THE ALAMANCE GLEANER
VOL. LV. GRAHAM, N, C., THURSDAY APRIL 18, 1929. NO. 11.
WHAT'S GOING ON |
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT_EVENTS
Hoover's Choice of Dawes
as Ambassador to London
Pleases Everybody.
By EDWARD W. PICKARD
PRESIDENT HOOVER S selection of
Gen. Charles G. Dawes for the
high post of ambassador to the court
of St. James was a happy one. It
meets with the general approval of
the people of the United States, If
newspaper comment Is Indicative, and
the government and press of England
give assurance that Mr. Dawes will
be enthusiastically welcomed In Lon
don. In accepting the appointment
IIr. Dawes made the stipulation that
he be given time to conclude his work
in Santo Domingo, where he and a
commission are establishing a budget
system for the government. This Job
will be ended In four or five weeks.
Then be will visit his Chicago home
and go to Washington for conferences
with President Hoover and Secretary
of State Stlmson on policies to be fol
lowed, so It Is likely he will not as
sume his duties In London before the
end of June.
Special gratification over Mr. Dawes"
?election was expressed by the British
government in reply to the formal in
quiry by the State department It Is
understood that President Hoover is
counting upon Mr. Dawes to bring
about a new era of good feeling be
tween the two nations. Friction has
arisen recently over a number of mat
ters, Including the question of naval
construction. Mr. Dawes will be par
ticularly qualified to deal with ques
tions relative to German reparations.
The London newspapers say that while
England Is sorry to part with Ambas
sador Alanson E. Houghton, who has
been quite successful there, no suc
cessor could be more welcome than
Mr. Dawes.
t"*VERYTHING was made ready dnr
ing the week for the special ses
sion of congress, and the President let
It be known that he especially desired
the enactment of a farm relief meas
ure before June 1 so that the relief
organization may be functioning In
time to help in marketing the next
harvest. The administration bill is
based on the McNary measure which
was indorse^ by Secretary of Agricul
ture Hyde. TarifT revision is likely
to cause more trouble in congress than
the farm legislation. Urged on by the
sugar beet growers and beet sugar
producers of the West and the cane
sugar men of Louisiana and Texas,
the Republicans of the lower house, it
Is expected, will make a determined
light for substantial Increases In the
duties on sugar. The battle In both
bouse and senate over this is likely to
be prolonged. The proposition to re
vive the tariff on long staple cotton,
which was abolished in 1921, has
brought from the General Agricultural
Syndicate of Egypt an earnest plea in
opposition. The measure, says the
syndicate's president, not only would
be Injurious to Egypt and to the re
lations between the two countries, but
It also "wonld inflict harm on Ameri
can spinners of fine cotton, purchasers
of fabrics made from It, purchasers of
automobile tires and other commodi
ties in which long staple cotton la
used. It would make the United States
lose the place which her cotton fab
rics have obtained abroad where they
bave succeeded In competing seriously
with other countries."
President Hoover received a large
delegation of union labor leaders who
asked that the views of labor be taken
Into consideration In the working oat
of the new tariff schedules. The dele
gation also urged the appointment of
a representative of organized labor on
the tariff committee.
SECRETARY OF STATE STIMSON,
appealed to by Vice President Cur
tis to rescind the ruling of bis prede
cessor concerning tbe official status of
Mrs. Gann, the Vice President'! sister,
and also asked by the diplomatic corps
to determine the question, skillfully
dodged tbe Issue by telling Mr. Curtis
that he would not accept Mr. Kellogg's
ruling, and replying to the diplomats
American Planes and
Pilots Equal of Any
Although Europeah commercial
a elation ha* many refinement* lack
ing oo American air lines, the United
States has the planes and flyers to
develop an air transport system equal
to anything abroad, MaJ. Clarence M.
Young, head of the Commerce depart
ment's bureau of aeronautics, said.
Major Young has just returned
to this country from n survey of Eu
ropean airways, during which trip be
th?t they would have to aolve fbr
themselves the problem of where Mrs.
