The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-02
RENAL, Esthonia.-
w hen Adam delved and Eve span Where was then the gentleman?

When Adam delved and Eve span Where was then the gentleman?
 This is the cry of the three war born republics of Esthonia, Latvia war they belonged to Russia and their lands were owned and ruled by the Baltic barons. The people were practically slaves and these barons, the descendants of the German Knights who conquered the country about 300 years before Columbus dis covered America. owned most of the lands. They had divided the terri tory among themselves. and the peo pie were held in a serfdom that re- minds one of the conditions described in Ivanhoe and other novels of Wal ter Scott. Then the World war came on and the peasants arose and over threw the Balts. They have been talk ing over the big estate and giving them to the people. They want every peasant to have his own farm, and to make every noble earn his bread, as the Lord said Adam should, by the sweat of his brow"
 The economic changes are among the most remarkable In history. AL most in a night the territory has jumped from feudalism to the most advanced independence of our mod- ern civilization. The people have fought Bolshevism and beaten 1t, and
  the march of up-to date nations. This is the story in nut shell. To know 1t in detail I shall ask you to travel with me through the republics and see the great changes that are now taking place.
 Wur-Born Republics.
 But first take look at this part of tho world. It is a slice of old Russia and is important because 1t is the western fringe of that former great empire, shutting it off from the sea, and having the only northern ports through which 1t can reach the outside world during the winter. lne land is flat and covered With forests and farms, lakes and sYamps, and numerous rivers. It lies east Of the Baltic sea, and on the north and west Is washed by it's waters. On the east are the plains of West Russia, on the south Poland, and on the north over the Gulf of Finland Is the new repup- lie of Films. The region Is day s ride west of Moscow by train and about half that time from the eity of Petrograd.
 As seen on the map the territory Is small but in reality Esthonia Is three times the size of Massachusetts, Lat via half as big as the state of New York, and the lands originally claimed Dy 11tnuan1a are larger than Illinois. Esthonia has as many peo- pie as Philadelphia, Latvia as many as both Cincinnati and Cleveland, and all of the inhabitants of Lithua- mia are more than those of the Greater Chicago. All of the coun- tries have excellent ports, and both Reval and Riga pride themselves upon being the chief water gateways to the vast dominions of Russia.
 O O O
 Among The EsthOnians.
 We shall begin our travels among the Esthonians. They have always been on a higher grade of civiliza- tion than the Russians. They are an old race, having come here from 500 to TOO A. D., when they were on the same plane as the Scandinavians with whom they kept up an active connection in journeys for trade -or plunder. They vied with the Vikings and 1t was along about the thirteenth century that the Teutons and Danes made war upon them. They fought for 100 years before they were sub dued. and then the German Knights of the Sword, and Russia, Poland and Sweden ruled them from time to time. The Germans finally got pos session and oppressed them cruelty for 600 years with the exception or a short time when the Swedes brought in the Reformation and gave them some justice.
 slaves Of The Baits.
 After that the German landowners recovered their power and for 2Oo years the Esthonians were practically