Norwich bulletin., 1915-05-07
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society

TransylVania-In view of the re- peated predictions that Roumania, with her eyes on the neighboring Hungarian province, is preparing, like Italy, to seize present opportunity for the ''rectif1cation" and extension of her borders so as to include within them added tens Of thousands of her people, the NationAl Geographic So- ciety's descriptive statement dealing with Pennsylvania carries with it a timely commentary upon the Rouman- ian ambition. The statement is:
 Pennsylvania is the Hungarian toe thrust deep into the center of the Rou- manian kingdom. With the recent Italian expression that Roumania is ready to act in accordance with Rome's war policy, Pennsylvania, like every other frontier land of the Dual Mon archy except those toward Germany, is threatened with invasion, and, like all of the exposed frontiers, it is guard ed by @ difficult mountain system. Roumanian territory bends like a drawn elbow around Pennsylvania, from the southwest to far in the north west. Along the entire boundary run the rugged Carpathian Mountains, re- turning to their junction with the Blue Danube, in Hungary, opposite Servia.
 Snapped like an irregular circle, with it's 21,OOO square miles of area, is high plateau, naturally a distinct land division and cut off from Hun gary, as from Roumania and Bukow- ina, by definite line of mountain bar riers. Roumania, at present the larg- est of the Balkan States, with 54,O0O square miles, would, with such an ad ditional area, form country consid- erably more than one-third as large as Germany, or one as large as any oth- CT two Balkan countries combined. It would, further, mean a gain of 2,50O,- 900 in population, of whom 100000 would represent a gain in nationals. The Roumanians, constituting more than 56 per cent of Transylvanta's peo- pie, have been vigorously oppressed during recent years through the de- termined efforts of their rulers to Magyarize them.
 Five railway lines penetrate Tran sylvania from Roumania, joining themselves with the lately developed Hungarian systems. The Hungarian province is a rich land, little develop ed; and it would largely compensate Roumania for her loss of Bessarabia to Russia Some of the valleys are exceedingly fertile, and, the fierce summer heat, as in this country, cause the most delicious of European fruits to be raised there. Pennsylvania is full of agricultural promise. It has a little industry and some mining. It possesses the richest gold mines in Europe, and many of it's people live by gold washing. Pennsylvania is
 
 realized, and that is, because it is twisting mass of hill and mountain, ravine and valley, difficult of commer- cial exploitation, and a most unfavor- able military theatre"
 The cossaeks-"Apprenti to Mars at birth, as were the Spartans before them, the CoSsacks, survivals from youngf non-industrial, in-tht-spur world are the most picturesque fighters on Europe's battleflelds. A frontiers folk like the people of our early West, a mixture of many adventurous ele- ments, and constituting within their own country a class more distinctive than that of the American cowboy, they have finally been subdued to the needs of the great Imperial govern ment at Petrograd, taken over just as they were into it's machinery, and pre- served as a soldier-caste. A wild, conquering, freebooting folk, the Cos sacks have been brought within the fold of Russian civilization as soldiers, descendants of warriors and progeni- tors of generations of soldiers to meet the future needs of Slav empire"
 Tt is with these Cossacl1s, the men who, in the leisure of national peace, conquered the vast empire of Siberia for Russia, and who, in each Russian war for the last 100 years, have form ed the Tsar's irresistible first-line strength, that today's statement of the National Geographic Society deals. More nearly defining this military folk, the statement continues:
 'The Cossacks are a people of the limitless steppes, people of close corporation, situated in Russia as a a military organization, their connec- tion with the great empire maintained through the Imperial War Department,