The Washington herald., 1913-10-26

/ NNoioHshNs isASs ~ a ~ saloDo1hag
The report in the Roman press that
Italy has decided to exercise her SOW
ereignty over the island of Tavolara re-
calls the fact tn San Marino is not the
smallest republic in the world. though
Biographies. No doubt that San Marino
is the oldest republic since Rome, and.
/ therefore, II Is quite evident that for a
long time II was also the smallest
But that record was lost to it early
| In the seventeenth century, when Goust
Tin the Pyrennes) was recognized as an
independent State, both by France and
| Spain. San Marino has twenty-threc
miles of territory. Goust barely has a
! single mile. The former has a popula-
| tion Of 1000; the latter about 150
But Goust, i'm point of population Is
larger than TSvolara, another little
tisland) republic a few miles to the
northeast OF the coast of Sardinia. and
which numbers only fifty inhabitants.
However. 1t exceeds Goust in territory.
being five miles in length, by about one
half OF a mile wide.
The people Of Goust are silk weavers
Their government consists of an as
sembly of old men. called the Council
Of the Ancients." who decide all disputes
and are the sole judges as to the adyis-
ability Of marriages between the young
people OF the place and those of the sur
rounding countries.
ConsanguIneous unions are forbid
den or discouraged. according to the
degree of relationship. Neither priest
nor physician dwells within the place.
All baptisms. weddings. and funerals
are observed at the neighbOring viii
lage of Laruns. For funerals II is
customary to slide the coffin down the
rocky slope and to get hold of 1t again
at the foot of the mOuntaips There
are no taxes or burdens OF any de-
scrlption.
A similar immunity is enjoyed by the
people of Tavolava. In 1S45 the lord
ship of the island was granted by
King Charles Albert of Sardinia to the
family of Barbalconi. the head OF
which as once assumed the title of
King Paul l.
Likewise, he was also King Paul the
Last for on his death, in 1882, he re-
quested that his kingly honors be
buried with him and his little realm
be transformed into a republic His
kin did not oppose. The islanders
framed a constitution. under which
they elect a President every six years.
also a council of six. Both men and
women vote. No salary is paid to
any official. including the President
Encyclopedias. as well as gazet-
teers, ignore both Goust and Tavo-
lava,,lt is strange to relate.
While King Christian. of Denmark.
was cruising with his Queen and their
two sons, in his yacht Rita on the coast
Of Juetland the party were startled by
the sound OF shots and shrieks for help.
The King Immediately gave orders to
sail in the direction of sounds. They
found several boats manned with crews
OF the most desperate looking type. en-
gagged in a regular battle with rifles and
revolvers. The King was making ar
rangements for speedy intervention,
when he happened to see through his
binoculars another boat, a short distance
from the others, with a man in the
stern calmly turning the handle of a
motion picture camera The sight of that
figure made the King smile, and he or
dered the yacht to return,
At that moment, however, fate took
a hand in the game. The actress. who
took the part of the heroine jumped
overheard to escape from the william:
but half way to the shore a genuine ring
of alarm in her cries of distress A boat
from the royal yacht was manned and
came to the rescue of the drowning ac-
tress. The silent man at the camera