Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1912-02-22

Americans sIeak with we'll.
based pride oil the immense Err
tent of our contiguous territory,
stretching from ,ocean to. oscar and
from the lakes to the gulf. but after
all Uncle Sam has oniys a Titles more
than 100000 square miles In one
block. while Rass3aa has S.641 ,65f
square miles. or almost three times
as much The empire comprises one
seventh of the land surface OF the
globe. and the porula Ion " hich~ pro.
lesser aReuiRaceato the Czas Ii 'esA.
mated at l60, 900 900. or approximately
twice as many as ihe,,ncn and wom-'
en- der~the-StA-- SN'ng1edA "Banner
The population OF. the-enBire -has-tn''
creased a, rate which puts our
vaantAd.s inorcaap riaav into the
shade.p in;z1722, Rnsssa, was supposed
to have only i4o0HO00, people. and as
late as 1879 she had l30.0O0.000
When the men who fought In the
war OF the rebellion were"- studying
geography Russia's boundaries did not
60 az far, soath~Rs theyeastern end Hofs
the Black Sea. and thrilling were the
stories OF her war with the Circaa-
slams and the fessx sot Schanyt the
leader who defied for years the over.
Jewsrtns> forces--nf~tre great white"
Cxar The Caucasus has-lonG been a
reaceahe Fart of the Russian EN-
rire. YeaNs.la TOW. the whole interior
o. Asia WAS occupied by wandering
tribsse "Tartare and Trkamans.
amoss xwhcna ma civilized man ven
tured except ~ ire imminent reriI Of
his life The first civilized man since
Marco Poo 10 traverse ibis region
was A rmirrtna Vamberv 'Funsa Wan.
who wac attached to tie embassy AZ
Constantineple This was IN 1894
Since that tire Russia has ACQUIRED
Samarkand Pc,thara Khivas Turkat
Stan and the Transcaucasian country.
end.>ext@nHehS henubort erss sou Inward
until the little country OF AfgNa1's-
tan is all that interroses between her
end British India On the southeast
che reaches TO the mounta'ns which
form the western boundary Of China
and on the extreme west she has
taken OF large sltre Of Armenia w.
ing between the Black Sea end the
Casnisn until sire touches the border
of Persia All this annexation has
been aceomri:sh shed with, compa pative1
ly little trS%,bl ess ann Hhes~murderous'
robber tribes have been reduced TO
comparative peace and order without
anv great smell of blood
The news iotathe das showst,a far
more startling, annexation than any
Of her rrevieus' feats in this direction
II ia believed that she will soon have
under her control the great country
OF Mongolia and largss part,oif, not
all. OF the ancient empire Of Persia.
II seems concededsithhu Mongolia. a
which Is believed to be the home Of
the Monaghan race. embracing near.
~ cne.third Of humanity. IL an i'm.
nense stretch of,vcouatBy, .estimats1
at about l.30O 0a0d square "mfas or
much more than the entire United
States east of the Mtssiystrpi II
Stretches through Central Asia from
Eastern Turkestan to Sungaria and
the Altai mountains on the west to
Nanchuria on The east and. from the
qmpire of Cktns prepsm on sthey south
too vsslaa q iberiTnn'the north
The people are supposed to be the
original Mongalss andNare tdescrtbedf
as a cheerful ID good hatured and hos.
ritable people They live In tents
linsdSiwithlf ele. with .hoies I'M n e.
roofsit0s seF~e~as a chimney" Their
ORDINARY food -consists1of prepara lions
OF" smtik sand;@mfl'et. buckmheat. -four .,
and oatmeal Their"nunlbar,. is ,esti.
mated all the way from 100000 to
5000 OOO.~Thsy arsIdividsds into stribes
governed each by It's own chieftain,
and,,in the. northern part Of these are IL.
gathered into fotr Khanates, each
governed by prince claiming DO
scent from Genghis Kahn. the greats
conQueror WomenDAre not secluded
as In China, and marriage consists in
a ceremony (which 10 based upon the
oldsfashioBaofssfharr 'age byscapture
far deeper sentimental interest
Is connected with Russia.s acquisition
OF the ancient kingdom OF Persia,
which for time immemorial has played
a greater part In the, civilization Of
the, world than. that Of Mongolia.
Persia is . country 100000 square
mile.sin exteuts or'abosh' one-Hfth OF
that. Of ,thestITnited States; excludiuss,
Alaskss It Joins. tire r ussian.. pro- ince,'
of Trsrsesusssia'o ihst part OF Asia
Minor lyinsp be,weer thea BLACK and
then Caspian Gene IN" the Russian
%, vyipet OF t. ns'ast,i>s s'fIi fartfeH,