Evening journal., 1915-05-19
let's STILL keep
APART FROM Poles
Shores OF Baltic Hold Rem
nant of Once Power
ful People
MANY CONVERTED
BY THE SWORD

WASHINGTON. May 19-"Russia
contains within its vast borders prob
ably the worlds most interesting as
sembly of peop.es and fragments of
peoples; peoples, not as in the United
States. melted 10 certain uniform
ground-tone of character. forced TO
lose much of the peculiar uuder the
pressure of a more complex, more
highly developed social organization.
but peoples still distinctiyely peoples,
preserving in themselves the fascinat-
ing markings handed down from me
tribal days, when a journey between
counties was an undertaking, and a
journey between nations fell oniy TO
the lot of the soldier OF fortune, the
diplomat the statesman and the Tore
most of artists and scholars.
Among these interesting, still per-
sistently indi-.dual peoples of Russia
the Let's, the indwellers of the Baltic
provinces, whose fields arc now once
more the scene Of invasion and battle,
captivate the imagination and refioc-
tion through the mystery of their orr
gin the romance of their history and
the peculiarities of theif present re-
lationships 10 mighty Russia. The
Let's are a branch Of the Lithuanian
nation, a Slavic division whose past
in the marshy swamps of Lithuania
lies as deeply hidden as the mystic
ritual Of the Druids. Lithuania was
once great kingdom, later an ele-
ment of the unfortunate Polish ma
tion and now a part of the States OF
Russia and Prussia. The Let's, sub
division of this people, have survived
as its most distinctive representa-
tives."
Thus begins the bulletin issued to-
dav by the National Geographic So
ciety, which deals with the native
peasant population, the patient
iong-suffering farmers. fishermen
and small tradesmen among whom
Russian and German armies are con-
testing for the mastery of the regions
around the eastern elbow of the Bal
tic. The statement continues:
BOrussians Have Vanished.
"The BOrussians, whose name per.
sists in Prussia survive as the mod.
ern Prussians, OF. at least, as an in
portant element that has gone into
the makeup of Prussias citizenry
They. however, are lost as Lithu
anian tribe; have been thoroughly as
simulated to a modern amalgamatet
tyne that feels itself a unit and no
/ composite that feels itself mor'
| nearly akin 10 the German than q
the Slavonian. The Lithuanian of tn
interior Russian Lithuanian prov
4 II ~. INfIf
whose political fortunes he shared s.
long He. is beginning to feel kinshi
with the Russian, whose fortunes
have now become his own. The Let
on the other hand, the Lithuania
tribesman of the Baltic provinces
where the German invaders are no.
marching and fighting, still feels him
self an element apart.
1.-The Lett is taciturn, morose. littl
given to welcoming the stranger II
dwells apart, not as the communist
Russian in villages whose house
closely press one another. The Lei
preserves his own tongue, tradition
and dreams and remains in thi
- twentieth century more than half
= worshiper of nature and believe
= in omens and black craft. The oil
| gods whom he cherished and revel
enced the longest. whom he sougf
long after Europe all around him ha
accepted the teachings of Christ, sti
exert an influence upon him, stul SUI
y vive for him in a thousand superst
tions. even though he Is as devout a
70 any of the other present day Chri:
- tians.
= Converted by the Sword.
20 "The Lett was Christianized by th
a sword welded in the hands of IN
. Germans and the Swedes. Shortl
after the year 1900 a religious orde
- known as the Order of the SworC
- Bearers, was formed, and began th
process of converting the inhabitant
OF Of the Baltic provinces. Members {
ne the order wore white mantles with
OF red cross on the shoulder. The
re were recruited largely in Wcstphali
e. and Saxony. and with their superi.
at weapons. they had little difficulty
~ overruning the Lett provinces. Th
OF Let's were dispossessed of the land
IN German landlords and merchant
We came; outposts of the Hanseatl
n League were strengthened. and IL
Oh Lett sank into serfdOm.
"There are more than 100000
II, Let's. Well-built. of average heigh
seldom TALL the face elongated an
ly the features finely cut: very fair hal
as keen blue eyes and delicate skins al
r. among the external characteristic
a that distinguishes Lett from Pol
lie or a Russian They are a highly in
as aginative people, and from the
ny ranks have come some of Russia
OF gifted artists. They possess an in
OF mense treasure Of folk-songs an
many wonderful legends. born in u
Is dark of the swampy forests of Gre
IL Lithuania."
$ Frugality is the handmade of q
n Want Ads. for the Wants obtain a
- L