El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-11-20
TOURISTS SHUN
EAST PRUSSIA
Little Is Known of Desolate
Land; Department Of
Aisne Prosperous.

Washington. D. c., Nov. 2O.-The Ma
tional Geographic society, OF inns cry,
cave out the following facts concerning
east Prussia Germany and the depart
rnent of Afsne. France, which are the
scenes of much fighting at the present
time: a. .-to.,,.,-+
regions of civilized Europe From the
shores of the Baltic southwark there
is a great sweep OF even saHus' nd
and dreary, much of II uhcheeIeue eE Ell
bv the relieving green OF Jhe IOreSI
Finally the sand wastes end and the
lake country, covering the southern
half Of the province, begins.
Stunned by Tourists.
East Prussia lies beyond the pealeh
path Of the army OF tourIsts iaJrIeI-
tofore annually have invaded Germany
A few irregulars, among them COIlscI-
entious students Of things German
American buyers Of such ware as an,
Der, and some who went 10 rest Iiltet tSsa
through to the court hospitality OF the
If thev remained long enough. to
catch somewhat of its splrdS, lney
learned to love its sternness.. 6 OF ma
ture is coldly frugal in east PRUSSIA
producing bounteOus grain and potato
yields from her dun colored sandy SOILS
only in repayment OF intense unIe mi
tant labor; and she seems jealous "a
even the meager variety of her pine ana
fir forests few and always the same IN
the north. save where, at rare lnJerVaIS'
they are frightened up by the glisten-
ing bark of the silver birch.
Develops Stern People.
Amid such uncOmpromlSIng sur
roundings, it is but natural that firm
jawed men and women. earnest laDorl-
Gus, unbending, and, above all, belleVeIS
in duty, should be found. And as
rule, the people of eastPrussia, peasant
and junker gentleman farmer), are as
unyielding and simple as the land IN
which they live.
Somewhere around this area, certain
scholars hold, the IndO-Germanc race
began its conquest of a world ana It's
task of accommodating an indian and
western culture. No filter country
could be imagined for the dlSclpllnlng
of a people to sacrifice effort and deter
Koenigsberg is the capital of this
province. 1t is the central market Tor
the grains, potatoes and commercial al
cohol produced in east Prussia, and, TO
an increasing extent it has served as
a commission market for the produce
of neighbOrinE Russian governments
This city is most widely known through
its university, and most Of that jnstl-
tutiOn's fame centers around a brilliant
teacher of about a century ago, I'M
manuel Kant, author of profound critl-
cisms Of reason and conscience.
Produce Rich Harvests.
The tireless energy Of the German
peasant freehOlder and the scientific
effort of the great estate owners have
brought it about that the bleak steppes
of nOrtheasternmOs Germany produce
rich harVeSts of grain and potatoes. It
is mostly the harder grains that are
raised there-rye and oats The potato
yield of the province is largely worked
for alcohol, for use in the arts and
for domestic use, such as cooking,
gines. Potato distilleries are numerous
throughout the country adjacent to
Koenigsberg and along the sea
East Prussia borders on west Rus
STA. over its whole extent and through
out the Russian Baltic provinces, Slav
and Teuton have mingled pretty thor
oughly. The east Prussian has in his
veins considerable Slavic blood; while
the Baltic Russian, on the other hand.
possesses a strong strain of Teutonic
blood.
Slavic names are heard on every hand
in east Prussia both folk names and
place names-all place names ending In
''itz' and cow being of Slavic origin.
About 20 percent of east PrUssia's
100000 people speak a Slavic tongue.
Department of Aisne.
The department of Aisne is one Of
the northern provinces of France, lying
in a district line between Namur and
Paris. Only a very small section of its
northern boundary touches Belgium, the
department Of the north leaving it only
n five mile participation in the inter-
national boundary. Within its borders.
many historic clashes of arms have
taken place-at st. Quentin in 1857, and
during the FrancO-Prussian war: at
scissors and Laon during the NapO-
leOnic and the FrancO-Prusstan wars
and at Craonne year before w aterloo.
Chateau Thierry, Vervins, st. Gobain,
and many other places in the depart
ment have figured in the history max
ing Of the past few months in France.
The country of the Aisne is a success
sion Of long, rolling sweIls. broken here
an ,GafnFel frnF-
ted with wonderfully well kept little
farms, with fields Of grain-mainly
oats and wheat-and with large
stretches of potatoes, sugar beets and
fiber plants. All around and in be-
tween are the carefully grOOmed gov
eminent forests typical Of France and
Germany-eXtensive wooded areas
where broken branches, brambles and
shaggy grOwths are not allowed to spoil
the general effect
Has Many Industries.
There are many small industries scat
tered throughout the department. It
contains some excellent clay beds,
which supply a number Of small brick
works. There are a sprinkling of small
plants for the weaving Of cotton and
silks, the milling of flour, and for dis
filling and brewing Its beet sugar
manufacture is one Of its most import
ant industries. Its mirror works at St
Gobain are famous wherever telescope
equipment is used, perhaps the finest
telescope mirrors in the world bearing
the hall mark of st. GObain.
The Aisne is essentially an agricul-
tural department. Its northeastern
lands form good pastures and support
considerable amount of dairy farming
One of Europe's most effectively insist
ent cheeses, a simple peasants cheese,
is ripened there. This cheese is sold in
the form of little yellow-green cylin-
ders, and has a sturdy individuality
about it which always commands the
immediate respect and attention of the
stranger. Inwardly, it is related to a
German product which takes its name
from the Harz mountains.
Peasants Hold Much Land.
The departments area is about 1856
square miles-a little more than twice
that Of Rhode Island; and the popula-
ton numbers more than half a million.
Peasant hnLlinoe abound mi IN