The Wolf Point herald., 1922-08-31

prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety, Washington. D. CO
Portugal one of the least known an(
least written about countries Of
Europe, owes this fact, in part at least
to its language. In spite of the claim
made by some Portuguese that their
speech is closer to the pure Latin than
that of any of the other Romance peo-
pies, students find that many Gothic,
Arabic, and even Berber elements have
strikingly altered the Latin foundation,
making the language unusually difficult
for those accustomed to the commoner
European tongues.
But Portuguese is predominantly a
Romance language, and Roman
customs and practices have been just
as tenacious in Portugal as the Roman
tongue. Agriculture has hardly
changed at all since the days when,
under the protection of Roman legions,
settlers came from Italy to the charm
Ing valleys of Portugal and introduced
their methods of tilling the soil The
addition of maize to the crops grown
is perhaps the one significant change
since those days. Oxen are still used
by the farmers as in old days, and they
drag, not a modern implement of till
age, but the old primitive Roman plow
consisting of crooked stick shod with
iron and having single handle Grapes
are trained upon trees as the Romans
trained them, and wine is made in the
peculiar way in which it was made
on the Sabine farms of old Italy before
the beginning of the Christian era.
Not Much Like Spain.
What is now the republic, but was
for centuries the kingdom of Portugal,
covers the greater part of the old |
province of Lusitania, one of the rich |
but hardly won units of the Roman
empire. Because of general lack Of /
knowledge in regard to Portugal there
has been q tendency to look on the
country as sort of poor imitation of
Spain. Geographically, there is little
in common between these two coun-
tries which together cover the Iberian
barren tableland; but Portugal slop-
ing westward to the Atlantic from the
east, is well watered. and many of its
hills are covered with luxuriant forest
growth.
The Romans recognized Lusitania to
it eagerly after the
natives were subjugated After
the fall of the Roman empire, Portu-
gal was overrun by the Visigoths from
The north and later still by the Moors
from the south The results of the
ningling of the blood of these two
peoples with that of the inhabitants
whom they found in Portugal is
evident In the Portuguese of today. :,
The Tagus river, at the south OF :
which is the beautiful capital and 9
metropolis of the country, Lisbon, !
orms both an ethnic and economic +
lfviding line. In the region to the ).
Iorth of the Tagus, comprising about o
hree-fifths Of the area Of the country, u
re the more typical Portuguese. They r
re the Celtic. Gothic and Latin mix \
ure with little or none of the Moorish q
r African strain. This northern rel h
ion is a country of small farms large u
= cultivated by the proprietors and n
heir families The diffusion of the n
Ind among many independent owners "
as created a sturdy yeomanry which q,
as been the backbone of Portuguese
The people are intensely ff
atriotic and have ever been ready to :,
ght against foreign domination. q
Famous for Its Wines. A
Much of Portugal is hilly, and the 81
tile farms of the region north of the fC
agus consist of a series of terraces. R
ear the northern boundary of the
,untry in the valley of the Duero
yer and its tributaries is the most
mous wine country of Portugal. 1t sc
estimated that in favorable years
ore than 20 gallons Of wine are pro la