Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-11-26

pirate the land, and build fortified
towns and castles to uphold this minia
ture feudai system in a land they
aimed to exploit.
But the Livonians are liberty low
ing people. They resisted despotism
then, and many times later, just as
they rebel against Bolshevism today.
When their early oppressors became
too severe. they arose, drove out the
bers to the Dvina. There they INNER
sed themselves again and sent the wa
ters hack to Germany to show that
they renowned the baptism imposed
by the invaders. Later Livonia, and
Riga, watch became it's capital. es
poused the Christian religion: and the
Order of the Sword merged with the
Teutonic Knights and continued its
operations in other quarters.
Though Prussia's political hold was
shaken off Riga, 1t maintained the eco
nomic ties there, and individual Ger
mans usually have been important fac
tors In it's commerce. This phase of
German influence was contaminated
when Riga, in the thirteenth century,
became a member of the Hanseatic
league, the first great trust which for
two centuries controlled practically all
the trade channels Of continental Eu-
rope north of the Alps.
Riga was conspicuous among the
eighty-five cities belonging to this
giant combine at the height of its pow
er in the latter fourteenth century.
Thus Riga obtained a commercial i'm
portance which 1t never relinQuished,
end even in 1914 1t was accounted sec
ond only to St. Petersburg (now Petro-
grad) among the Baltic cities in the
volume of its trade.
1T Is hard to realize what tremend-
Gus impetus the operations or the leag
ue of cities attained In the middle ages.
It had been formed for the sole purpose
wake such mementoes of prosperity
as Hamburg, Bremen and Lubbock
which retained their rights as free
cities within the German Empire until
It's downfall.
"The third modern aspect of mediae-
val Riga is to be found IN the famous
'Blackheads.' 1t was this body which
soon came to have the civic Importance
end apparently many of the functions
OF a chamber Of commerce or board
of trade today.
Originally 1t was organized by the
young traders who came to Riga as a
social club to afford fellowship in ad-
dttion to the needful board and lodg-
ings during their sojourn. Since the
members were mostly young men. pro-
E1essive, and somewhat assertive, they
took their name to distinguish them
selves from their elders, or grey boards.
Naturally their table talk turned to
ways of promoting business, and soon
the club became, in effect, on organiza-
ton for Bigger, Better and Buster
Riga as the modern trade body would
phrase It. The han of the Blackheads,
built in 1880, 10 one of the oldest land :
marks of the city.
"A survival Of the thirteenth CEN
fury IL the Cathedral of the Virgin.
ebuilt most recently in 1888, when
there was installed one OF the largest
pipe organs In the world--almost as
large as the mammoth instruments at
Asbury Park, N. j., and In the town
hall Of sydney. Australia.
From the beginning of the world
war. Riga was the objective Of the
central powers. because Of its import
once a. q focal point for the lumber
from White Russia and volhynia, the
flax from northwestern Ruspia. and
other products from q wide area with
which 1t has rail and water commune
cation. Its recent prosperity is indi-
Gated by the growth of it's population
from 100000 in 1897 to more than SOC. :
900 before the war;
(The industries and public buildinus
If Riga were described in previous Ma :
tional Geographic Society bulletins.)