OCR Text |
Show PROSPEROUS ' PORTO RICO. "While, the people of Porto Rico may feel that they have been neglocted In this matter of citizenship and political politi-cal status, thero has certainly been no neglect In, tho American administration admin-istration ot" the island. After the I Spanish war was ended a good many old Spanish traditions ot misrulo disappeared. dis-appeared. The American promise waj for schools' and 'roads and impartial administration of justice. All .these things and even more Porto Rico has had for the last ten 3 ears. The sugar Industry especially "has reached a high state of development. While tho hurricane which some years ago destroyed de-stroyed the coffee plantations was a serious blow, the effects of that loss and suffering have long since disappeared. disap-peared. There arc two things about San Juan which are to be found In almost every part of Spanish America where there are mountains or highlands. One Is the statue of Columbus. The other Is tho Castle of El Morro. Most people of the United Suites aro moto familiar with Morro Gastle In Ha vana. When they hoar there Is another an-other Morro at Santiago in Cuba and then another in Porto Rico they wonder won-der what it means. The explanation Is quite simple. These castles or citadels aro located on projecting necks of high land which dominate the harbor entrances. El Morro in SpanlBh simply means "the snout." Somo of 'tho plcturosquencss of the term sooms to disappear whon wo . speak of a snout of land, but It Is very gooll geographical terminology. Rural life In Porto Rico Is most do-llghtful. do-llghtful. Even since the American occupation oc-cupation many of the prlmltivo customs cus-toms preail. There is tho most kindly kind-ly and unaffected hospitality. When wo first look control of tho island our soldiers and .some of our civilian officials offi-cials thought that the inhabitants were lazy The northerner always speaks of tho dweller In the tropics as lazy, yet the land Is cultivated and work Is 'dono in spite of a burning sun. The truth about the so-called lazy Inhabitants of Porta Rico was lacr learned by means of medical discoveries. It was found that very many of the Inhabitants woro actual sufferers from a parasite which got into the blopd and caused an anaemic condition. This was the hook-worm. People wh&se blood is thin cannot work ery hard When the American medical officers began to oradicato the hookworm there was some disposition dispo-sition shown to work That proccttr. is going on now just as It Is In our southern states, whore It has been ' discovered the hook-worm parasite j .iIbo exists. 00 |