and homes of the civil administration, judiciary, law, and sanitation staff. Looking in an opposite direction towards the Pacific and the Bay of Panama one can discern in the distance the graceful ruined tower of "Old Panama," which should be the objective point of a motor trip. Recently, the Government of Panama has cleared away all the jungle and undergrowth which obscured the remains of the buildings, plazas, and streets of this rich and wicked capital of the old days which was destroyed by the Buccaneer Morgan in 1671.

En route to "Old Panama" one passes along and through the "Savannas," which is an open, rolling country close to the sea and the site of the country homes of the richer Panamanians. A good automobile road reaches the entire distance of several miles. It requires two hours to make the trip comfortably and satisfactorily. If en route you are fortunate enough to be entertained at luncheon or tea by some hospitable Panamanian, you will come away with a high opinion of the quality and refinement of your host and his family. The average visitor to Panama sees little or nothing of the high-class native life and can not appreciate what a considerable well-educated, much-traveled, and socially-refined element of people it possesses. During my stay of one year at Panama before the American colony had reached its present large proportions, I saw much of the home life of the native families and gained a most favorable impression of their social activities. I remember a social picnic and dancing club, which had a membership of over one hundred young ladies, called the "Club Iris," and I am frank to say that I know of no similar club in any American city that could get together more real pretty girls in the same membership.

On the other hand, I have keen and pleasant recollections of many men in and out of the government of Panama, in both private and public life, whose friendship and fellowship I cherished. I was particularly impressed with the number of clear-headed, logical-minded, and common-sense acting men I constantly met in my official life, and who were honestly desirous of helping Panama become a government worth while and develop a name for stability, order, and progress.

Panama suffers from the class of visitors who make only flying visits to the Isthmus and, coming into contact with only one

OLD CATHEDRAL, PLAZA INDEPENDENCIA, PANAMA CITY

class—the cab drivers, policemen, and small shop-keepers, and ordinary workmen - return to the United States or Europe and write stories about the "Spigotties," as the average lower class is commonly described by the American canal employes, as if they were the only people at Panama.

A drive around Panama, or a walk if one has time, should include visits to the Cathedral on the main square, Plaza Independencia, the Lottery Office, the old French office or administration headquarters, the Hotel Central, and the new municipal

building, all facing the same plaza. Not far away, on a side street, is the American Legation, which was the home of the Chief of the Canal in the French era, and where at the present writing (December, 1912) presides the Hon. H. Percival Dodge, an able and hospitable minister. On another near-by street, overlooking the bay, is "La Presidencia," the residence of the distinguished President of the Republic, Dr. Belisario Porras, with an attractive little Spanish patio. Beyond and near the sea is the magnificent new National Theater or Opera House, and the new government

NEW PANAMA CITY MUNICIPAL BUILDING, PLAZA INDEPENDENCIA

building or National Palace, both structures which would ornament any large city of the United States or Europe. The American Consulate General, now in charge of Consul General Alban G. Snyder, is on the main street leading from the railroad station to the main plaza.

The far and long-famed "Flat Arch," in the ruins of the old San Domingo Church, should be seen by every traveler and student. This is said to be the longest flat arch in the world, and having been built two centuries ago it is a monument to the

architects and masons of those days. There is a legend that the architect, after having designed several arches which fell, planned and built this one and then, sitting under it called upon it to fall and destroy him or last forever! Perhaps its greatest usefulness is to answer by its simple presence and long existence all arguments, dire predictions, and false prophecies of those who contend that the locks and heavy work of the canal are in danger of momentary destruction by earthquakes.

Other churches of interest are San Felipe de Neri, the oldest in Panama; San Francisco, in Plaza Bolivar, and having also a flat arch and big doors with old-fashioned nail heads; Santa Ana in Santa Ana Plaza; San José, with old Spanish altars on Avenue A; and de la Merced, Avenue Central.

The old sea-wall and fortress at Chiriqui Plaza, called “Las Bovedas," is one of the really picturesque sights of Panama and commands a comprehensive view of the Bay of Panama and the whole water front. Near by are up-to-date clubs of Panamanians and Americans, which make a marked contrast to these old buildings of the times when social clubs were not in vogue.

The market place on the water front, the Chinese shops, the Panama hat stores, the bird and monkey shops, the offices of the pearl merchants, and the curio shops provide abundant opportunities for the traveler to part with his money, with the result that when he returns to the hotel he engages in a long argument with his cab driver, in order to save enough to pay his hotel bill when he leaves that night or the next morning. And he will dislike to leave the Tivoli, for it is a comfortable and hospitable place with allowances, of course, for limitations in space and attendance when great crowds from an incoming excursion steamer temporarily swamp its corridors and facilities.

A motor or carriage ride to Balboa, the Pacific terminus of the canal, only a few miles away, is worth while. The road is a good one and an opportunity is provided, if not already enjoyed by the excursion train, to inspect the docks, buildings, and the work which is going on at that end of the canal. One branch of the road goes by the native and Chinese cemeteries, which are unique to the average foreigner and worth seeing. If in going from the Tivoli hotel the road is taken along the shoulder of Ancon Hill, a fine view is obtained of Panama City, the bay, the breakwater

FAMOUS FLAT ARCH, RUINS OF SAN DOMINGO CHURCH, PANAMA CITY

in course of construction which will connect Balboa with Naos Island, and the channel of the canal leading out to sea.

In going to or returning from Balboa, or in a separate excursion, a ride should be taken around the northern slope of Ancon Hill, where a fine panoramic view can be had of the route of the canal in the direction of Miraflores, Pedro Miguel, and Culebra Cut. This view also gives an excellent impression of the general land conformation of the Isthmus and makes one clearly realize the engineering difficulties which have been surmounted.

If a stop of several days is made at Panama, a trip should be made by water across Panama Bay to Taboga Island, famous for its wonderful pineapples and for its attractive sanitarium or rest house for convalescing invalid employes. A round-trip day's steaming also, almost to the south, which could be undertaken in a large steam launch or a specially chartered tug, permits a visit to the well-known Pearl Islands, where profitable pearl fisheries have been conducted for a great many years, enriching the native fishermen and the merchants in Panama.

A launch ride from Panama out through the bay around the islands and up the Pacific channel of the canal to Balboa gives