Ganu was to be seated at official din
ners. So the foreign ambassadors and
ministers got together and after dis
cussing the matter for several hours,
notified the State department that un
til some definite ruling was laid down
by that department Mrs. Gann would
be accorded the rank and social status
cf the wife of a Vice President at all
official and ceremonious diplomatic en
tertainments. This means tbat Mr.
Curtis has won his fight, at least for
the time being, and his sister will
rank, at such functions, above all other
women except Mrs. Hoover. Both Mr.
Hoover nnd Mr. Stimson were annoyed
by the affair Into which the State de
partment had been drawn, and the
secretary said that his department
would no longer act as social secretary
for Washington hostesses, though It
will aid Mrs. Hoover In arranging her
dinner parties. The triumph of Mr.
Curtis was first celebrated at a din
ner given by the Chilean ambassador
at which Mrs. Gann was seated as the
ranking woman guest.
TTARRY F. SINCLAIR may have to
?*?1 reside for three months In the
District of Columbia jail and pay a
fine of $500, for the Supreme Court of
the United States upheld hla convic
tion for contempt of the senate In re
fusing to testify before the Teapot
Dome Investigating committee five
years ago. The decision, read by Just
tlce Pierce Butler, was a complete
victory for the government It sus
tained at every point the powers
claimed by the senate to compel testi
mony deemed necessary as the basis
of possible legislation. The jail In
Washington Is an old structure with
no exercise yard and Is a decidedly
uncomfortable place In which to live.
Sinclair may be sent to the prison
farm Instead.
Leviathan, which together with
ten other ships of the govemment
owned lines, was bought by the U. S.
Lines, Inc., last week started for
Southampton on her first trip as a
privately owned American vessel, and
as she got beyond the twelve-mile limit
she became a "wet" ship. Her medical
llqnor supplies were opened for sale
to passengers. Chough there was no
public bar. The same course wilt be
taken on the other ships purchased by
Paul W. Chapman's company, a legal
opinion that the plan adopted would
be no violation of the law having been
obtained. Before the Leviathan's de
parture from New York a federal or
der was obtained granting the ship the
right to enter the port on return with
a certain amount of liquor under seal.
When the ship reaches the twelve
mile limit on return that amount will
be stowed away, and If any liquor re
mains It will be dumped overboard.
SECTIONS of north central Arkan
sas were ravaged by a terrific tor
nado Wednesday night, and abont
fifty persons were killed and a hun
dred injured. The village of Onion
was blown completely away, five per
ishing, while In a farm settlement
near Swlfton more than a score of
men, women and children were killed.
Because the districts where the storm
struck were rather sparsely settled the
property loss was not great
Tornadoes also struck In Minnesota
and Wisconsin, resulting In the deaths
of abont ten persons and considerable
damage to property.
r\ EFEATED at Jlmlnez, repulsed In
*** their fierce attacks on Naeo and
forced to evacuate Juarez and Chihua
hua City, the Mexican rebels began
moving such troops as they could
toward the west, apparently Intending
to concentrate their fight In the state
of Sonora. General Escobar, who was
elected "provisional president" by the
revolutionary leaders, started his
army toward the coast, abandoning
the entire state of Chihuahua, and him
self arrived In Agua Prleta. on the
border Just east of Naco, by airplane.
General Calles with six troop trains
arrived at Mazatlan, Slnaloa, and or
ganized bis forces for the campaign
on the Pacific coast.
Though the federal garrison In Naco
had withstood the assaults of the
rebels. Its situation was becoming In
creasingly desperate, for Escobar was
gathering about 8,000 men to besiege
the place and these troops bad good
artillery and airplanes. To protect
flew2^00 miles and surveyed six coun
tries.
Much of tills flying be did him
self In s Stearmsn plane which he
took abroad, t hooch he flew also In
the passenger planes of the principal
European lines.
"Europe has done a wonderful Job
under trying etrcnmstancea In the
commercial ariati on field." Young
said.
