The Washington herald., 1912-11-16

Il n lcdQoE OI luC 0tOUc-DCtlOCTdts VI Gt-
Louis. writes from Highland. ILL.,, re-
questing Flaneur to say. something about
the origin OF race OF people dwelling
in Canton Grisons. Switzerland. being
settled there for centuries, retaining their
identity to the present day. "eyen to
their peculiar language" which. accord
ing to Flaneur's Informant. they call
"welsch'' or-"Romanisch." and teaching
1t exclusively In their public schools. The
query. II seems, was the result of what
Flaneur had published about certain Pc
culiarities Of some of the Balkan peoples
anent the present war
believe that I am not wrong in stat
ing to the gentleman from Illinois that
Romantic people. descended from the
'Aromuni" or "Viachi." and. as far as
language is concerned. kin to the Rouman-
ians or this age. According to the best
historical authorities, especially Dr.
Nicolai Jorge, the origin OF the "Aro-
NUM- is somewhat shrouded In mystery,
but II Is traced to the tlmo of the Roman
Emperor TraJan, who. in the year 107.
flooded the country north of Byzantium
with his soldiers, capturing the territory
know as Northern Roumania, formerly
the Duchy OF Yallachia, and made II a
Roman province.
Following the established Roman poll
icy, the victors at once set about Ro-
MANNING the conquered territory. Then.
during the migration period. the Indo-
Germanic races. coming all the way from
hoary Asia, swept over that part of the
country and compelled the victorious
N 9Nlw1 .
cross the Danube into "Moesia." But,
though forced to evacuate this new de-
tendency, Roman civilization survived
there. Having once been adopted by the
inhabitants, II had taken firm root among
the ''barbarlans" They retreated into
the mountain Businesses of the present.
day ''Siebenbuergen," undisturbed by
Huns, Magyars, Slavs, or Bulgars.
Gradually they. too, grew apace and
were obliged TO look for new fields to
expand In, invading Servia and Western
Bulgaria. Some went still farther west
into Dalmatia, Iilyria, Istria. and Car
onia Oo-day austrian provinces), thus
reaching the Alpine country. 1t is more
than likely that one of the tribes across
the southwestern slopes Of these noun
tains. past the laughing lowlands Of the
Pc and Adiga Rivers, and settled in
Southern Switzerland.
understand that the particular tribe
now domiciled in Canton Grisons was
known in the twelfth century as the
word 'Blaxos'O. and that in their orig
inal "Siebenbuergen" home they Were
called Die Flachen." They spoke a
language Not quite like the Italian OF
to-day; in fact, a certain corrupt Latin
jargon.' no doubt the relic also of Ira
janis conquest. What the inquirer from
Illinois describes rs "Welsch, OF course.
is the ancient ''Vlachi." and this seems
to be borne ont by the fact that there
Is a neighboring canton called the VA
Iais' CDas waliis). whose Inhabitants
arc the famous waIliser highlanders.
though II appears that very few Of the
Vlachi have migrated as far as the
Southeastern Alps, Grisons, Tyrol, South
eFn France, &C.
have pointed out before that these
tribes, as well as those OF their race
who preferred to remain on the soil and
not migrate from Servia or MoIdayia
and wallachia Uhe latter two compris-
ing the present kingdom OF Roumania)
originally were known as the "Arom-
uni" but as time went on their aboTig-
ines have called themselves by differ
ent names. Those who crossed the Is
TRAN and Illyrian Alps, and especially
the Monte Maggiore- finally became
known to the world as the ''Vlachi."
These are the Rhaeto Romantic race
OF to-day They are kin-very far re-
moved to-day II is true-to the Zingali,
properly Zintzali. owing to a peculiar
use of a combination OF consonants in
their language, and who still inhabit
Wallachia, now a part Of ROumania-
We are tempted to think of Slavs and
Serbs remembering the Latin "seEvus'
and our "serf'D as II they had been named
from their former subsection to the Turk.
AS regards ''Slav' and slave" the deri-
walton is the other way round; slave"