Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-06-21
Geographic News
Bulletins By the
National Geographic Society
Saddcned by Tariff

dlkLNAdn Ill., Va NV 80
Ibanez, Of golden oranges and
cheapest wines, which dehed inva-
sion by arms. language, or alien
culture, now faces a subtle and
more perplexing foe in the French
tariff upon citrus fruits" says a
bulletin from the Washington, ID. c.,
headquarters of the National Geo
graphic Society.
ITO the Valencian. France has
been as remote as Pernambuco. AMI
even Madrid has been iouted by the
proud city of the Mediterranean
whose peculiar interests stress the
rezionalism of Spain. That Frances
/ need for more revenue should sad
den the happy hearts of the Valen-
clans at their annual carnival when
the orange groves are in flower Is
one more example of the closer ties
tina are ever linking places and
peoples together.
City of Rainbow Hues
Dazzling light plays upon the
v~ari-colored domes and towers. be-
decked with tiles of blue and gold
and white, to produce a gorgeous
riot of color which adorns the can
vas of Valencia's Sorolla. The
| making of these tiles is a Nalencian
industry which contributes also TO
the chromatic character of other
Spanish cities.
1.-The V~alencian loves drama as
he loves color. His most famous
service is one that is held weekly
at Corpus Christi church where a
theatrical value is achieved in the
lowering by machinery Of a picture
of the Last Supper. and the drawing
aside of successive wells which final
ly disclose the figure of Christ upon
| the cross. Women worshipers must
wear the mantilla.
THE Cid wrested Valencia from
| the Moors in 1904, and the story OF
his wife,, Ximena, who held the city
for three years after his death and
then fed through the ranks of It's
conquerors, with the embalmed
body of her husband upon his war
horse, Babieca, is a legendary Incl
dent which has engaged the pens
of many Valencian poets. The love
| of detail which marks the writings
n paintings of the region is re-
fected in the fact that the name OF
this horse is prominent in all the
versions of the exploits. while the
mounts of Lady Godiva and Paul
Revere are simply horses-nothins
nor
Church Bells Regulate Agriculture
"valencia's cathedral has been
despoiled somewhat by 'restorations'
but the campanile where the CD
took his bride to view the conquer
ed land still offers the visitor a
marvellous panorama of fertile and
highly cultivated plains.
The bells of this tower give life
to the plains around. Their hourly
peals tell the time when each tiller
of the soil may open the gates of ir-
rigation channels to release the
waters for his parched land. And
the rigid observance of all the regu-
lations concerning the use of the
water supply is guarded by the old
est court in Spain. the tribunal of
the waters which is made up en-
tirely of peasants who adjust their
own differences. From the rulings
of this ancient tribunal, conducted
more k a town meeting than q
court. nj appeal is ever taken and
occasional efforts to displace it have
been wholly unavailing.
Women Make Cigars
Eastward from the city of Ell
Grao, the port of Valencia, about
two and a half miles distant.
stretches one of the busiest high
ways of Spain. Mulberry trees share
the land with orange groves. and
Valencia's silk output is comparable
in value to her orange crop. Max
ing of cigars gives employment to
many of the city's women; one fac
tory alone, operating in an ancient
custom house, has $500 girls on its
payroll. \
1.-THE cheapness of wine in valen-
cha is widely celebrated: indeed II
is literally true that in the rural
regions of the province of the same
name wine is cheaper than water.
Observers agree hat drunkenness IS
unknown.
Novelist is a Leading Citizen
"Ibanez. who is regarded by
Americans primarily as a novelist,
is better known in Valencia, per-
haps. as a publisher of a newspaper
there, as the city's former represea.
tative in parliament, and as a pub
licist who has sought t. modernize
industry and conserve the thrift
and energy which distinguishes thy
Valencian from some of his more
easy-going neighbors. The tang OF
the Mediterranean has vitalizeJ
Valencia; and the influence OF the
sea upon the city has been portray.
ed wildly in Mare Nostrum.'
"An important university. mani
examples of Moorish architecture
the great Gothic hall which house.
the silk exchange, and elaborate re
ligious festivals add further distinc.
ton to the city of joy But mos
picturesque Of all its institutions Il
the visitor is the market, accounted
the largest in Spain. Vegetables
and fruits may be had, but there
also one sees displayed mule-trap.
pings, furniture. metal ware, an.
tique lamps, and hundreds of othc,
commodities which one could only
find in our country by a tour of
department store, groceries, and
many small specialized shops"