He was particularly Impressed with
the Croydon alrdome In London and
the Temptehof field In Germany.
the American border, MaT Gen. Wil
liam Lasslter, commanding the Eighth
Army corps area, ordered approxi
mately 1,500 United States soldiers to
Arizona and New Mexico points close to
the International line. Eighteen army
planes patrolling the border had or
ders to shoot any Mexican planes fly
ing over American territory.
COL. CHARLES A. LINDBERGH
doesn't care to have all bis move
ments followed by a public that be
comes alarmed for hi) safety as soon
as he Is out of Its sight Last week
after a visit with his fiancee. Miss
Anne Morrow, he took olf from Mexico
City for the north. Because he did
not show up In Texas when expected,
there were rumors of disaster and sug
gestions of searching parties. But he
finally landed at Brownsville, unruf
fled except by the public concern, and
more than Intimated that where he
had spent the night was his own con
cern. Then he again took off on his
way to New York, where the body of
his friend, the late Ambassador Der
rick, arrived on Saturday from France.
DEV. SIDNEY J. CATTS, the plc
turesqae former governor of Flor
ida, la In deep trouble. A federal
grand Jury In Jacksonville Indicted
him on the charge of having financed
a ring of counterfeiters In Tampa
who planned to make vast quantities
of bogus $20 bills and "shove" them
through the assistance of a bank em
ployee In New York. Catts Is charged
with having given the counterfeiters
$5,000 In return for which he was to
receive $25,000 In the fake notes.
HERE'S something novel in the
way of speculation "squawks."
Congressman L. C. Dyer* of St. Louis,
Mo., took a flyer in the stock of
Hiram Walker, Inc., Canadian whisky
distillers, and sayr he did it In com
plete ignorance that the company
manufactured and sold liquor contra
band In the United States. As soon
as he learned the truth, he says, he
sold, and so eager was he to get rid
of the stock that he did not bother
about the price, and lost money. Now
he has demanded that the governors
of the New York curb exchange re
imburse him for the loss, contending
that the exchange has no right to
deal in whisky securities.
OlXTEEN members of the Chicago
^ Association of Candy Jobbers, tried
In Federal court In Chicago on
charges of violating the Sherman
antitrust law, were found guilty and
face sentences of one year In Jail and
$5,000 line each. Eighteen others
were acquitted. The defendants were
charged with conspiring to fix prices
in the candy Industry and to stifle
competition In violation of the law
prohibiting the restraint of trade.
CALVIN COOLIDGE, ex-President
of the United States, has accept
ed an invitation to become a member
of the board of directors of the New
York Life Insurance company and
will be elected at the May meeting of
the board to succeed the late Myron
T. Herrick. In a letter to the presi
dent of the company, agreeing to
serve, Mr. Coolldge wrote that to him
a great life insurance company Is the
very symbol of thrift, a co-operative
society for the advancement of the
pnblic welfare, and a character
builder.
LOST since Marcb 31 Id the wilds
of western Australia, the trans
pacific plane Southern Cross has been
found bj a searching airman on a mud
fiat, and Its crew of four men were
reported to be alive. Food was
dropped to them. The crew consisted
of CapL Charles Klngsford-Smlth, G
T. O. Clm, a navigator named Litch
field and a radio man named Mc
Wllllam.
GOV. HtTEY P.LONG of Louisiana
was Impeached by the state
boose of representatives on one of
nineteen charges and the legislators
continued consideration of the other
charges.
GEN. CHIANG KAI-SHEK, Nation
allst President of the Chinese
republic, has announced that be will
resign as soon as h? returns to Nan
king. He says he la not big enough
for the Job and plans a tour abroad
for rest and study.
Both, he laid, hare elaborate admin
istration buildings and provide amply
for the air passenger's comfort on
the fields and In the planes.
Contrasting European and Ameri
can airways, Major Young aald be
believed our planes and pilots were
the equal of those abroad, but the
foreign lines operate with more re
finements, have perfected their or
ganization better, and provide more
carefully for the passenger's comfort.
