The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-05-25
FLORIDA OF RUSSIA
The Historic Crimean Peninsula
of the Black Sea.
HORRORS OF ITS GREAT WAR,

IN lnIo TaWoue NoHUlOh OO'h'O'o S'SS
Like Flies From Disease and Florence
Nightingale Won Her Crown Of Glory
on the Battlefield.
Hanging down into the Black sea
like butchers cleaver, with its handle
pointed east and the near corner of the
blade Joined to the mainland Of Rus
sia, the Crimea, where 1t was first
planned to exile the czar when he abb
dicated, is about as near to being an
island as peninsula well can be, even
though a very narrow strait is the
only water that lies between 1t and
second connection with the mainland.
On the one side-to the west-lies the
PerekOp gulf, and to the east, shut out
from the Black sea by the handle Of
the cleaver, is the sea of Azov."
Thus the Crimea is outlined in bul.
letin by the National Geographic so
ciety from its Washington headquar-
ters for geographic research, concern
ing this Florida of Russia Jutting out
into Europe's inland sea.
with an area matching that of New
Hampshire, population equal to that
of New Hampshire and Vermont to-
gether and climate that bOrrows
good features from Florida and south
ern California and bad ones from
many places, the Crimea is one of the
most fascinating bits of territory be-
tween Portugal and Cochin China. Its
populace a congress of races, its In
dustries ranging from the growing or
subtropical fruits and the housing OF
Russia's elite as they fee from the
cold, to the herding of sheep and the
growing of grain, 1t is place OF many
sided activities
"As the men of wealth of America
have their winter homes in Florida and
those Of western Europe have theirs
along the Riviera, the people of posi-
ton in Russia have their country seats
in the Crimea. And beautiful places
they are, for in Russia the rich are
very rich. The height of the social sea-
son is from the middle Of August to
the 1st of November.
"The peninsula is occupied by $4,000
people, according to the last census,
mostly Turkish speaking Tartars, with
a scattering Of Russians, Greeks, Ger
mans and Jews. Cleanliness and mo
rality are said to be proverbial traits
Of the Crimean Tartars, who have been
undergoing the influences Of Russifica-
tion for several generations. They have
taken up vine culture, fruit growing
and kindred occupations with a zeal
seldom equaled east of the Aegean.
"Of course most interesting Of all
things Crimean are its history, its for
tress and its imperial palace. In the |
second century B. G. the Scythians |
founded a kingdom there, and the land !
passed through many changes, now un-
der one sovereignty, and now under an
other, finally passing to the Tartars,
who In turn we're brought under the |
rule of the Turks. In 1888 Russia |
forced the last khan to abdicate and |
made the Crimea part of one Of her
provinces. The Grim Tartars, who |
give the peninsula its name by reason
of their substantial admixture Of Greek
and other blOods, have lost most of the
Mongolian features, being slender in
build, possessing aquiline noses, eyes
that have lost the oriental slant and
not quite so inscrutable
as the eastern type.
"In the Crimean war, fought by Eng
land, France and Turkey against Rus
sia, the final test of strength came at
Sebastopol Here the factors Of un-
limited resources operated in the allies
favor. Through their command of the
sea they could secure everything need
ed, while the Russians could bring up
their supplies only across the barren
steppes, whose highways were marked
at every step by the dead and the dy-
sNg, both man and beast.
'"The novels of TolstOy give graphic
picture of the Crimean war from the
Russian viewpoint, depicting the mis-
cries of the march, the anguish Of the
life in the casemates and the nerve
destroying ordeal Of manning the lines
under shellire, there to await the night
attack that might or might not come.
It was in this war that Florence Night
lngale rendered services as a nurse
that made her name a synonym of
angel OH the worlds bat
.lefelds. Then men knew nothing of
he cause of cholera and such diseases
and the soldiers died like flies. 1t is
estimated that $4,000 British soldiers
lie buried in the cemetery outside of
"The imperial large palace, to which
he dethroned monarch was to retire,
8 situated at Livadia, surrounded by
I magnificent park It is of recent
and was completed in
1910. Hard by is the simply construct
ID small palace, in an upper room of
which Alexander III. died. In no 9th
,r country in the world was the reign
ng ruler possessed of so many lands
IT such extensive properties as was the
.ase In Russia"