Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-04-20
PORTUGAL TINY REPUBLIC
Most Recent Nation Drawn into
War Once Roman Province.
nns Colonial Empire Larger than -Four
Times the Area of New England
and North Atlantic
states.

| European war, was once q part of the
ancient Roman province Of Lusitania
from which the giant Cunard line steam
er sunk by IL German torpedo received
us name. says n bulletin Just issued by
the National Geographic society. of Wash
ingtou. -. {.
Win a population scarcely exceeding
the combined population of New York
city, Jersey city and Newark, and an area
IN Europe less than tho State Ct Indiana.
Portugal has not played major role in
the politics of continental Europe in many
years, not, in fact since Wellesley, after
ward the Duke of WeIington landed his
| English forces and. with the aid of native
troops. defeated SOult and Alasscna Ma
poleon'a marshals, in the two peninsula
campaigns.
But tho colonial empire of rortugal is
out of all proportion to the Importance
Of the home country IN fact there were
| at the beginning Of tho war. only three
other countries IN Europe Great Britain
France and Germanv-whosc flags float
ed over more territory beyond the bound
aries of the home country. The combin-
eel area of the New England and North
Atlantic states woule equal less than
one-fourth of the territory under the do
minon Of the tiny republic occupying
the western edge OF the Iberian peninsula.
whose navigators in the fifteenth and
sixteenth century were the wonders Of
the world. Yet oil this vast territory is
held by 5000 colonial troops. supplemented
by native armies.
1T would be difficult to estimate how
much Portugal will he able 10 contribute
60 the strength of the allieS cause. Its
pcac" strength is only 30.0lD mon, hut there
j. Il reserve of 13o,opo, while the inorganic
ed military strength Of the nation is as
great as that of the Netherlands and
more than q third larger Imam was Ser
bias total unorgauizcd war strength be-
fore this war began.
a curious anomaly is to he found
among the peasants Of Portugal who are
classified as among the most illiterate
OF western Europe, vet are among the
most intelligent Many of the farmers
Ihrcc-fifthS of the population is devoted
10 agricultural pUrsuits-haVe q remarlia-
Die Gift for versifcation, and many OF the
poems of the country are handed down
from generation TO generation without be-
ing recorded. The peasants also are
noted for their snhr.ctr. ana vet the an
nuai production of Wine exceeds % gal
Ions for each inhahitam,. So great. in
fact Is the product of the vineyards that
In the cities the various qualities Of water
are discussed with Eceuer interest than
the grades Of wine.
"Whi!c PortUgal's maritime Glory is =
thing OF the past. Il large rum1er OF
Portuguese still follow the sea fol a live
lihood, and the fishing industry Is i'm
nortant The Portuguese sardiues, how
over. are preserved in italian olive OIL, al
though onc-fifteenth of the cultivated
area OF the nation is given over to olive
groves, for the production of oils OF a
cheap grade.
THE Portuguese peasant woman is an
important breadWinncr. hut she receives
for her days labor of IS hours in the
field only a shilling or less. while the
men get Two shilinGs.
"One of the profitable and extremely
popular industries of the rural popula-
ton IS "A placid lying -in-wait for tourists
who attempt to motor through the coun-
try on the Jess fr"Gucntcd and often i'm
pHssabc puolic roads. With an o;;-tcam
the peasant waits at a favorable spot un-
ri motolist, travelling in an automobile
on which an import tax Of 500 has been
collected by the Portuguese government
sticks in the mid To haul out such
an unfortunate is often more profitable
than several days work in the wheat,
maize or rice fields,
THE harbor of Lisbon. where the seizure
Of the German merchant ships precpitated
Portugal into the war. Is one of the most
beautiful in all Europe, ranking scarcely
second TO Naples and Constantinop!c. The
city is about Tho size of Pittsburg, and
has been the political center o! the nation
since it was wrested from the Moors in
the middle OF the 18th century by Alfonso
,Ienriques, the founder Of the kingdom.
II was the English who aided Alfonso III
his war against he Moors. and the fol-
lowing century the two countries effected
an alliance which has existed unoroken
during the succeeding seven hundred
years. save for such sporadic Interrupt
tons as when Napoleon forced the little
Kingdom 10 declare war against the is
Land empire.
The Portuguese, especially those of
Lisbon, are a plcaSule-loVinS people. They
are fond of sports of many sorts. mclud-
ing, the bull-fght, but the toreador is not
the idol in this country that he Is in
Spain. nor are the contests as fierce.
Horses arc seldom if ever sacrificed in
the Portuguese trocadoros.
Lisbon is an even greater night city
than Paris the streets appearing Mt their
busiest usually at a. IN. The principal
thoroughfares are admirable kept nova
days but IA late as 1883 Il clean up cam
paigner was in n wocfu minority when
he begun to urge the authorities to put
stop to such practices as breaking
horses in the streets and smuggling pigs in
the main avenues of trade. lie also
protested 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 published
! in Portugal the majority of these being
Of political nature and many of them
are owned by the leaders Of the various
| political parties.
| 1T has been said that If Lisbon turns
Turk tomorrow all Portugal will wear
the turban', so when the monarchy was
ovcrthroWn In 1910, after 100 persons had
been killed and 200 wounded in the capital,
I King Manuel taking refuge in England,
/ it was a matter of course that the rest
of the nation woald quietly acauicscc In
! the new order of things. Portugal to-
: day has much the same outward form of
! government as our own. Each parlia-
: mont is supposed 10 last three years, sem
! ators are elected for i years, and pres-
J dents for four years The head OF the
government receives $4,000 year Money,
therefore. even "A day laborcr's wage is
1 M ,aic 70