Evening star., 1924-03-16

he returned to New York some OF the
dissatisfied burned him in efhgy.
Another Jay was minister to Spain,
and from that time to this there have
been five generations Of the FAMILY
in the diplomatic service.
But who are these Rumanians, and
where and what is their country?
The answers to this might take VOL
umes. Let me try to cram the main
human-interest facts into a nutshell.
If you will take your map of Europe
and follow the course Of the Danube
to the Black sea, you will find on tha
north side Of that river, including its
delta and its many mouths, the
greater Rumania 1t is wedged in
between Poland. Czechoslovakia,
Hungary, Russia, JugosIavia and Bull
garia, forming a block of land equal
to eight Switzerlands, twenty Bel
gums or Hollands, or two-thirds OF
the Germany of today. 1t runs as far
south as the latitude Of Detroit and
as far north as that Of Seattle, with
a climate more moderate in summer
but much colder in winter than our
southern states.
Rumania has been doubled in size
since the world war, and now in its
natural resources it Is one OF the very
richest Of Europe. 1t consists of a
large part of the Carpathian noun
tains, which have wide valleys and
plains and plateaus. and, in addition.
the great belt of black soil forming
the delta Of the Danube, which in its
fertility corresponds with the delta
df the Mississippi. In the past this
region has been one Of the great
wheat exporting countries of Europe,
and in normal times 1t should rank
next to Russia. Its crops compare
with those Of the Mississippi valley.
II has wheat, rye, barley and oats,
and it contains the corn belt Of south
Europe 1t has also thousands of
acres under tobacco, and that crop
last year equaled moro than 10000
600 pounds.
Rumania is a land Of minerals. It's
oil fields are among the richest of
Europe, and Of all the petroleum pro-
duced in the world almost two bar
| rels out of every one hundred come
from the wells on the south slope of
the Carpathian mountains. In the
new country given over by the
md the extent Of forests is such that
! the land can produce enough lumber
sach year to load a solid train reach
Ing almost all the way from New
York to Chicago.
THE country is we'll equipped as to
i TRANSPORTATION facilities. 1t has
fSNvN - n
| track across the United States from
| Boston to Seattle, and enough public
roads to reach around the globe at
| the equator. with several thousand
miles to spare. BY the Danube 1t can
| reach all central and west Europe,
! and the Black<sea gives 1t water
| highway to the Mediterranean. The
, country is like France, in that the
I! capital is the principal city. Bucha-
rest will soon be crowding half a
/ million, and there are in addition
about ten gowns, ranging from $1,000
! to 100000 In size. For the most part,
| tho people are peasants, who live in
! an infinite number Of villages. some
! Of which struggle along the road
| from dve to ten miles in length.
| And now as to the Rumanian peo-
| pie. There are, as have said, IT,
| ooo, 900 Of them, and they are to q
large extent a race Of their own. The
| nations about them are mostly Slavs.
| Russia is Slavic, Poland Is Slavic,
| and SO are Cxechoslovakia, Jugo-
| slavia and Bulgaria The Hungarians
| are Magyars. but they. like the
| others, come from the slopes Of the
I Caucasus. and ara not At all like the
! Rumaniana
These people take their name from
| old Rome. They claim that theis
blood Is richly mixed with the .Ro-
mans, who overran this part Of the
/ world about 100 years after Christ
and esta ablished great colony At the
| mouth Of the Danube. They con-
quered the Dacians. who were then
living here, and OF whom We find
traces In all Roman histories. Hero
| dotus speaks Of the Dacians, sayino
: fhey were the bravest and most hon.