The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-10-28
Latyia and Two New Words,

Latvia and Two New Words,
I "Czechoslovakia has frequently
been mentioned as a conspicuous
silver lining behind, Europe war
/ cloud: with the. coming here of ,di-
plomatic representatives from new
born Latvia that country may win
recognition as another says bull
/ Eletln from the National Geographic
Society headquarters in Washing
ton, D. c. -.
'.For a. tiny Baltic state, only
a little larger than West Virginia,
to battle both the -Bolshevists- and
the Prussians out Of its borders,
then to disarm the Germans in its
midst by constitutional means is
an achievement. Even allowing
for a strategic location and for
breaks of political luck. -Latvia's s
persistence and Yankee-Iike insenu-
ity compel attention.
Latyia and the Let's already are
distinctive. According to Dr.. 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
family tree that splits into numer-
Gus branches among the Eastern
Slavs, the. Western .Slavs, and the
South, or Jugo-SlavS. <
Early Allied Recognition
Latvia received its credentials
as a nation from the Allied Su-
preme Council almost two years
ago. It earned this early recog-
milton as a reward. in part, for all
lying itself with Poland against
Russia, while Esthonia, to the
north, made a friendly treaty with
the Soviet Government, and Ii
thuania, to the south, engaged in:
"a dispute with Poland over boun-
dary 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-Finland, Estflonia, Lat
via, Lithuania, Poland, with its pre-
,cious corridor to the sea, and the
free city of Danzig separating the
German republic from West. Prus-
.sia. Sweden remains, as does Den.
mark, whose small frontage now be-
comes important amid such rapid
waterfront Development. Strange
sly enough giant Russia retains only
a right-of-way-to preserve real es-
tate TECHNOLOGY and efnerges
now from Petrograd, through gulf
that separates Esthonia from Fin
land and which bears the latter's
name.
Introducing Two New Words
"a consideration of Latvia
brings two new words into play
words which. like inte1ligensia,. may
be missing from many dictionaries,
but which go long way toward ex-
planning about the new republic.
Zone Of these words is Bait
The word does not refer, as might
be suspected. to any Indigenous
resident of the former Baltic prov
inces of Russia. Just the opposite.
A Bait is a non-Lett. descendant of
the Brethren of the Sword. an aptly
named band Of German merchants
who settled aiong the Gulf Of Riga.
near the present Latvia capital. Ri
ga, and started in to convert or Kill
the Let's. Then and there the
Let's gave an inkling Of their inde-
pendent temper. They drove oat
the medieval missionaries. miners
ed 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 evidence that they re-
nounced the new religion.
Then and later tatvia shook
off German political control but
welcomed economic cooperation OF
Germans. Riga became a proni-
nent member of the Hanseatic.
League in the thirteenth century
and kept a prominent place in
world trade until 1914 when it stood
second only to ST. Petersburg among
Baltic cities in its shipping.
Through the centuries Of poll
teal seesaw the German merchants
in Latvia accomplished what invad-
ers could not achieve They gained
control of the land and thus of the
local governments and held po-
sition which has been compared to
that of the landed gentry in Eng
land of q century ago. This squire
archy of the Baltic comprises the
Balts. And so enlightened was
their tyranny that when. about the
time Of eour Civil War. the Tsar be-
gan to Russify the Baltic provinces
the Let's and their neishbors re-
sisted Ty heresented the replace
ment of their feudal barons by
Russian bureaucrats.
''The other new word which Lat
via brings is fLiteraten. 1t applies
to the professional men. the writ
erS. artists. doctors and Others, Il