The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-05-25

PROGRESSIVE, PROSPEROUS ARGENTINA
 CELEBRATES IT'S INDEPENDENCE TODAY In UENos AIRES, the New York of South. ID America and the Paris of the New World is ablaze with color and athrill with patriotism today for this is the independence Iday of Argentina, most peaceful prosperous land progressive Of South American republics. Tn no other country of the world, perhaps, is a. nationaI festival 5so generally and ferventIy Icelebrated as the twenty-fifth of May in ths. Argentine The holiday coTilmemorates the declaration Of independence which was pro- ulgated in BlleIlos Ayres on May 9, 1si0. and which began tn struggle which terminated. with the expulsion of the Spanish authorities. and the freedom Of the United Provinces of La Plata River which originally included the pres ent republics Of Argentina, Uruguay and Para quay: The cel elebration this year is of especial Isignificances since it was in 1914 that the pa triet army administered crushing defeat to the Iroyalists and captured their last stronghold. Argentine pride has also been increased by the Ipartkthe Buenos Ayres government has played iI the difficulty between the United States assof. the North and Mexico. No people are prouder |of their collntr rY than the Argentines, and not without reason, for it is one of the richest and |most fertile lends under the sum- and capable |of supporting population many times greater than the eight mil lions who now dwell under it's blue and white banner
 
 land other countries have poured into Argentina within the last few decades, and have trans formed Buenos Ayres from crude farming and trading center into city with nearly a |Inillion and a half people city that ranks twelfth among the worl d's great cenfers Of pop |allation, and fourth among the municipalities |of the western henli phere city that is in many re speefs the most beautiful, luxurious and expensive to Hive in on the globe. The Ar gentine capital is yeritable cosmopolis, and the nationaIity of it's inhabitants may be jndg- ed by its poIyglot press which includes 4a2| publications in pa1l sIl, in ta1ian eight in English, tight in French, eight in Ger man. and lesser numbers Of Dani sh, Norwegian, Basque Swedish, Dutch Russian, Arabic and other jollInals "a Prensa, the famous Buenos Ayres dai ly, ranks among the greatest newspa= pers Of the world and has more correspon dents scattered all over the globe than any oth- .er journal in the New World It's news dragnet1 is 50 thorough and effective that it often hap pens thai important European and Asiatio1 events first become known in New York and other North American cities through the me- .diuIn of dispa tches from La Prensa
 Two of the largest battl esIips ever built fly the blue and white flag of Argentina, and these and tl1e eight cruisers and thirty sInaller ves- sells conn the "A rgenti ne navy are manned bs 1000 well -trained officers and n nen with q naval reserve of 25, 900 men. The standing army numbers about 20 o0o but the reserve army, which is tIloroughly trained and effec- lively af1ned numbers i500oO men.
 In the matter of education Argentina is en- titled to high position among the countries of the world Among native born Argentinos il- l literacY is practically unknown. The federal government supports about 5000 primary schools, and attendance at these is compulsory. HI igh school ed ducation is free butt not conpul- sorry. There are two national universities, at Buenos Ayres and Cordoba. and provincial versities in mostso of the fourteen provinces of the nation 1
 Argentina now has about 2f GOO miles of railway, about one-siAth of the mileage being owned by the government and the remainder by private corporations, in which the British are most heavily Interested
 The government roads are so successful that large offer from foreign syndicate ato take them over has been refused and it is the l policy of the nation to increase it's holdings.
 Tn considering the railw ay mileage of the country it will be well to remember that the population has density of less than persons to the square mile, that the country is yet too sparsely settled for railway development.
 NO SCANDAL YET.