The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-07-30

dent republic. From earlier days Pan
anna brought with it into it's era of in
dependence boundary dispute win
Costa Rica. the occupant of the next
Tier above on the gradually broadening
isthmus
Costa Rica, small though IT may APP
pear To one who gives casual glance
at the map. is considered larger than
the states of Massachusetts and New
Jersey combined, with its $4,000 square
miles. TIE day may come. and Doubt
less viii. when this territory, with
great natural resources, particularly
agricultural, will support Il somewhat
dcnse population. That is not the case
at present, at all SSents, for the SSS266
inh1bitants estimated as at the close
of l1ll form an average of but seven
teen persons To the square mile, dem
sitv somewhat less than that of Texas
Nevertheless Costa Rica possesses a
transcontinental railroad, for is not the
inland capital, San Jose, connected by
rail with both Atlantic and Pacific
pmtsH The country enjoys the best
reputation of any OF the states of Cen
trail America with the business ana
diplomatic world. Partly accounting
for this NAV bc the fact that the stock
which inhabit il are of prevailingly
Spanish blood with but little IF the
indian admiXture common To the hu-
man breed as il exists throughout the
lsthmian region. Education i'm Costa
Rica affords test of the progressive
spirit of the inhabitants. There were
1854 teachers i'm the national school
system i'm 1911, or well over one teacher
To each 400 inhabitants. The average
school attendance, moreover was %
92l for the year For each fifteen in
habitants there was a child in school.
Taking up Nicaragua, we come into
the belt of frequent revolutions and
correspondence less efficient govern
mental machine with weaker guaran-
teeg To property and safety. COM
pact territory not wholly unlike New
York state in general contour. Mica
ragua has an estimated area almost
precisely that of the Empire state. In
spite of insecurity, it supports poau-
lation of 500 600 being somewhat over
twelve inhabitants To the square mile.
This population is the opposite Of that
tn the south of the Costa RiCan huun-
Diary in that it is prcvailingly Indian.
Thc Mosquito Indian reservation uc-
Cupies the far greater part of the whole
Atlantic coast and the reservations
inmates are 10y no means the civilized.
ap To date abOrigincs To be seen in
some parts OF our own country.
Nthough primitive in parts, Mica
ragua possesses several towns impor-
tant by their size, of which the chief
are located on the edge of or near the
twin lakes, Nicaragua and Managua.
These lakes furnish from end to end
fully $50 miles of interior navigation.
In their region lie Leon, a city of over
c2,O00, Managua, with about $1,000 and
other towns of over 10000.
Honduras. though it lies somewhat
too fan north to be counted i'm the first
rank with regard To- its Importance
relative Ia the canal have a conceivable
bearing on the future of the region.
Like Nicaragua, it is Il land whore the
Indian is i'm the majority. The coun-
try is somewhat smaller than Mica
ragua in area G6.25O square miles, and
population j3,il6). and has somewhat
less dense population to the mile. It
has but three towns of over 10000 in
/ habitants and none of these is on the
coast. Its ports are few and unim-
portant, certainly unimprovcd at all
events, and it has neither the railroads
Of Costa RiCa nor the waterways of
Nicaragua. And yet this undevelupcd
country is saddlcd with a great foreign
debt amounting, principal and interest,
to over S100,000,00O Interest, unpaid,
! has been accommodating on this debt
| ever since 1872.