The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-07-28
prepared by the National Geographic

u 49,
Society, Washington. d. c.
Little Montenegro, which was the
tiniest kingdom in Europe, has been
merged since the World war into the
big new kingdom of Jugo-Slavia. It's
well-lOved king is dead; its capital
only the seat Of a province. But half
q millennium of dearly bought indie
psndence and the most intense patriot
ism has made it's inhabitants not alto
gether willing TO lose their identity {;
SO from time to time commissions APP
pear to present Montenegro's case to
the world and to keep alive It's mar
velous history and traditions.
This little country, then smaller than
Delaware, and sometimes with no
more than 5000 fighting men within
its borders, has the distinction of be-
Ing the n patch Of land in the broad
eXpanSe Of the Balkan peninsula that
kept itself free from Turkish conquest
during the five and a half centuries
since the Turks crossed the HellespOnt
One after another, the regions that are
now Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and AL
bania fell before the excellent Turkish
fighting organizations, and settled
down for hundr eds of years under a
condition little better than slavery t.
Moslem masters. Montenegro remained
free and was practically n Christian
island in u sea of Mohammedanism
In1y nm dtG xxyAr%n.~ ha-In~ x.v-- a. q.
contact during this long period will
other Christian territory, a narrow
strip OF Adriatic coast controlled by
Venice.
Upon the final overthrow of the an
ciert glory of the Serbs on the field o.
K~ssovo, a few valiant souls ~retreate,
TO the rocky businesses of Cernagor,
to seek asylum with the Voivode of tn,
Neta. A few years latter, abandone,
by their ruler-who preferred a life O
ease at V~enice-they turned to thei
bishop, made him Also their prince
and with him retreated still deepe
into the hills and there set up tina
long line Of the V1adikas which di,
not end until We'll into the last cen
fury.
Tributes 10 Their Bravery.
There they maintained their free
dom, with suffering indescribable an,
with courage iNffmitable; and wo,
from Gladstone. the great Englisl
apostle of Baukan freedom, thos,
words OF undyimg praise, in which h,
gave it as his deliberate opinion
that "the traditions of Montenegro ex
coed In glory those Of Marathon an,
ThermOpylae and all the war tradi
lions Of the wOrad":; and inspired II
TennysOn what fe regarded as tn,
finest of his sOnnets, inscribed to the
:" . smallest among peoples! rough
rock-throne
OF freedom! warriors beating back tn,
swarm
or Turkish Islam for five hundred years
Great C~ernagora! never since thine own
Black ridges drew the cloud and brok,
Has breathed a race OF mightier noun
taineers."
Within but a stones throw of thu
Adriatic sea, Montenegro was long Gu,
off from it until in the middle of thu
Nineteenth century her arms won An
tivari from the Turks. Cattaro has al
ways been the logical port Of the coun
try and its natural gateway from the
West, yet II remained until the World
var in the hands of Austria. Now
Cattaro is JugO-Slavic and is no longer
under a control alien to that of Monte
negro.
In the days before the World wal
the few diplomats and travellers who
visited Cetinje, the capital of Monte,
negro, considered the ride over the au.
tomobile road from Cattaro one of the
grandest scenically to be found in
Europe.
Ascending the marvellous zigzag road
which leads MP from the port. one an.
proaches the stern and gloomy defle
which forms the portal to this historic
stronghold of freedom In the Balkans.
Splendid engineering is this road.
Built for post and military uses, II
clings to the face Of the sheer rock
and weaves back and forth In a multi.
tude Of "hairpin curves which the
chauffeurs of the post automobile treat
with that contempt which familiarity
alone can breed.
Up and ever up, one goes. Below
stand forth the dusty cliffs which jut
into the southern ford; nesting he
Meath them, ana heTrled in with the
massive battlements of those giants Of