Norwich bulletin., 1922-04-15
LtTHUANIA

Lthuania. the southernmoEt cf thn Baltic countries carved out Of pre-wa- Russia. seated herself at the family table of the world nations by accept ing jurisdiction Of the Permanent Court Of international Justice. but har declined to join a conference Of Bal tie states 10 settle upon a policy st Genoa.
 Though the United States has nof recognized Lithuania as Have most or the nations of Europe. many Of tho principles of it's republican government were borrowed from America. A recent incident in this connection vas the presentation by Lithuanians if Ameri- ca of a liberty beif to the motner country in commemDration of the fourth anniversary Of its indepen- dence. The beli Is 10 be rune on ail national holidays and days Of i'm portant historical significance Go the country" says a bulletin Of the ka- tional Geographic Society issued from | it's Washington. D. C.. headquarteTs. lover the present country Of Lithu- ania. once the largest state in Europe extending from the Black Sea Go the Baltic, the armies of Germany and Russia crossed and recrossed during the World War. Germans often raid- ed the country to capture cattle and
 
 immediate results for the moral ef- ] feet elsewhere.
 These fair-halfed and biue-eved people who claim that there are more | one million foreign born Americars of Lithusnia extraction in ouf coun- ' try. speak a language which is @aid
 by some phliologists Co be the oldest
 living language today. II resembles
 the primitive Sansl.rit and is dis
 a Lr tIa
 family, the Teutonic and th Latin.
 The conquering nations who ruled tho
 territory from time to time have at
 tempted to stamp out the native tongue
 by requiring the children to use text
 books and prayer-books written in tia
 Cyrillic alphabet. but they have never
 been entirely successful
 ''rhe ancient capital Of tnls area.
 which now is slightly in excess Of the
 areas of New Hampshire. Vermont.
 Massachusetts and Rhode Island waf
 Wilma. whose narrow and winding I streets. stony pavements and horse
 cars give it a quaint and almost medi-
 eval atmosphere. Thoueh the seat Of
 government now is Kovno many of
 the great events in Lithuanian historv
 center around Wilma.
 "Vilna was founded at the junction
 of the Wilma and Vilayka rivers by
 Gedimin in 1922. and is connected b.
 railway lines with PetroErad and
 through Warsaw. with most of ths capitals of Europe. When Napoleon
 passed through the city ln iSi1 or his way to Moscow the Lithuanian
 nobles crowded around aiirn. as it was , believed he would restore the old Lith-
 uanian state. Near the city today there , stands stone which tells the tragiC l story simply: On one side it bears the ] words, Napoleon Bonaparte passed this way in 1872 with 4O1 900 men , On the other side there is engraved , these words: Napoleon Bonapartr . passed this way in 1912 with 500,
 men
 The three former Russian prov
 inces. Wilma. KovnO and Sgvald ouf of which most of the present state : has been formed are not very pros Q
 porous looking country. when compsr-
 ed with that in the neiChborinE Ger . man and Polish lands farther south q Much of 1t is marshy and coveref
 with forests. Indeed the forests arr e so extensive that they constitute ons I, of the country's greatest natural re- ii sources Agriculture is the chief in- ' dustry. and a surplus of some product' '. such as timber. hides. and flax that . her neigbbors need is produced. = ''rhe swain in uthuania. despite 0 the tendencies which balrny spring ii . supposed to inspire. makes the fan o the year his counting season. becaus' !, he must be married in the winter time
 More than 90 per cent of LithuaniaT ', weddings take place during the col, ut weather. for the wedding lasts for 4 4 week or more and time cannot b " spared from the fields and farms whs; = the planting and harvesting season ' come Winter time is the time of fes I I tivities in this little country when 1aci | Frost turns every lake and marsh Int -t highway"
 m The cider duck of Iceland is sreer