e orphans did not
necessarily starve or perish. Many of them lived practically as wild
creatures of the woods. Many of them also were cared for in some fashion
by the families whose homes had not been destroyed, for it was not in
the Cuban heart, even the most poverty-stricken, to turn a suppliant
from the door. But it was not fitting that these children should be left
as waifs and charges upon the people. Under General Brooke's
administration an excellent Department of Charities was organized, which
gathered up and cared for thousands of them, and this work was continued
during General Wood's administration. The children were partly placed in
families which were willing to receive them, or in asylums and schools.
Seeing that there was among them a certain proportion of defectives and
delinquents, and that many were in need of useful training, correctional
and industrial schools for both boys and girls were opened, and did
admirable work.

The second object of General Wood's special interest was that of public
works. Concerning that, two salient facts must be borne in mind. One is,
that the prohibition of franchises and concessions during the American
occupation materially militated against the making of many improvements;
although it was on the whole a desirable restriction. The other is that
many of the most urgent public works during the first year or two were
those connected with sanitation and the renovation of public buildings,
prisons, etc. During the first year of the intervention, under General
Brooke, heroic work was done by General Ludlow in removing from the
streets of Havana the accumulated filth of years. But that was only a
beginning. In the next two years the work had to be continued and
extended to every city and town on the island. Water supplies had to be
provided, and sewer systems. Above all, there had to be an extensive,
persistent and, in the very nature of the case expensive campaign
against yellow fever and malaria, the two traditional scourges of Cuba.
To these works General Wood addressed himself with efficient energy, and
to them he devoted an appropriate proportion of the public funds.

[Illustration: ALMENDARES RIVER, HAVANA]

We have seen that the total cost of the schools in 1900 was more than
$4,000,000. But as a considerable part of this was non-recurring expense
for buildings, etc., the actual cost of maintenance was much less. The
following figures show the apportionment of expendit