Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-02

I themselves. on the contrary, as being
in no way related to the Slavs,- the
Poles or the Teutons. forming a sepa-
rate branch and speaking q distinct
language, which strikingly resembles
Sanscrit. It has been claimed that
owing to the preservation of the
primitive characteristics of the ma
tive speech it would be possible for
ancient Greeks and Romans to under
stand much of the present day speech
of the Lithuanians. On the other hand,
it is asserted that no Siav can Under
stand either Lithuanian or Lettish.
which is a dialect Of the Lithuanian
tongue.
Russian rule, though not favorable
to the preservation Of the native
! language. did not destroy it Every
effort was made however, to break
down the Lithuanian sense of ma
tionality- Lithuanian lands were col
onized with Russians, and for this
purpose Russian land banks bought
large tracts. and sold them as small
farms on easy terms to migrants.
One of the bitterest causes OF COM
plant by the Lithuanians against
|. the Russian govern
The Language ment was that the
private tutoring OF
suppressed. children by Lithu-
anians was forbidden under penalty
of heavy fines and imprisonment and
even exile. The press was suppressed.
IN 1864 the Russian governor general.
as a punishment for an uprising in
which Lithuanians played but a small
part, forbade them to print news
paper and books or to use the Latin
characters, to which they had for
years been accustomed For forty
years under this prohibition the peo-
pie were compelled to rely upon such
literature as could be struggled into
the country from Prussia and the
United States, at great risk of i'm
prisonment or exile to Siberia De-
spite this oppression the percentage
of illiteracy of Lithuania is remark
ably small.
Lithuanians are Roman Catholics
and have been subjected to persecu-
ton in the observance of this re-
ligion. Many of the Catholic churches
were turned to use for the Greek
orthodox usage and, in some in
stances, where this was impracticable,
they were destroyed by dynamite.
The Russians erected their churches
in the smallest towns. But this pros
OF the people.
Naturally. in these circumstances
there was a heavy migration from
Lithuania. Some of the
Lithuanjaas people sought refuge,
curiously enough, in
III America. other parts of Russia,
where they found themselves actual
ly more free than in their native
country. The majority, however.
went 10 England, to South Africa, TO
New Zealand. to Canada and in great
est numbers to the United States. 1t
has been estimated that there are
now about 6So,oo0 Lithuanians In this
although some estimates run
as high as $50, 900.
At present the Lithuanians are IN
der pressure from two sides. The boil
sheviki are endeavoring to prevent a
of independent national
ity, while the Poles are trying to lay
claim to portion of southern Lithua-
MIA. The Polish pressure will prob
ably be RENTED under the warning
issued from Paris against precipitate
stake driving" The bolsheyik men
ace remains, however, serious one
For the Lithuanians, who are hoping
for an early solution of what 10
broadly called the Russian problem.
They have. meanwhile. formed . gov
which is functioning and are
represented at Paris with q demand
sc- recognition as a distinct state.