The Romans never Invaded Ireland.
II1111111111111111111111II I
rita's
white
hands ::|
T| I I I I I I I I I | I I I I I I | | I I I I 14
<? by D. J. Walsh.)
GEORGE watched his wife as
she stood facing the group of
people. In the Intervals be
tween her readings he fre
quently forgot Just how nice she- could
look. He felt puzzled at the vast dlf- j
ference of Rita In the home and Rita
in public. He didn't pretend to listen
to the long and exceedingly senti
mental selection that bis wife was giv
ing ; he cared nothing for poetry. He
was comparing her modish appearance
with the bizarre lady of the breakfast
table. Then her rest robe had given
him an uneasy sense because of Its
casual fastenings and the metal wav
ers in her hair had Imparted a weird
i'ook to her small head. Her runover
slippers had lost the ribbons and were
tied with raveled rags of different col
ors. And George knew that, had he
disparaged this frugal habit of using
rags, she would have pleaded economy.
At this point In bis reflections he
sighed, quite forgetting where he was.
He was thinking of the cold cream
that she lavishly applied at night and
which she seemed reluctant to wash
off before breakfast In fact she often
permitted It to remain aH morning
and the city soot had a way of min
gling with the emollient George didn't
especially enjoy Sundays for this rea
son he liked a woman to look sweet
and neat at table and the belated meal
Sunday mornings did not make for ap
petite. At least, the breakfasts she
served were not sufficiently ultra to
cause any oblivion to surroundings.
"I wish," he spoke aloud, with
vicious emphasis, "that I might never
again see an uncooked cereal?" the
raised lorgnon of his ample neighbor
recalled him to his surroundings and
be slumped down into his cbalr, rosy
with embarrassment
And the slim creatnre In softest silk
with gleaming wavy hair read on soul
'ully. waving a white hand to ac
rentuate a passage.
That white hand deepened his sense
if Injury. The brief admiration caused
iy Rita's appearance had vanished
nd his thoughtless speech, aloud, fur
her annoyed bira. "Why must she
eep her hands so sacred?" he asked
Imself. "After all, our bands are sup
osed to be given some employment
uppose I suddenly shut up my shop
ecause the work spoiled the shape of
iy Angers?" He grinned. Gloves, worn
Ights and at other odd moments when
be sat plunged in soulful reflections,
onnected with her readings, had left
trail of marks on the doors; the
(lepbone, especially, was smeared
ith cold cream.
The reader closed the exquisitely
'nnd limp-leather volume: "To me
lat Interpretation Is wonderful. Life
what we make It A wretched affair
[ makeshifts and worries or some
ilng Ideal. Each glorious day should
s filled with beanty"?she hesitated
Ith a gentle smile?"or. at least, that
my conception of life. Life should
? the Interpretation of beauty."
The overdressed guests of Mrs. Itan
dl Tremalne clapped decorously,
rs. Tremalne was a wealthy womau
bo demanded constant flattery and
lulatlon. Her friends were com
>sed of a group of climbers who
ped to enter the sacred portals of
elety by clinging to her scanty but
ceedlngly expensive skirts. Rita
d been presented to her as a strlv
5 young person, who constantly
tched for the better things of life,
d who?this was the part that
tased the prudent Mrs. Tremalne?
uld give readings absolutely without
rrge. because she wished to read
fore the best people.
'Beautifully Interpreted," wheezed a
7 thin old man with a dyed tnus
he of an unnatural black. "She
isps the fundamentals of the better
ls George dazzedly turned his head
see who had made the comment he
ird tbls tart whisper; "That's the
a who lives In the flat above us;
beats bis wife every Saturday
bt?"
eorge wondered savagely why be
Ited this exercise to Saturday
its, then blushed at bis elemental
are.
Too did very well, my dear," Mrs.
xremalne's voice rang out. "Tour In
terpretation of a woman's place In life
la charming. Tour husband Is very
much to be envied?" a ponderous
hand was playfully wagged In George a
direction, who weak-mlndedly smirked
back?"come and sit with me while I
talk to you a bit."
