Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-08-31
Geographic News
Bulletins BY the
National Geographic Society
THE ROAD TO LAS HURDLES

The ROAD TO LAS Hurdles
When Madrid wspap said
that King Alfonso had gone TO
SPANS most remotest region the
American reader might Well guess
That he contemplated a trip to Fer
nando Pc. or at least to Rio de Orc.
Remote enough but not nearly
SO far away is the region referred
to Las Hurdles, in a very literal
sense the wild west of Spian, ac-
cording to a bulletin from the Ma
National Geographic Society's
Washington. ID. c., headquarters.
Is Mountain Island
"Cleaver-like, the Sierra de Go
tos and the Sierra de Gredos split
off the treeless plain of Sala manca
from the cattle breeding Caceres
plateau" says the bulletin. ATOP
the former crest is Las tlurdcs,
overlooking Portugal to the west,
~Salamanca's battletields and univer-
sity city to the north, and the Span
ish Texas land of Caceres, famed
for sheep and red sausages to the
south. Just as the sea sets off the
Scillys. and the Rhone delta carves
out Camargue. so the hills insu--
late Las Hurdles.
ITO get the full contrast of this
mountaineer island in a sea of me-
dieval memories one should APP
proach from Salamanca, stopping in
that city long enough for the flavor
Of n of the most romantic, historic
and quaint of all Spanish cities.
Trains Do Not Run Daily
The traveller needs to be fore
warned about his choice OF a Sal
amanca bound train, for schedules
are arranged for the con. enience
of passengers between Lisbon and
points of northern Spain. Taking
such a train will land one after
midnight among the tortuous
streets of Salamanca. many too mar
row and crooked for any Kind OF a
vehicle. Also when he finds a To-
cal train that is marked for a rea-
sonable arrival hour at Salamanca
he should make sure of the day as
well as the hour, for such trains
run only two or three times a week.
THE outstanding shrine Of SAL
manca is it's university-+he univer
sity with such alumni as CerVantes
and Ignatius Loyola, where the
Copernician system was taught be-
IOT0 IL was dCCCPtSu
which heard Columbus lecture
about his New World voyages
though it had reported adversely to
the Queen about his project.
Spanish Milton Taught There
ITO many visitors all these asso-
Citations will be overshadowsd by the
fact that Luis de Leon taught here.
This Spanish Milton achieved dis
tinction in three distinct fields. poe
try, scholarship and theology.
Above all shines the serenity, !
certify and genuine humility OF his
character. After languisaing in a
dungeon five years. traditions has
it that he returned to his classroom.
crowded with faculty, students n
distinguished friends. ana Plunged
into his long-interrupted lecture
course with the Introduction. AS l
was saying yesterday
Salamanca the city Is capital OF
Salamanca the province. about tine
size of Connecticut, winch rises
from the fat moorlands OF the nortn
to the rugged boundary ranges OF
Gredos and Gaia. Since
led the Carthaginians agains. 1t un-
til Wellington drove out the frencn
under Marmont. it was a battieneIo
of world power as well as a seat OF
world culture. So desoiated was IL
in the eleventh century that n Al
fonso who conquered Ioledo ten
dered Count Raymond OF
amandatory-modern as ina pro
cess may sound-so ne might re
populate the city and country rouno
about. To this day the population
of the province is sparse OUT ius
people seldom emigrate so II mas
shown a steady growth III the ias'
century.
The Texas of Spain
"South of the mountain country
of Las Hurdles Is the second argos
nroyince Of Spain, Caceres, also Win
its capital bearing the provincial
name. The journey to the boroer
mountaineers does not extend 10
Caceres city; one leaves the train AT
the north province town OF
encia. To be more exact he leaves
the train at Plasencia Station. s1
miles from the town. where ones
curiosity may lead him to see the
cathedral choir-stalls when n
nyr,ter characterizes as the most
Rahejafsian in Christendom.
$50 far the journey has elements
NJ interest, human, historic. scenic.
Beyond, through the hill villages.
and in treeless valleys, MY a Klns
an duty bound, or a priest on mer-
ciful errand, is likely to go. Ine
mountains are rugged, the peopie
hoth rugged and squalid, according
~ the Spaniards' w count OF
xhorO