The Coolidge examiner., 1933-01-27

her for Shoemaking, In Tirana.
The horse market, Albania's larg.
est, is closely packed with stamp.
Ing beasts and gesticulating men.
Every trick or test known to a
county-fair horse deal is to be wit
messed here.
Among advanced civilizations an
automobile thief may possibly get
a jail sentence. In more primitive
Albania. where social conditions
often recall those of the pioneer
West, horse stealing means sudden
death. And so deals In Albanian
horse markets are concluded under
the eye of a civic official, who is
sues to the purchaser n certificate
which attests to his bona fide buy"
Albania's mountain complex de
fies adequate description. To say
that the Dalmatian Alpine system
prolongs itself into southwark
stretching ranges that form three
of Albania's boundaries. and that
this small kingdom. not as large as
New Hampshire and Vermont to-
gether, contains numerous noun
tain chains. is to indicate the
yerlest elements of her topography.
Albania once was Shkuperia, the
Land of the Men of the Eagle. II
some ancient Greek or Roman tour
list had exclaimed, $50 this is Al.
bania y Shkupetars wouldn't have
known what country he was talking
about. Approximately nine CEN
turies ago some foreigner, possibly
finding "Shkuperia" an awkward
mouthful. expanded "alp" or "alb"
into Albania" as name descrip-
tive of the country's white or
snowy uplands.
Eagle and Arrows.
The Shkupetars' name for them
selves goes back to the misty emer.
gence Of Balkan mountain tribes.
AS shkep is the native word for
rock the name may possibly i'm
ply ''rock-dwellers," or "highland-
ers." But Albanian tradition. based
on Plutarch. offers a livelier deriva-
tion. The Greek biographer relates
that when the Eplrote king. Pyrrhus,
was llkened by his troops to an
eagle. the monarch gracefully re-
Joined that they were his arrows
which he used while soaring.
Thus ancient is the conception of
the Eagle and Arrows. a device
which, thousands of years later,
was to appear on the consular arms
of the United States. At any rate,
the Epirotes seized on King
Pyrrhus' compliment and proudly
dubbed themselves the Shkupetars.
or Sons OF the Eagle.
Modern Albanians will tell YOU
that they represent the most an
cient race In southeastern Europe.
Indeed, their language and tribal
customs suggest remote origins.
They are probably the descendants
of the ancient Illyrians. who in
turn derived from the Pelasgic root
race. of which we catch echoes in
Greek literature.
Albanian inns have not prog
ressed much beyond. say. those OF
the Deadwood coach era. Often
you avoid the inn and Just sleep
where you can.
Tirana Going Modern.
Tirana. the capital. reveals a pic.
ture of Albania westernizing her.
self. Broad. electric-lit streets
neighbor fascinatingly hodgepodge
bazaar alleys. A line of brand-new
taxis. a row of pack mules, and
string of modern motor lorries
throng the same square. Raggy-
pantalooned Mohammedan chauf-
fenrs have discarded their olden
wand of office. the donkey-prodding
stick. TO wrestle instead with the
tire pump. Far over the heads of
an unheeding crowd. who are i'm.
bibing European drinks and dis.
cussing trade, the lone muezzin
calls to prayer; but it is as the
voice of one crying in the wilder
ness.
Not vet has this smalI-scale
kingdom achieved a favorable trade
balance. Its exports-dairy prud-
ucts, grain. hides. wool, asnhaIt.
charc0al-total annually about So
100000. On the other hand. its i'm
port values in sugar. cotton and
wOolen fabrics, mineral oils. and
machinery approximate double that
amount. How offset the difference?
The mountains are believed to be
rich in minerals-gold. iron. coal.
copper. and others-but the country
has never been geologically sur
yeyed. oil talk and the actual pro
dnction of oil in paying quantities
and Of requisite quality are in In
verse ratio to each other.