Show T IL IS VENEZUELA Before there Is an any trouble between this nation and antI Venezuela let us see what is Venezuela It is more than ten times as big as Pennsylvania Pennsyl I more than live five times as bl big as Utah It has about two and a a. half million people The Time rell religion lon Is Roman Catholic but all creeds crees are arc tolerated though the record naively nai adds that the they are not miot I permitted an any external manifestations Education Is free tree and compulsory Agriculture and stock raising Is the principal business of ot tho time country I there there being two hundred thousand acres of ot coffee plantation There is gold and silver and copper an and tin and antI asphalt and kaolin and coal and lead leatI in inmany Inan many mines These rhese are arc not worked as mines arc are worked In Utah but are fairly productive Columbus saw the coast of what hat Is now Venezuela Venezuela his his first glimpse of or the mainland he lie had discovered In In cd-In In 1 1198 It was wa-s wasa a Spanish province until Until until un un- til 1820 when heim It was liberated under time the masterly leadership of ot Bolivar probably the time greatest of ot native South Americans Since Sinco then It has been occupied most of ot the time fighting with Its neighbors neighbor's neigh neigh- hors bor's bands band revolutionists within its or with of or borders borders- Castro now no president has hns done much to bring permanency and the little country has flourished under his reign For it Is more of a reign than an administration more morl of or a despotism than tItan a rc republic Venezuela could probably put an un arm army of or fIfty thousand lo loyal loydi l and effective men In the field They have hare n no na navy of oC consequence A war with that country would probably solidify half hat a. a dozen of the smaller r re republics of or South America under one stronger organization than exists with either cither of them today |