The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-11-11
CORSICA AND ITS PEOPLE.
Courage and Other Primitive Virtues
Characterize the Inhabitants.

A lofty mountain ridge divides the
island into eastern and western dis
tricts, says the Century, The former
is gentler in its slopes and more fer
tile. Looking, as it does, toward Italy,
it was during the middle ages closely
bound in intercourse with that PENN
sula: richer in its resources than the
other part, it is more open to outside
influence, and for this reason freer in
its institutions. The rugged western
division had come more completely I'M
der the yoke of feudalism, having close
affinity in sympathy and some relation
in blood with the Greek, Roman. Sar-
acenic and Teutonic race elements in
France and Spain. The communal ad-
ministration of the eastern slope, how
ever, prevailed eventually in the west
ern as well, and the differences of ORR
gin, wealth and occupation, though at
times occasioning intense discord, were
as nothing compared with the common
characteristics which knit the people of
the entire island into one national or
ganization, as much a unit as was their
territory by reason of it's insular sit
uation and in spite of its mountain
spine.
The people of this small common
wealth were in the main of Italian
blood. Some slight connection with
the mother land they still maintained
in the relations of commerce and by
the education of their professional men
at Italian schools. While a compare
tive few supported themselves as
trademen or seafarers the mass of the
population was dependent for a liveli-
hood upon agriculture. AS a nation,
therefore, they had long ceased to fol-
low the course of general European de-
velopment They had been successive
ly the subjects of Greece, Rome and
the Califate, of the emperor and of the
republic of Pisa. Their latest master
was the Genoese republic, which had
now degenerated into an untrust-
worthy oligarchy United to that state
originally by terms which gave the
island speaker or advocate in the
Genoese senate, and recognized the
most cherished habits of a hardy, nat
ural minded and primitive people, they
had, little by little, been left prey to
their own faults in order that their I'M
worthy mistresses might thereby rule
with less exertion. Agriculture Ian
guiShed, and the minute subdivision of
arabic land finally rendered it profit
less. Among a people who are isolated
not only as islanders but also as noun
tenacious of life; that of the vendetta,
or Of blood revenge, with its accom-
panying clanship, never disappeared
from Corsica. In the centuries of Cen
oeses rule the carrying of arms was
winked at, quarrels became rife and
often family considerations, embracing
a considerable part Of the country,
were arrayed one against the other in
lawless violence. The feudal nobility,
few in number, were unrecogniZed and
failed to cultivate the industrial arts
in the security of costly strongholds, as
their class did elsewhere, while the
fairest portions of land not held by
them were gradually absorbed by the
monasteries, which the Genoeses IA
vored as likely to render easier the
government of a turbulent people. The
human animal, however, throve. OF
medium stature and powerful mold.
with black hair and piercing eyes, with
well-formed agile and sinewy limbs,
endowed with courage and other prim-
tive virtues, the Corsican was every
where sought as a soldier and could be
found in all the armies of the southern
continental states