Rita, blushing at the flattery, swam
along In the wake of her patroness.
George, convinced that the evening
would never end. had stifled three
yawns more or leas successfully when
he was again aroused by Rita's
name: "Tea, my dear, she Is the wife
of a common carpenter. He works fn
hla own shop. Some one said he was
here tonight, our I hardly think Mrs
Tremalne would permit that. I'm go
lug to Invite her to read at my ete
nlog In Woodlawn. She lao't well
enough known to charge anything and
a reading la aa good aa anything else.
George aat digesting hla atatua In
the society of climbers. He bad built
his shop on the aide of a large lot
which he owned, planning to put up
a modest home Ou the other half.
Itita, however, had been so expensive
a proposition aa tc prevent the carry
ing out of the plan. The shop was
far out and so far she had succeeded
In coaxing him to rent an apartment
nearer the city. It kept her In touch
with Important people and he could
Just as well take the car to work, she
had explained. He had given In weak
ly at first, thinking that he could save
the money to build, but her clothes
had cost a great deal, reading tn
wealthy bouses necessitated many
changes and she hated sewing. In
fact, their life was given over to her
art. 'To the Interpretation of the
beautiful," he told himself grimly as
he placed her handsome evening cape
over her shoulders as she had shown
him how to do. t
She was very silent on the way
home. Once inside the uncared-for
flat she sat down and began pulling
out her hairpins. She had an odd look
on her face. "George. Mrs. Tremalne
made a suggestion tonight. She said
she had done a great deal for me?"
George, getting a drink of water at
the sink, turned and stared at this.
"I thought It had been the other
way around," went on Rita doubtful
ly, "but she said that she thought It
about time I showed a disposition to
reciprocate. She wants you to do
over the library."
"I haven't applied for any work,"
interrupted George. "I have more now
than I can do."
Itltn's white hands twisted together
painfully. "Why, she doesn't mean to
make an estimate and be paid. She
wishes It done as a token of?"
"The beautiful, I dare say, Rita, this
Is the last straw. I have weakly hesi
tated because I wanted you to he hap
py, but as you said yourself tonight,
'Life Is what we make It; each duy
should be filled with beauty.' Now,.l
propose to run things hereafter. There
Is no beauty in this dusty untidy
house. You are going to throw away
your limp volumes of scarlet leather
and bilious greens, put away your
ridiculous silk dresses and wear good,
sensible ginghams or whatever women
wear to work In. We are going to
have real breakfasts and you are go
lng to be neat?"
Rita's eye hod begun to flash and
now she rose so that her eyes were
nearly level. "George, have you been
dreaming, or what Is ltT"
"Just woke up!" he snapped, thank
ful she hadn't cried; that was whal
he had dreaded. "No more sickly
poetry for you. What has It gained
for you except snubs? Who cares any
thing about yon except that you fur
nish a free entertainment? And now
this Tremalne woman tries to fool you
Into giving her a token"?he stamped
his foot as be spoke and there was a
prompt knocking ou the radiator be
low; fiat dwellers respond Instantly
to noise. 'That's another thing You
Imven't helped me any so far, but I'm
going to see to It that you stop being
a drag. 1 shall sturt the collage at
once am] the day It's finished we move
In. So more paying rent and carfare
when I have ground paid for and
ready. If you ure too proud to live
next door to a carpenter shop,
why?" He stopped, longing to give
In and eat his words as he saw her
astounded face. She was his wife and
he loved her, but yet; "Life seems to
me an awful muddle," he thought
drearily; "Rita could be so fine?In
fact, she Is," he finished loyally and
turned to her. She looked so slight
and frail that he could not lay down
the law any further.
Rita had been running ber hand ab
sently over the dusty wlndowsllls. She
was very white but there were no
signs of tears. "George," she said
clearly, "I never noticed before how
tall you were, you look splendid. Why
didn't you tell me you didn't care for
my readings? I liked to be praised
and I guess I thought you would care
more for me If other people thought
me talented, but tonight when Mrs.
