organised since we began our work her. There are now forty on the canal son- Th first building authorised was the Roman Catholic chapel In th hospital grounds at A neon- That waa be gun tn 10. and tn the year following churoh' and lodge 1 buildings were con structed at Gortons ar.1 Cristobal. Since then land has been granted for churches of many denominations and the govern ment has sold building material at cost to those who wish to put up such struc tures. Th commission requires that tber shall be resident chaplains for th An onn snd Colon hospitals, and th persons or priests have to visit the wards of th hospitals dally and also to hold services over such of the patients as die. I hav before me a list of th churches of the tone. They are of almoat every denomi nation, but there seem to be more Epis copal snd Catholic than of any of the others There are fifteen chaplains In the commission service, of whom four ar Episcopalians; four Baptists, three Roman Catholics, two Methodists, ono Wesleysn and on Presbyterian. There la a Methodist Episcopal church In the ctty of Panama, to which the communicants from A neon are carried in government carriages every Sunday. In addition to th regular churches considerable mission work and church ex tension work is being dona There Is one West Indian mission at Empire; which haa 130 communicants, and there are otha ml tons patronised by th West Indian negroes. There It a colored mission at Culebra and a young men'a 'colored Insti tute there. There are alto a number of Sunday schools on tha sone, soma for negroes snd some for whites. Th negro Sunday schools are the oldeet. those for white children dating bsck only to IMS. Ths whit Sundsy schools are fourteen In number and their enrollment I some thing like 700. The Salvation Army began Its work here eight yeara ago. when one of the soldiers from Jsmsica came and submitted a plan of salvation to tha governor of the tona H waa given a house In Cristobal and later on the commission sppropristed sev eral thousand dollars for a building ther. This contains a rettsursnt, a kitchen, a resding room and a dormitory, Including bath and toilet rooms It has also living spartments for the commander and hla son. Ths Salvation Army work la confined almoat entirely to the negroes, although at Its quarters some whites are occasion ally registered. During on week the guests Included Amerlcanc, English, Scotch, Scandinavians, Russians. Boh- mtsns. Jsmalcana, Chileana, Peruvians and Barbadians. Mora than M per cent of the men who come to these quarters pay back what they receive before leav ing the Isthmus, snd the InatltStlon Is selfsupportlng. Lodging costs S cents a night to thdee who can pay, and the othera have their beds free. . In addition to the quarters at Cristobal another salvation building la to be erected at Panama, and out poet work Is carried on also at Gorgona and Empire. FRANK O. CARPENTER. IF YOUR FEET. HURTBEWARE! TOUR MlaLTH IS IN DANaift-BOB- ILT INsUWT MAT WMULT. Ttotk who hsve brsro trouble, bacraeh, spinal trouble, dlsierstloa of small twoea, strsined vital cords snd nuasrrous otber senoua troubles twr 811 their ttoatsrbs with stsdietaes and rub tbeir bodies witn ointments. let in ninety esses n a hundred, these ssns people hsve not reached the sest of the trouble. If they bsd oalr takes care of tosh- FEET these terribs) afflictiODS would not have occurred. sot, burning, squeesed, tired feet OH! THE POCB T HI? Oel -covered with blisters, kuaioa snd coreswin cause you to strain and rop. Tour test berooss ever-vorked they s rest sad treatment. But you keep fight oa sbuff&g themyou ttrtia bra you walk, Aad do you now toe ar fcCLTSr The vltsl cords sod boost of ths bodr connected with V I strained, dislocated. Aad f I what are the remits. Ton inraugs in less oi BBptna fowauu? 111 su fierier. But If yoa wll I I I SA-NATITZ your feet Mr tjoraing wit h that marvelous m m iiiMae wm hear SO) Vr n,nrn about eASATin VJ all th aoreaeat will esaith Mfiten via heal and corns sad bunions will eesae to be cruel paawbmeae. GAXATtTE Is difltrent from aay ether foot remedy knova. It's la t dry Ions s powder poll. SIMPLY DCbT IT Oil THE rEET-ao foasog Or Bras sing with aoskiDf snd wster. The aatiscptle Inrrediesta ta oAMATiTS DaUW OCT the soa sod psla. Tour IM OmVT has SAVATTTS la Be snd he peckajrea get oos betora 70 rota your neaira. l)on I try anrrniog f II m vi UttftSa 4 aril Af ' V r V re chances tan ft on bAJATITE. If he cant rip plr you. flfcND tSe DIRECT to The r.ElsU lUIE CO. (Also Makers of Beaver Mud i. lata a met, ixarer, l, xsot The kind that is made for comfort and -that has the rest-giving essentials combined with greatest durability. If you know tha Rowe make you know it has no equal. The , hammock in this illustration is priced at $10.00 considered very moderate for the quality. The supjxirting apparatus-nade . of tested pipes ta listed at $5.90. W cao sat isfy you la any swings or htm. mock. Wa ar ex clusive agents (or tba famous Row Una of Ham-mocki. I Hammock $10.00. Frame $5.00 Nothing spoils in this ice box $28.00 The construction of the Leon- ard O N E-P I E C E PORCE LAIN LINED refrigerator is such as to make it a tafe place for , fopd in the hottest weather. The, ' 'temperature is always low and even the'circulation is perfect -arid the box is sanitary always. There -is perfect drainBge construction, durability, freedom from moisture. A ' refrigerator like illustration is priced at' - $28.00: Te"h'ave'a complete, large line, 'witV prices to suit all.," $10.00 Baby starts with easy riding Why shouldn't the baby have ' comfort freedom from jolts and crampy quarters. He gets it when you place him in a $10.00 collapsible Go-Cart like the one illustrated here; strength, roominess and beauty are virtues that' make this collapsible vehicle be6t. The wheels are light running, the top is covered with excellent materials. You could do no better anywhere at the price. , Porch rocker is strongest model Thii is a strong Reed Rocker you can tell it looks " comfortable. We want to tell you of its strength. The arms are supported by steel rods. .The seat and back ar made of double reed built to last The frame is solidly put together. This chair rocks easy rests the body' and it is a bargain at $3.75. m tv The cool porch is well shaded Shade your porch with Ger man wood web porch shades. They keep the sun's rays out and oermit cool air to blow through. 'They are durable and withstand . the rain and wind. Made in va- : rious colors. Here are some of the sizes and prices: 4x8, $2.50; 5x8, $3.50; 6x8, $4.00; 7x8, $4.50; 8x8; $5.00: 10x8, $6.50. Miller, Stewart & Beaton Co. 413-15-17. South Sixteenth Street V Every WOMAN fbould know shoot tba wonderful 1 Marrd Whirling Spray" SYRINGE Best safest most cocvenirat. Cleanses instantly. If rvnt dmrflst eaasec smptr (a XARVBU HH Stamp lor eww -ealo. t. oatatas ouwww BSJobltladMe. MAItVn. COMTAMT 44 Ct a Street few Test res Sat r DRS.MACH&r.UCH BAILEY & MACH Expert Senttetry st roederat price all work in rhart x perls. Only sterilised instrw B.ats used. Porcelain tulle just Ilk In teeth. Mot m4 ernlr equipped office in Omaha. Tiras iitoorn. xv stocx Ooraer ltth aad raraaaa THE OMAHA BEE . Osaaaaa Ortet Heat Paper Latest News! Best Features! The Omaha Bee GREATEST HOME PAPER IN ALL THE WEST f