The Coolidge examiner., 1935-11-22

monkeys, probably the only mon
keys in Europe that were not
brought there by men in modern
times. The animals are protected
by law and are fed by the British
army.
The city took its name from the
rock, which was called Mount Abyla
or Apes Hill in ancient times. 1t
was once owned by the Phoeni-
clans and fell, in turn, to the Car
thaginians, Romans and Visigoths.
In the Eighth century the Moor
ish chief, Tarik-Ibn-Zeyad, landed
on the rock and called it Gibel-
Tarik or Mountain of Tarik, of
which Gibraltar" is a corruption.
The Moors had held Gibraltar for
six centuries when in 1909 the Span
ish seized it, but "a years later the
Moslems regained possession. 1t
became Spanish territory again in
1852. The British have held the
rock since 1904 when they defeated
a combined Spanish and French
fleet. Since, the British have had
frequent wars over Gibraltar's pos
session. One Spanish siege lasted
four years Q779-17S3).
Malta a Strong Base.
For more than a century Malta
has sheltered powerful British war;
ships guarding sea lanes to Medi-
terranean ports, and, In more re-
cent years, to India, Australia, and
the Far East via the Suez canal.
Now it is a strong aerial base as
well.
Malta deserves attention, how
ever, for other than military or
strategic reasons. On the little is
land an ancient race still lives and
speaks an otherwise extinct tongue.
Recently Great Britain suspended
Malta's constitution to combat a
movement to turn Malta to the Ital-
ian language in preference to Eng
speech.
Planted by fate at a strategic
point on one of the worlds great
marine highways, this drab piece
of land, less than a hundred square
miles in area, has been called to fill
an important role in the history Of
the world.
Malta and its satellite islands
were once linked to Africa and Eu-
rope by land bridge. With the
sinking of this link, the islands
were left standing like sentinels
between the eastern and western
basins of the Mediterranean, So
miles from Sicily and $50 miles
from Africa.
Malta has been called the step
child, as we'll as the stepping
stone," of the Mediterranean. Since
the dawn of its recorded history,
many nationalities have ruled 1t,
beginning with the Phoenicians, and
running a range which includes
Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans,
Arabs, Normans, French, and Brit
ish.
Maltese Race Alone.
But though always under a for
elm flag, the Maltese retained their
racial identity. Handsome, good
humored. and sturdy, they are be-
lieved to be remnants of the great
Mediterranean race which peOpled
the shores of this storied sea long
before the rise of Greece and Rome.
Their present speech is derived
from the language of the PhOeni-
clans, whose ships more than 5000
years ago flOated in Malta'S harbors
as do the British men-of-war today,
Among the upper classes and the
younger generation it is being re-
placed by English and Italian.
Weaving pattern Of mystery
over the island are deep parallel
lines in the solid rock, believed to
uC IllC IIoIho VI dHNlCul cart w ueelS.
Some plunge beneath an arm of
the sea and reappear on the other
side-testimOny to the comings and
goings of people who dwelt here
before the land assumed it's present
shape. NeOlithic temples also have
been found.