The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-04-26
TRIpoLI
Italy,s White Mans Burden

iripolT faafae7aoher rHfSht ASH II
there is Anything significant III
Italy's title TO the country dating
from the Treaty of ouchy.
The revolt is one OF many since
the treaty was signed in 1912, ac-
cording. 10 bulletin issued by the
j National Geographic Society, which
; continues in regard 20 this North
African country:
Physically. Tripoli-or Libya.
! as the Italians called it, reepply-
iing the old Greek name-is flooded
with sunlight as are it's neighbors:
but to the world at large it is
hazy country for all that. It's
boundaries start brarely south
ward from definite points ON the
Mediterranean coast. but as 10 just
what happens to them after they
get we'll into the Sahara neither
statesmen nor map-,aakers seem
TO agree. They dip somewhere
south Of the Tropic of:cancer and
! meet somewhere north Of Lake
Chad-500 or 601 or 70G miles or
so. Lack 0f exploration of its
/ hmteriana aas compared with
neigh boring countries contributes
TO the haZiness' in regard to Tripoi.
And finally little IS known OF its
population; It has been estimated
at from 1,o00,d08 to 5000. 600.
| Opposite Sole OF Italian Boot
''Tripoi is Just across the Medi-
| tefranean from the sole of the
| boot of Italy, and economic and
strategic reasons are probably suf-s
! ficient explanation OF Italian inter-
est in the country But IN addi-
J itions the Italians Were Influenced by
a similar force to that which turns
/; the faces OF the Greeks toward
Asia aIinerAa consciousness tha.
their ancient culture once embraced
/! this country After Carthage was
! DESTROYED the area now censtitu-
ting Libya became a Roman pro-
! vince, and later was the birthplace
! Of two Roman emperors, Septimius
Severus and Alexander Severus.
/ '.Old Roman writer's described
the two parts of Libya, Tripolf and
! Cyrenaica, as extremely fertEe.
Perhaps they exaggerated. and per-
| haps also the climate and physical
conditions: have changed marked
/! ly. AT any. rate most Of the ceun-
/ try is now desert with its fertile
s.rips and GASES scattered IN the
wastes OF sand and stones. There
| is much evidence that the region
| once knew better days climaticai-
ly. Great avenues Of stones Ser
on end and numerous circles OF
monoliths and trilithons, like the
famous Stonehenge Of England,
testify to a .neohthfc culture of
| importance in this section of North
Africa. perhaps many Thousands OF
years before Memphis and Babylon
were thought of.
phoenicians There 340o Years Ago
'1rhe Phocnicians began the
recorded history Of the country by
establishing cities there, perhaps as
carly as 1900 3. C. The fact thar
these cities Sand their surrounding
country ,hr@Ses then, and that later
! Greek and Ronaan,culture flourish
I'd there, indicates that the country
was more favored then than now.
Sand duges have encroached
through the centuries on much
land in the fertile strip along the;
:aediterranean coast. But the reaa-
lively poor condition Of gripoh to-.
day is largely due to sociological
and governmental factors. The
commercial Phcenicians and the
! colonizing Greeks and Romans
were able TO. make the most OF the
country. Since. the region was
ovcrrun by the Arabs in GA A D.,
and since il passed under Turkish
control later, however, it has BEEN
marked 10 a considerable extent
by economic. and cultural staslia-
ton. While, the other principal
! countries OF Africa bordering on
shc Mediterranean have been I'M
der European. control Tor nearly
half a century and have been be-
coming Nor, prosperous under
stable forans1 of government, Trfpo-
Ii remained antil 1911 the last stand
~ the Turk in Africa, if we except
the nominal tsuzerainty OF the Sui
tan in Egypt.
I'm places along the 1800-fniae
roast of Tnpoli the arid sands come
down TO the waters edge, but be-
tween are fertile areas on which
palms. olives. figs, oranges, and
other fruits flourish. Farther in
land among the highlands occur
some rather large patches on which
olives and fruits and grain are
grown. Then come the vast desert
stretches in which are hidden away
small, palni-covered oases. On
considerable areas in Cyrenaica
grain and grasses grow and stock
raising promises to become an I'M
portant industry.
Difficult Terrain for Europeans
'.Tripoli has difficult terrain for
Europeans 70 fight over against
! desert folk familiar with all IT'S
stones and sand hills. EVERYWHERE.
10 scrve IS hiding places, are the
{ innumerable 'wadiS. which Vest
erners will understand better when
i: is explained that they are the
Arabic equivalent for the arroyes
! ar dry guiIies OF our West. The
vast desert hintcrland is untouci1-
ed by steel rails. SO far the ltal-
ians have ileen able 60 construct
only about q. hundred miles OF