Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-21

The populate is small and the country
is very little known. but I mention incl
dents simply to show what a theater OF
events it has been and how many unusual
facts may be found in its history.
BY the last census Dalmatia had
population of 5O7. 600 souls, of whom Al
COO are Of Croatian stock. 10000 Serbs or
Slavs from Servia, 5000 Italian and the
remainder Austrians, Hungarians. Poles,
Bosnians, Herzegovians and Montene-
grams, who drift in and out from the
neighboring provinces.
The Roman Catholic religion has pre-
vailed here since it was introduced by
St. Anselmo, as I have already told you,
population confess that faith, while 81
coo belong to the Greek Orthodox
Church.
Location of Dalmatia.
Somebody is likely to inquire where
Dalmatia is and that would not be UNI
natural, because the country is SO little
known. But If you will take map of
Austria or Italy. you will find strip of
territory very much like that of Chile
OH the South American continent. stretch
ing along the eastern coast OF the Adrl-
attic. sea- 1t is a narrow country. nowhere
wider than sixty miles. and the fore
ground is dotted with thousands of is
lands, large and small, and many of them
uninhabi:ed. There are five comparative
~ important towns, cara, Seben1co. Spa
ato, Ragusa and CattarO. and several
little bits of railroads running along the
coast for local traffic. The only one that
goes anywhere, or is of any importance
to the outside world. runs from GraVosa
northWard through Herzegovina. Bosnia.
Croatia. Slavonia and Hungary to Buda-
pest and Vienna.
Bounding it on the south is the Turkish
province of Albania. Montenegro, an in
dependent principality: Herzegovina. Bos-
MIA and Croatia are the next-door neigh
bors to the eastward and northward. all
of Them like Dalmatia, being prov inces of
the Austrian empire.
/ told you about lara. the capital of
Dalmatia. Yesterday and whatever gov
eminent ere me IT, there is finds its headquarters
there, but the Austrians are very
wise in allowing full autonomy to their
provinces. and one may say truthfuliy
that the Dalmatians have as large a de-
gree Of home rule as the people of Hi
nois or any of our states and more than
the citizens of the District of Columbia.
They have their own courts and elect
their own judges: they have their own
tax collectors, and most OF the money 1s
spent for local purposes. They contribute
their proper share of young men to the
Austrian army. who are sent Tor service
in other parts of the empire according TO
government in order that the different
races of which the population is composed
may be as thoroughly assimilated as pos
sible and inducements are always offered
for soldiers from one section of the en-
pire to marry and settle in another.
Customs Preserved.
The people Of Dalmatia have preserved
their customs. followed their traditions
Of Of or
nation in Europe, and the peasant class
still wear the picturesque and attractive
costumes of their ancestors, which gives
of no part of Europe where there is so
much local color in this respect, except
perhaps in Delcarlia. Sweden
The Dalma tians are more oriental than
European 1t has been said that the east
and the west meet on this barren coast.
and perhaps that may be true. There is
nothing here except the architecture that
reminds one of the European countries.
Asia Dalmatia is practically unique. so
far as the people are concerned, but the
architecture is essentially Venetian Not
only the facades of the buildings, but the
narrow streets of the towns. scarcely ever
more than five or six feet wide. in imita-
ton of those Of Venice. and the tremen-
dous Notifications that have been raised
for defensive purposes on all sides of
/
towns they were intended to defend
People often come here. as | did. with
the expectation of finding primitive con-
ditions. and they may exist in the in
terror where they are accessible only by
a donkey trail. but in the towns all along
the coast the most striking as well as
the commonest feature is antiquity, the
evidence of ages of civilization and cul
ture. art and architecture.
The Cathedral at Sebenico.
One of the highest authorities in archi
lecture has asserted that the cathedral
at Sebenico is the noblest and the most
striking of all Christian churches in
many respects, as notable in its way as
those at Rouen or elsewhere in France
or italy. 1t was designed by Venetian
named Antonio, was begun in 1882, but
vas not finished for more than two hun
dred years. Its style Is the early Italian
Gothic Its decorations are notably
ornate. Astounding in twisted columns.
delicate foliage and the richest carving.
and its form is that of a cross. From
an architectural point Of view the most
striking feature is the wagon roof. COM
posed of great curved slabs of marble,
which forms both roof and ceiling. There
is not a foot of woodwork in the build
ing nor even a brick. 1t is said to be the
ONLY church in Europe that is built en-
l ~ md