The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1921-11-09

| numanIdn GlrI &c
BY JOHN OLIVER LA GORGE.
With unsettled Russia Just over her
border, and the border itself In dis.
pute. Rumania is conducting watch
on the Dniester, the boundary which
she claims, as vigilant as any that was
ever set on the Rhine. Rumania has
organized her government in Bess-
arabia, but the Russians have never
consented to the severance of this for
mer Russian province, and each move
ment of soviet troops toward the
Dniester has set Europe aflutter for
fear new war will break out in her
southeastern corner.
However, 1t is not Bessarabla nor
the other war-gained territories that
have doubled Rumania's size, that are
In the mind Of the average person
when Rumania is mentioned. He
thinks rather Of the pre-war nucleus,
the little kingdom that since the Turk
was pushed south, has stood EMBODIED
BY the lower Danube, the River ruth
and the Transylvanian Alps.
In the whirlpool of racial rivalries
Of southeastern Europe-where Ro.
man and Goth, Hun and Slav, Magyar
and Mongol, with all of their descend
ant peoples, have run over one anoth.
er and been run over in their turn
fate left the Rumanians In the major
ity in territory Of more than 10000
square miles. 1t scattered more than
100000 Of them over these lands
more than 100000 in old Rumania
and some 100000 elsewhere.
The old Rumania was country of
$1,000 square miles, with population
Of less than 100000. 1t was thus
slightly larger than Pennsylvania, al
though it had half a million fewer
people than the Keystone state. The
new Rumania has an area of $4,000
square miles and population of
100000.
The country Is governed by a king,
who is constitutional monarch. and
a parliament made up of senate and
a chamber Of deputies. The pre-war
constitution was rather reactionary.
with the masses practically disfran.
chised. The new constitution, how.
ever, is more liberal, permitting voting
by all citizens over q years of age.
paying taxes.
Small Farms and Big Estates.
1ndustrially Rumania Is almost en-.
tirely given over to agricu .ure, and.
area for area, it produces more cereals
than any other great grain-producing
nation in the world. Before the World
war its farm lands were about eouallv
divided between the small farmer and
rich landowner. There were about a
million farms with an average size of
eight acres, and then there were over
1900 estates with an average size Of
200 acres. Since the conclusion Of
the World war steps have been taken
to break up many Of these large es.
tates and to create body Of peasant
proprletors.
The result Of the occurrence Of both
huge estates and tiny farms Is that
one finds the strangest contrasts in
farming methods. Here Is big estate
where every sort of farm machinery
that the United States has to offer Is
to be found-the binder, the mower
the steam gang pillow, the riding culti.
vator. the manure spreader and even
the steam header and thresher, And
then hard by are hundred small
farmers who still harvest their grain
with the sickle, thresh it with the fail
or tread it out with oxen and winnow
1t with the homemade fork. They
NOW their grass with the scythe, rake
1t with the hand rake and haul If in
with ox-carts. But even with the very
primitive methods that characterize
half Of the farming of the country
they manage to coax rather bount,.
ful crop out Of the soil.
The great bulk of Rumania's nonu,.
ton belongs to the peasant class. for
there are comparatively few cities ana
most Of them are small. MANY Of tho
peasant families have lived for genera