The Detroit times., 1916-09-15
AndOrra
BY Or. FRANK CRANE
Copyright. 1915. by Frank Crane)

There are moods wherein We want TO
go to Andorra There are people who
naturally long for, are natural citizens of,
Andorra. though they never heard of
the place.
Andorra is the queereSt little nation in
the world. II Is composed of people 1.-The
world forgetting OF the word forgot" IL
has no dealings with other countries, no
ambassadors, no foreign relations, no
policy except TO mind It's own business
and to wish the habitants of other coun-
tries to mind theirs and keep away.
II is not land of fancy, it is not an
Alice-of-Wonderland place II actually
exists. You can go thereby mule, how
ever, for no railroad runs TO il, not even
a wagon road.
II is hidden up in the Pyrenees Noun
tainS, between France and Spain. II is
some eighteen miles long and sixteen
miles wide, and has about 5000 inhabi-
tants
1t i somewhere around 100 years
old and in all that time the customs Of
the people have changed but little
II has never been famed for anything.
It's people have no ambition. no desire.
no progress welcome no strangers. and
do not hunger for knowledge They are
ignorant, and glad Of il.
1t is a republic in the sense that il
has not much of any government at all.
almost approaching that condition of the
ancient Jews when in the era OF the
Judges every man did what was right
in his own eyes" There is no king, no
nobility, no classes, social or legal.
The president is n farmer who works
g. lf,.in nj ,yh
$40 a year.
They have no police Anybody can
arrest YOU if YOU disturb the peace.
They have never produced any litera-
ture. art music. or science. They use
only the tools Of their ancestors. They
want no change. and any one who tries
10 improve conditions is looked upon as
mentally unbalanced.
One enterprising citizen, who had
travelled in France, built hotel by
fine spring. but as nobody visited IT. and
as there are few travellers who penetrate
the country. II closed its doors. The only
hotel thew have now is used also as school
house Jail. town hall and court house.
Outlandsh as the place is, il is really
q symbol Of the goal Of many souls, OF
all souls at certain times. when we sigh
for "a lodge in some vast wilderness,
some boundless contiVuity Of shade.
Thousands Of people. for instance. look
forward 10 n heaven which they imagine
- be a kind of everlasting celestial An
DORA. whore nobody does ANYTHING nor
wants anvthinp where we never will be
nestered by Improvement but viii SIT In
the shade and drink some forgetful
draupht forever and ever: amen.
There are times when existence inks,
and we ask nothing better than TO cease
10 be. We want to quit, to be forgotten.
We cry:
q Tesu Insr make NV bod
And fepdprlv tuck tho sod
Draw tho green grass coyorle' over my hea6'
And forget 20 tell my God
We are angry at the mother who bore
US. Our grievance against the world is
that we exist
There's strong streak Of Hamlet in US.
"Who would these fardels bear who
would not Shuttle of this mortal coil,
did he not fear to exchange his sad lot
here for a sadder hereafter?
To all therefore. who have this KIND
Of rnulhgrubS and would like TO go way.
way off somewhere and crawl into hole
and pull the hole in after them. we rec
ommend Andorra. where there is no
Roosevelt or Billy Sunday, no colleges TO
make you want to get on. no milllonaires
10 excite your envy. no war. no business
= -.