OCR Text |
Show Today'sWarPrimer Furnished by the Bureau of Geographic Geograph-ic Information of the National Geographic Society Jalta, tho Newport of Russia, to which oven such favored regions of tho wor'd ns tho garden lands of California Cal-ifornia and tho Riviera must yield when climates aro compared, Is today to-day a stronghold of society uttony eclipsed by war, a lonely unvlsltcd llttlo village whoso prestige atid fame have departed over night, a Newport untenanted, forgotten by tho press and by all tho people, who, in peace times, eagerly read about all the social splendors thoro," begins a statement Just given out by the National Na-tional Geographic Society. Jalta, normally, nor-mally, would Just bo entering upon tho height of Its season, Its gayest, most Important two, months of tho year, had not a world war closed It, together with Monte Carlo, Karlsbad, Karls-bad, Interlakcn and scores of other places of good tone, beauty and amusement. The Imperial court, tho statesmen, diplomats and members of tho great Russian command, now car rying the Intolerable burdens of the war, would bo gathered there In tlme8 of quiet and social Russia would follow fol-low in their course. "Jalta is a beautiful place built on tho shelf of a mountain whoso foot bathes in tho bluest nnd mildest cf waters to bo found all around the coast ot tho Black Sea. This little seaport In the government of Taurl-da, Taurl-da, on tho southern conBt of Crimen, j thoroughly deserves the distinction of helntr tho vacation home of celob- rltles. Behind It, and between It j nnd tho north, tho solid mountain greens, which merge Into deeper nnd deeper (shades until at tho baro summits sum-mits they are greenish grown, rlso to heights of from 2300 to 3000 feet. Theso nro tho southern fringe of tho Jalla Mountains. The tops of these peaks aro often covered In ley mists, while In Jalta nnd on Its bay rests the mildest ot spring weather. Snow never falls tin Jalta, which boasts an annual mean temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Its climate is said to bo superior to that of Nlco. 'Its summers are not so oppressively hot, there Is less rain In autumn anil in winter, the cool is less crisp In winter and tho sunshine of autumn Is said to fall balmlor hero than anywhere else In tho world. "Tho scenery nt Jnlta, from whatever what-ever direction, la completely satisfying. satisfy-ing. Its beauty Is an Intimate beauty, beau-ty, with which tho stranger Is soon upon easy terms, not tho stand-offish cold beauty of tho .major Alps. Tho town Is a gem of whlto houses, set Into tho dark green mountains nnd climbing by steps to tho Bhelf upon which stnnd sorao of Its most sumptuous sump-tuous vll'ns. Its bay is very open, and tho beach along tho waterfront Is narrow. Tho hotels ana pensions are mostly In tho lower town tho lev. el which spreads just back of tho beach and quay. Somo of tho homes higher upon tho htllsldo aro tho magnificent mag-nificent estates of tho foremost of tho Russian nobles. Tho present Tsar, his father nnd his grandfather, had palaces in Llvadla, a near neighbor neigh-bor of Jalta's. "Thero Is no Industry nnd llttlo trado carried on by tho people ot tho village, who live almost entirely by catorlng to vacationists and regular visitors. Smoko and soot do not defaco the plcturo, nnd oven tho ral'.-road ral'.-road does not approach tho town. Tho guests come by steamer from Sevastopol, Sevas-topol, Novorosslsk, and Odessa, Living, Liv-ing, of courso, as befits a fashlonablo resort Is expensive. Hotels and board Ing houses chargo high and tho well to do Russian is generally n freo spender. spen-der. October and November nro tho first months of tho year at Jalta, although al-though peoplo como to enjoy Its beauties beau-ties nnd Ua climate throughout nil twelve montha, Jalta la not much sought by tho peoplo outsldo of Russia, Rus-sia, for the renaon, perhaps, that it takes generations to win tho tamo nmong distant peoplo such as Is that possessed by tho Gorman and Bohom-Inn Bohom-Inn baths tho Riviera, and Tyrol. "Jnlta has a population of 14,000. It Is an ancient city, nnd Is thought to havo been n plnco of great import- nnco In n remote past. Tho history of the place commences In tho 12th century when It was mentioned by tho Arabian geographer, Ibn Sdrlzl. At ono time, It belonged to tho pntrl' nrchs of Constantinople It began Us career ns a playground nnd recren- tlon parndlso for wealth and fashion I In 1838 when it wns mado tho chief I town of n district." |