The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1915-06-18
6TR|A A COUNTRY
| FOUNDED 753 B. c.
|ENINSULA THE ITALIANS TRY
ING To TAKE FROM AUSTRIA
HISTORICALLY RICH.

Many long slumDcring merOies
ave been quickened by the present
)estless flood OF war that has engulf-
id in its course nearly all of the his
oric spots in Europe, recalling to the
preathless onIookers in neutral lands,
n the light of the tragic significance
bf these places today, their romantic
etories of the centuries past" begins a
bulletin issued recently by the Ma
tional Geographic Society, treating of
what life has been in Austria's Istrian
erritory. which the Italians are now
attempting to invade. The statement
continues:
"Istria. the wedge-shaped peninsula
bit the head of the Adriatic and the
Surrounding territory back of Triest,
not of great Importance commercially
br industrialIy, and with few conncc-
tions with the world in the West
thus little known and spoken of, un-
"reminiscences of past civilizations,
when brought to our attention as one
bf today's great battIefields. In the
Eight of events that have occurred
there. it takes a higher place in our
consideration, fills us with a deeper
interest in the history that is now
being made upon its borders, and,
(ater, may be made within them.
"The civilization of the peninsula
lis ancient Ionians from rich and cul-
|tured Milctus settled colonies there
I'm the ninth century b. c., and in 735
3. c., the Corinthians followed them.
fFhe sunny culture of the Greeks once
kblossomed all along these shores,
formed it's artists here, builded it's
temples, and at last gave way before
the Celts, who arrived about the
Fourth century b. c. When the Ro-
mans were forced to crush the pirates
Iof the North Adriatic, Istria fell under
ktheir domination, about III B. C. Fol
flowing an uprising, the Romans thor
)pughly subdued the land in 12S b. c.,
(and, in 127 B. C. 1900 Roman col
|onists were settled there.
Through the Dark Ages and well
into the Middle Ages. Istrian land was
land in the vortex of the struggle be-
tween the empires of the East and
West. and, then, between Byzantium,
the German powers of the North anG
the rising commercial cities of Italy
BY 1145, Venice had established priv
ileged connections with most of the
Istrian towns. From this time date
some very interesting records of So
,cial organization on the peninsula.
"The land was organized into COM
|munes, with their chief magistrate, a
small council. or council of assessors
land council of the people. The COM
Fmune governments extended their
work to an even greater degree than
the most governed communities would
think of going today. Their regula-
|tions provided for all manner of do
fmestic supervision They fixed the
ltime of new vintage the time for
selling new wine, the amount of bread
kthat could be baked in one oven, and
administered pure food regulations
with greatest strictness.
'As today, judges went through the
markets trying the food. These judges
Invent through the taverns and tasted
1.-THE wine before the innkeepers might
put it on sale. The prices of foreign
goods were fixed by the authorities,
1 and the quality of these goods care
kfully determined before they could be
lput on sale. Stone measurements were
Icut on fountains, on the foundation
(stones of public buildingsand on other
-