Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-26
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society

Tn the Abruzzi district east of cen tra4 taly, where the recent earthquake shocks have worked in seconds a, des- truction equal to weeks of war, there of the country's brilliant history or it's more famous works of art. Abruzzi is a grazing, vine growing, farming dis trict. t is 8. mountainous and hilly is land.
 land, comprising the widest and most rugged portion of the Apennines. Some of Italy's most picturesque scenery is to be enjoyed here, although travellers from America seldom seek it, as the railway connections are bad and the inn accoHn1 citations, for the most part, sadly primitive and severe.
 "The district cntains some 6.3S0 square miles, or is about equal in size to the states of Rhode Island and Con- necticut. It supports some two nal- lion people, most of whom make their IlVlngs Tn farming, orchard and vine culture, and in cattle, sheep and swine raising. There is considerable unim- poTtant manufacturing within the dis trict but title or no industry. Rarely beautiful tapestries and handmade laces are worked in the hilly villages as honle work. Many of the Abruzzi peaSantrJ, untauSht in the methods of design and unaided by any but the simplest mechanical contrivances., dis play the highest order of artistic ap- preciation in their hand-lace produc- tions.
 vast forests of oak. beech and pine cover the jagged mountain groups, and their area serves aS a feeding ground for large herds of swine The raising of swine and tho preparation of their meat is one of the important endeavors of this country, and, among the nlasterworlls of taly. the vivacious. seductive, thrilling Abruzzi sausange deserves honorable mention These sausanges were formerly-that is, be- lore the War-even imported occasion ally into Germany, where to be a foreign sausage and to compete sue cessfully, means to be a sausage of distinctly superior sort.
 There is little flat land within -AofnzZl, too beyond a narrow strip along Iet miles of coast. The uplands and
 the hills are used for pasture lands. the valleys are very fruitful. and are rarIned for olives, rice, almonds. grains and wine. Nature has contributed most 10 the backward state of the AbruzzI regions industries: for it's n!IIs and valleys lie within the trough
 or eNer-recurring earthquakes, while the small rivers and creeks which irri- gate its valleys do a. regular damage by their sudden foods The rivers are mostly very short, with a consid- eraple fall to the sea. Many of them 1 have been harnessed in the last few
 
 -Four provinces are contained with in the division Abruzzi, Tereno. Cheti, Aqulla and Campobasso, and there are about twenty medium sized towns scattered throughout them. A sam pie or every superstition that has ever rourished in European land since the founding of Rome is to be found still hourlshing in matters of belief and in their devotion to custom
 The present Duke of Abruzzi is Weil-knoWn to Americans. It was several times reported in this country that he Vas engaged to Miss Izath- erlne Eiklns-noW, Mrs. William Hit the daughter of the late Senator FL klns of West Virginia. This report was each time denied The young
 Duke was the son of ex-King Amadeus Of Spain. He has won distinction as a seogFapl1er: making the first ascent of Mt. St. Elias in 1897; determining the northern coast of Franz Josef land in his arctic explorations of 1899-190O. and setting a mountain-c climbing rec
 ord 1n 1909 by ascending Mt Austen in India to height of 24, 500 feet"