Tremalne spoke of some return do you
know I began to. as you say, 'wake
up'? Poetry la all very well, but after
all, one's husband?" She seemed to
be searching for words as she exam
ined her dusty finger and the man
listening experienced a great throb of
thankfulness. 'This flat doesn't look
as It should, I think It will be a dis
tinct relief to move and start fresh
and have no foolish pretenses."
'Then you won't feel badly?" be
knew he was weak, hut he wnnled to
make sure.
All the enthusiasm that she had
poured Into her readings seemed to
have been deflected Into thlk new Idea
?that of making home life pleasant.
Rita wasn't stupid?she Just hadn't
thought "I wonder If It's too late to
look over those plana you have for
the cottage? I think I can promise
you a different looking place tomor
row night" Her face told him that
she had changed ber Interpretation
of life.
ZTfeBluetianube
Atrial View of Budapeat in the Danube.
(Prepared by the National Oeographle
Society. Washington. D. C)
EUROPE'S -temporary Ice Age"?
the moat severe winter that has
been known for many decades?
gave the role of destroyer to the
stream that Is normally the Beautiful
Blue DnDube. The stream was frozen
so solidly that Ice dams were formed,
Imprisoning millions of cubic feet of
water. When milder weather caused
a break In tbe Ice barriers, the result
ing flood damaged hundreds of the riv
er boats that bad been Imprisoned In
tbe Ice.
Economically the Danube Is to the
land-locked nations of Europe wbat
the Mediterranean Is to tbe countries
of southern Europe. Once the North
ern frontier of the Roman empire; la
ter the path for conquering hordes.of
Huns Slavs and Magyars; now the
commercial Main street of Central Eu
rope, the Danube may claim to be the
most Important river of Europe,
though It Is exceeded by the Volga In
length.
i
Human activity attains extremes
along the Danube's course even more
marked than the contrasts along bi
zarre Broadway, N. Y. Its waters
see the revels snd destitution of
Vienna and flow by flat rocks on whlcb
Hungarian women pound their clothes
with wooden mallets and bear them
away In tubs on their heads. They
pass mills like those of Mlnneatiolls,
bear vessels like those on the Hudson,
snd turn the wheels of boat-borne wn
ter wheels to which peasants bring
grain In primitive ox carts with even
the wheels kept In place by wooden
pins.
The river halves Budapest and
courses by busy Belgrade where It
receives the waters of the Save. It
carries barges on which families live
as they do on canal boats. Grim cas
tles, great estates, and tiny cottages
stand along Its banks. |
Scenlcally the Danube possesses vn
rlety almost as Infinite. Rising In the
Black forest, some of Its waters seep
through underground fissures to a j
stream of the Rhine basin. Sometimes 1
It Is pressed between high hills Small
er craft appear on Its waters In Ba
varia. In Austria It splits Into many |
arms and forms a whirlpool. In Hun
gary plains It sprawls wide, receiving
many Important branches, remnant of
a prehistoric Inland sen. It resumes
a wild, torrential aspect again when
it pierces the Kazan defile and the
Iron gates It receives nearly as many
tributaries as there are days In the
year, and drains an area almost equiv
alent to that of Egypt.
Along the steep right bank of the
Kazan defile can be traced a road built
by Trajan early In the Second century.
Not until recently baa the construction
of a modern road made tbe defile pass
able upon either hank.
Recognition of the International Im
portance of the Danube was attested
by placing It under a commission In
18S0. and further provisions regarding
It are contained In subsequent treaties
Including that of Versailles In 1019.
The Scenic Glorias.
Tbe scenic glories of tbe Danube
are chiefly to be seen along the up
per reaches of tbe river; but the broad
highway of the lower reaches Is eco
nomically of more Interest, because of
the traffic It carries
Below Glnrgevo, Romania, and Rot
schuk, Bulgaria, the Dnnnbe widens
to about three miles from bank to
bank. Glnrgevo, a point of great
strategic Importance, Is accessible by
river steamers at high water snd has
an auxiliary port about two miles fur
ther down stream.
