Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-06-23

able than several days work IN the
wheat, maize. or rice fields.
Lisbon's Beautiful Harbor.
The harbor of Lisbon, where the
seizure Of the German merchant ships
precipitated Portugal into the war, is
one of the most beautiful in all Eu-
rope, ranking scarcely second to Ma
pies and Constantinople. The city is
about the size of Pittsburgh. and has
been the political center of the ma
ton since 1t was wrested from the
Moors in the middle of the twelfth GEN.
fury by Alfonso Henriques. the founder
of the kingdom. 1t was the English
who aided Alfonso in his war against
the Moors, and the following century
the two countries effected an alliance
which has existed unbroken during the
succeeding 700 years, save for such
sporadic interruptions as when Ma
poleon forced the little kingdom to de-
clare war against the island empire.
The Portuguese, especially those Of
Lisbon, are a pleasure-loving people.
They are fond of sports of many sorts.
including the bull-fight, but the tore
ador is not the idol in this country that
he is in Spain, nor are the contests
as fierce. Horses are seldom II ever
sacrificed in Portuguese trocaderos.
Lisbon is an even greater might
city" than was Paris, the streets ap-
pearing at their busiest usually at 8
a. m. The principal thoroughfares are
admirably kept nowadays but as late
as 1885 a cleanup" campaigner was
in woeful minority when he began
to urge the authorities to put a stop
to such practices as breaking horses
in the streets and singeing pigs in the
main avenues of trade. He also pro-
tested against keeping pigs alive in
the streets "or tied to the DOORS"
while he thought it advisable to put
an end to the custom of allowing dead
animals to lie for indefinite periods in
the streets.
There are about 100 journals pub
lished in Portugal. the majority Of
these being of a political nature, and
many of them are owned by the lead
ers of the various political parties.
It has been said that IF Lisbon
turns Turk tomorrow all Portugal will
wear the turhan." 30 when the mon
archy was overthrow in 1910, after.
100 persons had been killed and 500
wounded in the capital, King Manuel
taking refuge in England, 1t was q
matter of course that the rest Of the
nation would quietly acquiesce in the
new order Of things. Portugal today
has much the same outward form of
government as our own. Each par
lament is supposed to last three years;
senators are elected for six years. and
presidents for four years. The head
of the government receives $4,000 q
year. Money, however, is reckoned
chiefly in reis, and, therefore, even
a day laborer's wages is sweet to the
ear. for it takes 20 refs to make Q
penny.
Portugal's transcendant contribu-
ton to world history was the COLOMBIA
ton of Brazil, the largest nation in
South America and the third largest
in the Western hemisphere. While
Brazil was discovered by Columbus
companion, Pinzon. and formal posses
sion taken by him in the name Of
Spain, Cabral landed in 1900, a year
later, and proclaimed it Portuguese
territory. Portugal settled the coun-
try and ruled it until 1922 when. I'M
der the leadership Of the Portuguese
prince, Dom Pedro, independence from
the mother county was declared.