conducted was promulgated for the August election on April 1 and for
the November election on September 11, 1908.

This law had three salient and characterizing features. The first was
that it established a system of permanent election boards which were
charged with the work of conducting the elections. In each municipality
there was to be a board of three members. In each department or
province there was to be a board of five members of whom two were to be
representatives of the two principal political parties of the island
while the other three were to be non-political members, officials of the
courts or representatives of the education department. The second
salient feature of the law was a system of compulsory registration. This
provided for the making and keeping by the election boards of lists of
all persons in the island who were entitled to vote. The basis of these
lists was the census of 1907, and it was provided that the lists should
be revised, corrected and amplified by the election boards every year.

The third and perhaps the most important feature of the law was its
provision for proportional representation. This secured minority
representation, giving each of the important political parties
membership in legislative bodies and also in the Electoral College
representation in proportion to the number of votes polled.

Under the constitution of Cuba the right of suffrage is guaranteed to
every adult male in full enjoyment of his ordinary civil rights. This of
course bestows the franchise upon a great number of illiterate persons.
The commission which revised the electoral law in 1908 carefully
considered the question of undertaking in some way to deal with the
illiterate vote so that it would not be, as it seemed on the face to be,
a potential menace to the state. It was finally decided however, that it
would be impracticable and inadvisable to attempt in any way to modify
the constitution. Provisions were, however, adopted whereby alien
residents of the island, although not permitted to vote, were made
eligible for election as members of municipal councils and also as
associate members of municipal commissions.

[Illustration: THE ACADEMY OF ARTS AND CRAFTS

The Academy of Arts and Crafts is one of the notable institutions which
make Havana an important centre of culture, both theoretical and
applied. This great school of technology was opened in 1882, and
occupies a fine building of dignified and imp