Tbe lower Danube haa a very slight
fall, only 120 feet In the last 000 miles
of Its length, bnt because of the great
volume of water. Increased as It goes
on by the Alt. tbe Argescb. the Jalo
mltza. the Sereth. and the Prulh. as
well ss smaller streams It (lows with
great force. Tbe Bulgarian banks are
high; the Romanian ahnre la low and
flat and often overflown.
Slllstrla, the "fortress of the Da
nube" alDce Roman times, though of
less military Importance than Gains,
is the next place of Interest below
Rutschuk. A Roman relic, "Trajan's
Wall," may be seen frotn the river be
low Slllstrla, and forty miles from
that city there Is a railroad bridge over
two and a half miles long and the only
one below Belgrade, connecting Bach- '
arest and the Black sea port of Coo
stanza. This la one of the moat re
markable examples of Its kind of en
gineering and was built at a coat of
J7.000.U00.
Illrsora and Cura-Jamolltza are the <
next places of Importance. Tbe river
at Hlrsova broadens like a sea with
many Islands. Tbe town with Its for
tified castle Is prettily situated on a
hilltop above the anrronndlng flats.
Important River Port.
The more Important of the river's
ports are next approached. Bralla,
unlovely and monotonous of aspect, la,
however, the chief Rumanian port ot
entry, before the war a town of ovor
50,000 Inhabitants and a renter of tha
grain and timber trades. Between
Bralla and Galatz are the ruins of an
ancient bridge said to have been built
by Darius the Great.
Tbe latter city, about ten miles be
low Bralla, Is a very thriving port.
Vessels of 4,000 tons can come ap
the river to the point Between Ga
latz and the confluence with the Pruth
the Danube makes Its turn to tbe east.
On Its left bank lies Bessarabia, for
merly Russian territory, but annexed
during the World war by Rumania.
After sprawling In a great angle
around the barrier of Dobrudja, the so
called blue Danube drops Its load of
mud and sand gathered from eight na
tions of Europe In a large delta at
the western end of the Black sea. This
delta takes the form of a huge, eqnl
lateral triangle SO miles long on each
side.
Of all the varieties of earth surface,
deltas rank high as the most useless
to civilization. Mountains are admired
for their Inspiration, deserts hold rare
beauty for those who seek It, but few
people go to a delta even to hunt
ducks If they can help It The Da
nube's delta Is particularly unattrac
tive since the peasants have not beeu
able to adapt It to agriculture, as
sugar-cane planters have large parts
of the Mississippi delta. Some del
tas, such as those of tbe Amazon and
the Tangzte. consist of large Islands
surrounded by considerable water; bot
the Danube's waters run through ?
vast swamp which was almost a com
plete barrier to navigation before tbe
European commission of the Danube
took a band.
In country that is neither land nor
water, the reeds and willows take
command and do not catch malaria.
Deprived of timber the peasant fish
ermen put tbe reeds to many uses.
Willows are used for basket making
and for flab weirs A plumed reed Is
cut for fuel and still another kind Is
woven Into mats or used as thatch.
Those who are irritated at fishing re
strictions In the United States can ap
preciate what s fisherman's paradise
they live In by comparison. The Ru
manian government considers fishing a
government monopoly, and every com
mercial catch must be brought to a
government customs house to be auc
tioned off.
By the construction of levees and
piers, the European commission of tbe
Danube has opened a channel to Ga
latz, the Romanian naval port, capa
ble of receiving shipping up to 4,000
tons. Tbe traffic In and out the river
amounts to more than 5,000,000 toaa
annually.
Appropriate Nun
Theodore Rooeerelt Kara the um
"Switzerland of the Tropica" to Porto
Rico became of It* high monntalaoee
taterlor and beautUM eceocrj,
\