Evening star., 1927-10-30
Washington Educator Sees Rumana Sentry of Civilization

crops. The wheat IS unusually good
! and heavy. How we admired those
peasants. men and women. working
cheerfully i'm the large fields as our
train sped along the beautiful coun-
trySide.
p UMANIA often has been criticized
by impatient business people for
not developing her industry more rap
idly. Although we were impressed by
the mag nitude of the work accom-
pished in the oil section of Campina
it is felt that the oil production could
he increas rapidly. 1t is claimed
that more gold, more silver, more iron,
more coal could be extracted from the
ground. There is no doubt that. with
! large capital placed at their disposal
the Rumanian people could do as well
as any one else. but what price might
| Rumania have to pay for such capital
as is actually offered?
Many foreign capitalists have press
ed her government to grant certain
concessions. American dollars. for in.
stance, brought there by an American
company. could double and even treble
the oil or iron output.
But Rumania has bled for many
years to preserve her national wealth,
and laws have been enacted to pre-
vent foreign capitalists from prac-
tically taking over the resources Of
the country.
American capital is needed in RI-
mania. badly needed. 1t is welcomed
by the country. hut any enterprise
thus financed must comply with GER
tain legitimate requirements.
But RllmH MIA cannot lp DccuSnd OF
Slowness. In fact. the progress ac-
romplished in every line is amazing,
TO appreciate IT, one must realize tina t
practically the whole country was in
the hands of the enemy during the
World War! Train after train left
| bucharest and other cities every day
loaded with everything that the in
Vader could possibly remove. AS was
the case in northern France. all ma
chinery was stolen and taken away.
All had to be replaced
I The old kingdom grew to its pres
ent large proportions as a result Of
| the defeat of it's enemies. Rumanian n
populations held in bondage north
and west of the mother country were
, freed, and besides a large increase in
her territory. Rumania saw her pOpu-
lation more than doubled 54nb). The
whole structure Of the country had to
he reformed. A new constitution had
to he adopted and this enormous task
was accomplished in spite of dan
gerous propaganda which threatened
tn safety of the state at every
moment When was a reform ever
adopted in any country that could
compare with the agrarian reform Of
Ruman.a under which S2.S per cent
OF all arabic land became the property
OF the peasant?
| What a wonderful patriotism moved
the land owners Of that country in
| accepting appropriation Of their farms
in favor of the peasant,
/ We have met many such people
who before the war were wealthy and
who now live only through wonders of
housekeeping management!
II *
| \ICll a reform as this implies other
| problems over Il long period of
adjustment. The Rumanian patriot
| ieelS that it Is only just to reward the
peasant whose sacrifice In the service
OF the country was such an asset in
! the triumph of right against might
| But how was the illiterate peasant
| going TO manage his land 80 as to
| bring to the country a profit com
/ parable to the days when he was
working under the supervision Of the
! experienced land OWnerSp
! In 1914 there were in the old king
dom 3.344 primary schools. In 1923
the number WAS raised to 7,4l5. The
| total number In greater Rumania was
! 1000 in 1921, and in 1925 1t reached
Z3,0o1. During the same period the
number of normal schools went up
| from 81 to 10l.
The grave problem OF education was
felt as a more and more imperative
| need. Besides developing an efficient
ministry OF agriculture. whose duty it