On August 15th, 1914, the Panama Canal opened to the public.I have several books that can shed light on the topic of the Panama Canal. First are several from the Landmarks Books series I read in junior high school. The “Panama Canal” by Bob Considine, 1951, and “Balboa, Swordsman and Conquistador” by Felix Riesberg, 1965.
Sailors and traders were looking to find a shortcut to the orient ever since Columbus. Balboa was the first to travel across Panama to see the Pacific Ocean. This was in 1513. He was a ruthless conquisador who was determaned to find gold. His story was one of a fighter and colonizer. Balboa’s narrative was certainly about an adventurer.
While the Isthmus of Panama had only 28 miles of land to cut through (with Gatun Lake in the middle), there was much difficulty between the dry season and the rainy seasons. Mosquitos brought several diseases, that scientists at that time did not know they transmitted. The French were the first to try to make canals, but gave up, and the United States took over. This story is one of overcoming many adversities to become successful.
Both these books appealed to the grade school mind. The next book was much more detailed. I discussed part of this book On March 6th, but is worth bringing up today. It is “The Story of the Panama Canal” by Logan Marchall, 1913. It tells of the history of Panama from Balboa to present times, along with the “The wonderful account of the gigantic undertaking commenced by the French, and brought to triaumphant completion by the United States.”
I am showing two copies of this book for a special reason. The one on the right is the actual book. The one on the left is a saleman’s dummy book. This means that there is only the cover, and perhaps five pages of the first several chapters. It would be used to go door to door, as a book salesman to show what would be the book, along with telling the audience of why it would be good to have this book at home.
Remember that there was no TV or radio at that time, only books, magazines and newspapers. This salesman’s dummy is unusual in that if you flipped it over, it would be about a second book, this time “The Story of Mexico. The salesman had two attempts to sell a book to the public. I have several of these Salesman Dummy books, along with the actual book.
Flipping now to a happening in Europe, I have several old books to thumb through. First is “Pilgrim-Walks in Rome: A guide to the Holy Places in the City and its Vicinity” by P.J. Chandlery, published 1908; and “Rambles in Rome” “A Guide to Museums, Galleries, Villa, Churches, and Antiquities of Rome and the Campagna” by S. Russell Forbes, 1911.
These books, now living in their own antiquity, both give a description of The Sistine Chapel.
August 15th in 1483, the first Mass took place in the Sistine Chapel, for the Feast of the Assumption-Mother Mary ascending to Heaven. I have newer books that describe well the stories and pictures of the Sistine Chapel, but I would rather show several pictures from a traveling companion whom I went with to Rome. She took pictures everywhere-even when told not to. (Later, I hope to tell a story of the Cathedral of Barcelona, where she also got pictures, while I was chastised by a security nun for trying.) There is another photograph of us at the Sistine Chapel that I talked about in the June 29th entry (perhaps illegally taken). You can make out Adam in the center.
It is amazing the amount of paintings on the walls and ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. And also that Michelangelo was on his back on scaffolding to create many of those paintings.
In fact, I have a book about that, “Do You Think the Ceiling’s Too Religious?” by Paul Taylor, 1979.
From liquid roadways beneath our feet, to spellbinding artwork above our heads, today has been a nice adventure. Thank you for traveling with me.
Librarytomes 