The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-12-15
REIGN A MASS
OF RUINS
Prosperous Baltic City Practical
ly Destroyed by War

Riga, Latvia, Nov 20-Riga, which
was known before the war as the
pearl Of the Baltic and ranked as
Russia's second por' is one of the sad
dest monuments to the destruction
wrought by six years or ceaselesa
fighting. much. Of which took place
on the; soit OF the new republic oa
Latvia, erected on the ruins of the
Old Russian governments OF Livonia
and .Courland .S4., p
Half million persons lived in Riga
before the war and over 400 large
factories kept it busy and prosper
Gus. Now there are only about 200,-
600 inhabitants and less than a score
OF factories are operating. The empty
shells of various s. industries stand
awaiting the return Of machin-
cry which the Russian shipped
eastward before the German advance.
Lenine and ,Trotsky have promised
to,return all the machinery which be-
fonCed to Russian subjects. But many
OF the factories We're owned by for
eign capitalists and consequently can
not hope to recover their plants.
Great rubber plants, carshops,
wood working shops and saw mills
stand idle awaiting capital to buy
machinery. The river Dvina and va
rious lakes and inlets lying about the
city are filled with logs But there
are no mills to convert them into tim
ber no ships to cary them into for
eign markets. The docks are idle
Few trains operate and those are fired
with wood.
or the 100000 persons in the new
republic, nearly all are dependent up
on agriculture for q. living. The crops
wore a failure this year and conse-
qucrtly the outlook is blue for the new
government headed by Ulmanis. the
American-trained Minister President.
But the Let's have learned the Joy
OF freedom in their few months of
Independence. They fought bravely
ago.inst the bo,sheviki and later against
the Baltic barons who tried to enslave
them under General Bermondt. And
they are coIrageously building up a
national life and a national conscious
ness in the face of terrible odds.
Unlike most parts of Russia Latvia
was country where education was
general and only ANAL proportion
OF its population was unable to read
and write. It had been well in the
line of European culture. Its ports
OF Riga, Libau and Windau had al
ways attracted many foreign traders
The country had been so attractive to
German business men that German
culture was firmly embedded in the
leading cities Riga is more German
than Russian In its appearance. Its
broad streets, magnificent, well-kept
parks and dignified public buildings
give it the air of n German city. Its
numerous Lutheran churches similar
to those found in any Of the Hanseatic
League cities. Its university is or
ganized along German lines. But the
great majority OF it's people nave no
sympathy with Germany's effort to
continue its influence In l. tvia
through the German barons, whose es-
tates have been confiscated.
The opera in Riga includes all the
standard German, French and Italian
operas in the Lettish language. It's
schools teach Lettish. The state the
alter gives plays in Lettish, chiefly
translation of the great English
scandinavian and German masters
One OF the new plays recently pro-
duced in Riga was written by Lett
about the life of Weesters. a Lettish
knight of the fourteenth century who
attempted to resist the German DOM
ination of Lettland. 1t is bitter in its
d.enunciation OF German methods and
has been well received by a public
which seems thoroughly determined
to maintain it's independence. at any
cost.