Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-09-18
ROCKY HELIGOLAND.
Tho Little IslGnI Coded to Germany by
the British Government.


the British Governments.
Heligoland. or the Holy Island. so
called from having been missionary
station in early Middle Ages, which
Lord Salisbury has agreed, subject to
the consent of Parliament, to cede to
Germany, is a little mass OF rocks
thirty-six miles from the mouth of the
Elbe and 100 from Hamburg. Heligo-
land proper, throwing out of considera-
ton tbe sand dune which extends 1T at
low tide, but which is cut off from it
at high water, is little more than
mile in length, while its greatest
breadth is but 1,S45 feet. Its 1000 in
habitants live on the summer boarders
who resort to it for sea bathing. Though
every inhabitant of the island is Brit
ish subject, they are to all intents and
purposes Frieslanlers or Germans.
The only genuine English people are
the members of the little administra-
ton that England keeps there, Gov
ernor and a few subordinateS. When
the summer boarders go away, great
many of the islanders depart for Ham
burg, where they pass the winter, taxi
ing with them the few cows that CLEAN
pasturage from the scant grass of the
island, and which are kept to supply
milk for the visiting British babies.
Heligoland came into England's pos
session in 1907, having previously be-
longed to the Danes, as one of the fefs
of the old Duke of HolStein. England
took it by force, and found 1T very
convenient place whence to smuggle
goods into countries that Napoleon had
terrorized into adherence to his ''conti-
mental policy" of boycotting England.
After the general peace England kept
Heligoland, it being of some impor-
lance while Hanover retained its in
dependence, and was regarded as
in measure under England's
moral protection. England would not
fight for Hanover in 1866 and Prussia
made short work of it. Then conquer
ing Prussia, after waiting a decorous
time, asked for Heligoland, but England
refused to give it up. Since then Ger
many has improved in the art Of asking
and English statesmen have made cor
responding progress in yielding. STAN
ley says Germany knows how to
ask, and he probably means that
she knows when and whom to ask. At
all events, in evening up African pos
sessions, Germany and England have
come to an agreement about Heligo-
land. too, and Germany gets it. The
| desire of the Germans to see lleligO-
land under the German flag is very
natural. Americans would be FESTIVE il
a foreign power held an island within
| thirty-six miles of New York harbor, or
one commanding the mouth of
| the Mississippi, or threatening any
one of our great commercial cities as
Heligoland might menace Hamburg.
Germany, once securely in possession of
| the rock of Heligoland, it will soon
bristle with guns and be a formidable
watcher over the entrance to the Elbe.
Some of the English papers say that
now that the process of yielding has be-
| gun, possibly Lord Salisbury will heed
the request of Spain for Gibraltar or of
| Italy for Malta. There is little danger
! that he will do so. independent of the
| glorious traditions that make the rock
of Gibraltar dear to Englishmen, there
/ is another consideration that will
govern Lord Salisbury-Spain is not a
frst-class power; and Italy is not as
strong as the nation that has asked for
Heligoland and has got it. Besides,
Gibraltar, Malta and CyprLs command
England's short cut to the East, and
will not be given up. The least of them
is q thousand times more important
! than the rock in the North Sea.-Bos-
ton Transcript.