The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-11-14

SOuth American repuDlics. Yet, MS
t6rically speaking, venezuel a Is act-
u'ally the first Of the countries Of the
new world to have been called to the
attention OF the old. Columbus DIS
lowered the islands of the West Ind
les, he called Cuba, Jamaica and San
TO D0mingo, but he had no true con-
ceptioh of the immense continent be-
fore him. Nevertheless. he saw the
continent outlined on the shores Of
Venezuela, and If history is obscure
on mat point, TRADITION at least indis
cates that he actually set foot ON the
mainland within the borders of this
60nhtfy! In one 'Sf his later voya'
ages, Columbus passed close to the
island of Trinidad, he named the
passalte we today know as the Drag
on's mouth, between that island
and the opposite coast, and In all
probability he touched the shores
OF Venezuela IN this 'neighbortood, II
only for the purpose Of taking water.
Cumana, west, of Columbus landing
place, is at all events, the Oldest con-
tifiued settlement in the western
world. Here the sanity Las Cascas
founded a colony whose hope 1t was
TO become a permanent home In this
new horizon He lived here for years
intoxicating the pleasant reward OF
healthful work as contrasted with the
feverish restlessness of those who
harried the Indians and chased the
phantom Of an El Dorado and Cum-
ana has ever since that date been
inhabited and alive.
Those Spaniards who were led by
the native fable OF the "Gilded man"
passed farther along the shores Of
the Caribbean and finally made set
tlements IN the beautiful valleys be-
Elements in the beautiful valleys be-
some precious minerals, but not much
in comparison to those who adven-
tured farther south in the Pacific.
instead OF gold and silver, which
had drawn them hither, they found a
land rich in possibilities willing to
produce from the soil whatever mans
industry asked.
Venezuela, in spite OF the very
earliest hopes and explorations, is
essentially an agricultural and pas
toral country. 1t may be divided In
10 three devfsfons; the agricultural,
the pastoral and the forest. In the
first are grown sugar cane, coffee
cocoa, cereals cotton, together with
the other products Of the tropical
and subStropical zones; the actual
tropical area in Venezuela does moi
occupy 30 mich Of the coast region
relatively speaking, as It does In
several other countries OF Latin:
America; here the mountains come
close to the sea, leaving in places
only narrow fringe for sugar cane
bananas, cacao and such plant de.
yelopfnent as characterize this zone;
from Cumana to Puerto Cabello, the
ascent appears 30 begin immediate
ly from the water. but further east
and west, toward the orinoco river
and toward MaracaIDo lake, thif
coast fringe widens into greater
spaces. The subItroplcal area oc'
cupies practically the heart Of the
nation and embraces all the rich ant
varied land In the valleys and on th'
mountain sides where has settled
the more Numerous population OF tn'
. colntry here one finds q climate
and beauty of nature unsurpassed
II not actually unequaled in all the
world. The mountains may not b.
so imposing or solemn as in Peru II
Ecuador and Colombia; they ar,
greeHer, less rugged, more accessi
bae; the valleys are wells of verdur'
and full Of reward for the husband
man who Will give energy and pa
tience to the tillin6 OF them; her,
cotton grows Wild, coffee has been ;
staple product for over 100 years, al
the grains and nearly all the fruit
OF the temperate zone can be cult
waited, and the markets Of the worl,
are so close that crops can be place
ON shipboard within day after be
ing harvested. Further south OF thes
well inhabited valleys are untitled an'
untenanted plains fitted for herdin,
and breeding of cattle; II is no falls
prophecy to state that some day thi
little used pasture land OF Venezuel
will be able to feed much OF the pop
nlation adjacent to the Carribeal
sea and the Gulf OF Mexico. Tn
forest area may be described as oc
= cupying the slopes eastward an
southward, which drain Into tn
,Orinoco. There are immense posi-
bilities in the exploitation OF the ma
tonal forests OF the orinoco delta, a
few regions so accessible 30 coinhnef
cal routes have greater wealth Q
timber lands. Rubber can be mad
quite as profitable here as along tn
Amazon, and Fortunately for the fal
tare rubber industry, as far as Vene
zuela Is concerned, what few conces
sions have been granted covering tn
RIO Neeros and Bl Cauca sections
especially stipulate against wiful de
straction OF the forest trees.
VehAzleIa Is by no means idle Ii