The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1924-04-30
Croatian Men In Native Costume.

|
ciety. Washington D. c.
Croatia is about to become an active
partner In the Kingdom of the Serbs,
Croats and. Slovenes, after being a
| silent partner for nearly four years.
The Croats were not at all pleased
with the dominance Of the Serbs In
the new kingdom, and since the adop-
ton of the constitution In June, 1921,
90 Croatian members of the national
parliament-nearly a quarter of Its
membership-have abstained from
sit now, however, does not mean that
they are any more pleased with the
situation, but that. according to one
Of their spokesman, they are going
to use their votes to help the Opposl-
ton. They have been spurred to this
decision by the treaty between Italy
and Yugo-Slavia turning Fiume over
to Italy and smaller nearby ports to
Yugo-Slavia. Fiume was originally
Croatian, and against the wishes Of
the Croats was carved out by Hungary
as royal town. After the World
war Croatia hoped to see its ancient
possession returned but D'Annunzio
and diplomacy have thwarted these
hopes.
Croatia has a coast line Of nearly
100 miles on the bays and channels
Of the northeastern Adriatic from
Fiume southeastward, and extends in
land toward the Save and the brave
rivers about the same distance. The
Croatians are the most western of
the Southern Slavs both In location
and In culture, for they were per-
mitted to develop under their Austro-
Hungarian overlordship while the lots
Of their fellow Slavs were cast in
a less promising environment.
Croats are by no means unknown to
America. Before the World war the
emigration stream from Croatia
flowed from Fiume and Trieste as
constantly as the water trick1es
through and under the limestone
plateau of the Karst region, note
worthy physical feature of Croatia.
Development Is Lacking.
Though Croatia and Slavonia" Is
rich in agricultural land, has vine
yards, pastures and forests, lack Of
capital has handicapped commerce
and industry Indeed its southwest,
rich in forests and grazing land and
accessible to the sea, is accounted one
Of the least developed regions, eco
nomically, in Europe. The chilling
blasts of the cora have something
to do with the sparse population and
backwardness Of this region.
Wine is cheaper than water in some
sections A curious by-product of the
vineyards is the grape cure" at Zom-
Dor, a sanitarium where the chief
prescription is a stipulated ration of
the variety of grapes held to be bene- |
fetal for the ailment under treatment. |
Croatias chief city, center Of her |
politics and culture, is Zagreb, former |
ly known better by its German name, |
Agram. 1t sits In the lap Of the Gro |
attain hills and looks off across fer
tile plain. The city is divided into !
three parts one of which contains the |
palace Of the banus, who under the
rule of Austria-Hungary WAS the local
administrator, and Is reached by a |
funicular railway or by winding
streets from the lower town.
Up from the railway station, al
most to the main square of the city,
there runs fine mall. in the midst
of whose lawns there are various fine
public buildings, and little to the
left. as one looks toward the hills be-
hind the city. there are the beautf-
full grounds and buildings OF the Uni
versity of Zagreb, which is unsur-
passed in all Yugo-Slavia.
Market Day in Zagreb.
Except on market day this great
square is a drab, uninteresting place.
Early in the morning on the days of
the market long lines Of tables are
placed on the cobbles until they reach
to the very tables of the coffee houses
along the southern side, and the coun-
try roads are alive with attractive fig
ures. clothed In their holiday best, en-
route 10 the market.