VOL. 39

No. 222

TH

HE FIRST impression one obtains of San Antonio, Texas, after leaving the station, is of the ordinary conventional, unpleasing, commercial American town. But after a ride of a few minutes he reaches the broad Alamo Plaza and finds himself at once in the heart of a city unique in some respects, rich in historic interest and pregnant with promise for a brilliant future. Here rises the gray stone Alamo, one of the most interesting historic buildings in America, built by the Franciscans in the dawn of the eighteenth century as a mission church, but later transformed into a fort. In 1836 it was the scene of one of the most stirring episodes of American history. Here it was that Crockett, Bowie, Travis and their fellow-heroes faced death rather than surrender. the Alamo it has been well said: "Thermople had her messenger of defeat; the Alamo had none." And the heroism manifested by this advance guard of civilization has been an inspiration to Texas and the nation at large since the days of the historic stand. The Alamo Plaza is but one of several parks and ornamental breathing places that jewel this city.

Of

Much of San Antonio is of peculiar interest to the traveler, as it bears the stamp of another civilization. Narrow and inconvenient from the "business" standpoint, the streets are at least picturesque, and, when we remember their history, full of interest. This is the old Spanish and Mexican part of the city, and here is the old or Main Plazaolder even than the Alamo Plaza.

A block to the west is still another plaza, commonly known as the Military Plaza, where, among Texas trees, shrubs and flowers, the City Hall stands; while still farther west, beyond Houston Street, is Milam Square, also modernized and made beautiful by waving trees of different shades of green and a wealth of ever-blooming semi-tropical flowers.

San Antonio is full of history, thrilling, war-like history, and its old heart is of adobé houses,modernized and changed, yet redolent of memories of dark-eyed senoritas to whom equally dark and fiery-eyed senors sang serenades during the silences of the night of days now almost forgotten.

Nature has done much for San Antonio; indeed, the fertility of the soil and the atmospheric conditions are such that,

cool and thus refreshing sleep can always be counted upon.

Outside of the old section of the city the streets are fairly broad and most of them are fairly well lined with trees. Small parks and patches of trees are dotted all over the city. In the matter of paving much has yet to be done to make the whole of the streets comfortable. Naturally a growing city has to proceed slowly in this matter. The original pavement in the business center was mesquite blocks, and these gave satisfactory and long service, but in later years asphalt has been used, and in the less traveled streets, gravel.

The city is growing rapidly and new sections are constantly being opened up. Some of the older as well as these newer sections are beautiful in the extreme.

left to itself, nature would see to it that the city was kept beautiful. But this of course, is impossible, so the intelligent work of man has been called upon to supervise and control the growth of

nature.

San Antonio covers thirty-six square miles. The climate is mild and reasonably constant, seldom reaching the freezing point. Snow is exceedingly rare, and the flowers bloom all through the year. In summer the days are hot, but the heat is tempered with the healthful and generally invigorating breeze from the Gulf of Mexico. The nights are mainly

In building residences a fine light brick is now being used, made from native clay. It is in two or three shades, all of which are effective, and there being little or no smoke in the atmosphere, and nothing else to change the color, the houses built of it retain their fresh appearance indefinitely.

In the San Antonio River the citizens have a source of perennial charm. In some of the newer additions to the city there is much scope for the utilization of the winding course of the river for