Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-12-09
Geographic News
Bulletins by the
National Geographic Society
1Arv1A AND TWO NEW WORDS

"Szechoslovakia has frequently
J been mentioned as a conspicuous sill
yer lining behind Europe's war
clouds; with the coming here of dip
lomatic representatives from new-
born Latvia that country may win
recognition as another" says a bull
letin from the National Geographic
Society headquarters in Washington,
d. c..
For a tiny Baltic state, only a lit
tie larger than West Virginia, to bat
tie both the Bolshevists and the
Prussians out of its borders, then to
disarm the Germans in its midst by
constitutional means is an achieve
ment. Even allowing for a strategic
location and for breaks of political
luck, Latvia's persistence and Yam
kee-like ingenuity compel attention.
"Latvia and the Let's already are
distinctive. According to DIR. Ed
win A. Grosvenor's classification of
the races of Europe the Let's and
the Lithuanians stand alone as a
separate stem OF the great Slav fam
lily tree that splits into numerous
branches among the Eastern Slavs,
the Western Slavs, and the South,
or Jugo-Slavs.
Early Allied Recognition
"Iatvia received it's credentials as
q nation from the Allied Supreme
Council almost two years ago. 1t
earned this early recognition as a
reward in part, for allying kself
with Poland against Russia, while
Esthonia, to the north, made q
friendly treaty with the Soviet gov
eminent, and Lithuania, to the south
engaged in a dispute with Poland
I'VE a boundary question.
Mere mention of these three new
states indicates how the Baltic Sea
manor has been subdivided into new
national building lots. Here where
the old Russian and German En-
pires and Sweden held complacent
sway, an assortment of new national
neighbors suddenly starts house
keeping-F1nland, Esthonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Poland, with its precious
corridor to the sea, and the fres city
of DanZig separating the German re-
public from West Prussia. Sweden
remains as does Denmark, whose
small frontage now becomes import
ant amid such a rapid waterfront
development. Strangely enough
giant Russia retains only a right of
way-to preserve real estate termin-
ology-and energies now from Pet
rograd, through the gulf that separ-
ates Esthonia from Finland and
bears the latter's name.
Introducing Two New Words
"A consideration OF Latvia brings
two new words into play-words
which. like intelligensia, may be
missing from a dictionaries, but
which go a long way toward explain
ing important facts about the new
republic.
zone of these words is 'Balt.' The
word does not refer, as might be sus-
pected to any indigenous resident of
the former Baltic provinces of Rus
STA. Just the opposite. A Bait is a
non-Lett. descendant of the Breth-
rem of the Sword, an aptly named
band of German merchants who set
tied along the Gulf of Riga, near
the present Latyia capital, Riga, and
started in to convert or kill the let's.
Then and there the Let's gave an
inkling Of their Independent temper.
They drove out the medieval mis-
sionaries, immersed themselves
again in the waters of the Dvina
where they had been baptized at the
point of German swords, and sent
the waters back to Germany as evil
dence that they renowned the new
religion.
"Then and later Latvia shook eff
German political control but vel
coined economic cooperation of the
Germans. Riga became a promi-
nent member of the Hanseatic
League in the thirteenth century and
kept a prominent place in world
trade until 1914 when it stood sec |
ond only to st. Petersburg among
Baltic cities in it's shipping.
Through the centuries of poll
in Latvia accomplished what inVad- |
ers could not achieve. They gained
control of the land and thus of the
local governments and held a posi-
ton which has been compared to
that of the landed gentry in Eng
land of a century ago. This squire
archy of the Baltic comprises the
Baltic. And so enlightened was their
tyranny that when, about the time
of our Civil War, the Tsar began to
Russify the Baltic provinces the
Let's and their neighbors resisted.
They resented the replacement of
their feuda1 barons by Russian bur-
eaucrats.
1.-THE other new word which Lat
via brings is 'Literaten.' 1t applies
to the professional men, the writers,
artists, doctors and others. a group
which lies between the alien noble
men, on the mi hand, and the ma
tive farmers and laborers on the
other. This class is distinguished
from the intelligensia, which word
generally connotes something of a
reforming and radical spirit, for the
Latvia 'Literaten,' became the con-
servers of literature. are music. and
ideals of political independence.
rather than reformers in any of
these fields.
1.-THE present position OF Lettish
music may symbolic, in some de-
gree, Lettish national life. Invar-
iably. visitors are impressed with the
musical genius of the people. Critics
explain that the Let's have passed
the folk song period and are cropping
toward that stage of creative genius
where great compositions may be
expected of them"