Show y v land if 81 1 I 1 t j 3 4 I l r X r. r r xa e 5 Men of Montenegro Prepared by the National Geo Geographic Society Washington D D. D C Little Montenegro which was the tiniest kingdom in Europe has been merged Ince bince the World war Into the big new kingdom of ot Jugo Its well loved king Is dead its capital only the seat of ot a province But half halfa a millennium of dearl dearly bought Independence Independence independence Inde Inde- and the most intense patriotIsm patriotism patriotism patriot patriot- ism has made Its inhabitants not altogether altogether alto alto- gether willing to lose their Identity so 50 from time to time commissions appear appear appear ap ap- ap- ap pear to present Montenegro's case to the world and to keep alive Its marvelous marvelous mar mar- relous history and traditions This little country countr then smaller than Delaware and sometimes with no nomore nomore nomore more than thon fighting men within Its borders has the time distinction of pf being beIng being be be- ing the one patch of ot land In the broad expanse of the Balkan peninsula that kept Itself free from Turkish conquest during the time five and a half halt centuries since the Turks crossed the One after another the regions that are arenow arenow arenow now Bulgaria Greece Serbia and Albania Albania Al Al- bania fell before the excellent Turkish fighting organizations and settled down for tor hundreds of ot years ears under a condition little better than slavery to Moslem masters Montenegro remained free tree and was practically a Christian Island In a 0 sea of ot Mohammedanism Only on Its western border was it In contact during this long Jong period with other Christian territory a narrow strip of ot Adriatic coast controlled by Venice Upon the final overthrow of the ancient ancient an an- dent glory of the Serbs on the field of ot a few fe valiant souls retreated to the rocky fastnesses of to seek asylum with the ode Yol of ot the theLeta Zeta Leta A few years later abandoned b by their ruler who ruler who preferred a life of ot ease at Venice Venice they they turned to their bishop made him also their prince and ond with him retreated still deeper into the hills and there set up that long Jong line of the thc which did not end until well Into the time last cen cen- tury Tributes to Their Bravery There they maintained their freedom freedom free free- dom with suffering Indescribable and with courage Illimitable and won from Gladstone the great English apostle of Balkan freedom those words of ot und undying praise In which he gave It as his deliberate opinion that the traditions of ot Montene Montenegro ro exceed exceed ex ex- In glory those of ot Marathon and ond Thermopylae lae and nIl alt the war traditions traditions traditions of ot the world and Inspired In Tennyson son what he regarded as the thc finest of ot his sonnets Inscribed to the time smallest among peoples peoples' rough throne rock-throne Of freedom Warriors beating back the swarm Of or Turkish Islam for tor live five hundred years Great never since thine own Black ridges drew the cloud and broke the storm Has Hall breathed a race of ot mightier mountaineers moun moun- Within but Lut a 0 stones stone's throw of or the Adriatic sea sen Montenegro was long cut cutI cutoff cutoff off from It until in the middle of the I Nineteenth century her arms anna won An An- from the time Turks Cattaro has always al alwa's always al- al I ways was been the logical port of ot the coun coon i try and Its Us natural gateway from the West yet It remained until the time World war in the hands handa of ot Austria Now Cattaro is Jugo Slavic and Is no longer under a control alien to that tha t of ot Montenegro Monte Monte- negro i In the days dos before the World war warthe warthe warthe the few felt diplomats travelers who visited the he Ie capital of ot Montenegro Montenegro Monte Monte- negro the ride over o the time automobile automobile au au- au road from Cattaro one of ot the time grandest scenIcally to be found In Europe j I Ascending the marvelous zigzag road which leads up from the time port one apI approaches approaches ap ap- ap- ap I the stern and gloomy defile whIch forms torms the portal to this historic stron stronghold hold of ot freedom In the Balkans Splendid engineering Is this road roud Built for tor post and military uses it clings to the time face of ot the time sheer rock and weaves back and forth In a multitude multitude multi multi- tude of hairpin curves which the 1 I chauffeurs of ot the post automobile treat with that contempt which familiarity y alone can breed i j Up and ever up one goes Below elow I stand forth the dusky cliffs which Jut Into the southern souther fiord nestling beneath beneath beneath be be- neath them and ond hemmed in with the I battlements of those giants glunts of an earlier day who stretched out the lion of St. St Marks Clarks from the Lido to the lies Cattaro Cattaro which which was wa Italian In appearance Austrian In allegiance al al- allegiance le but Serb In feeling Its heart ever er In the Highlands Beyond smiles I Ithe the Adriatic and above tower the gaunt gray locks against which the road seems a veritable ladder laid upon a wall A Wilderness of Rocks Threading at last a narrow defile deme whose walls are pierced with caves cs where lurk the fables of ot the thc mountaineers mountaineers moun moun- and crossing a pass too often swathed In clouds one turns a corner and ond comes face to face with the ancient ancient an an- elent realm of the The smile of the soft blue sea lies behind and before stretches a wild turbulent ocean of rock rising and sinking In angry bra gray grav v waves flecked with white which seem to leap and rage and battle together er like a sea lashed by a storm Stones rocks and craps crags n nothing else not a tree not a blade of grass rass scarcely even a tuft of ot brushwood to relieve the time dreary seen of desolation At Atthe the creation so runs the Montenegrin Montenegrin Monte Monte- ne legend an angel was sent forth to pick up the superfluous stones on the time earths earth's surface He placed them in a n bag which burst as he be was flying over and and certainly the landscape bears out the tale And yet the scene cannot be said to lack charm time the charm of ot majesty always always al al- al ways wars to he found among the hills And while at first sight gaunt sight gaunt gray and drear an arid and wilderness of ot bare rock tells rock tells In one blow of the sufferings sufferings suf sut t of centuries pity does not long endure It passes almost at once to praise for a people who have preferred pred pre pre- ferr d liberty In this desolation to slavery In fat lands From the old Austrian border to one encounters but one village ush nestling In a little cleft In Inthe Inthe the time hills and clamming claiming attention as the cradle of the dynasty dynast which for more than two o centuries ruled the destinies of the time land Here was born not only I J progenitor of the theline theline theline line hut but most of ot his successors Including including ing the late king whose tiny villa Is the showplace show of the town From the pocket of ot on one begins begins beIm be be- gins Im the ascent and an nn hours hour's climbing I brings him to the top of the pa pass pas In to Insight I sight of ot The distance as the crow flies files Is short but the time winding road rond multiplies the miles and one has ample opportunity to survey the thc tin tiny former capital which boasts boasts albeit albeit somewhat Inaccurately that Inaccurately that Its streets alone of ot all the Balkan capitals capitals capitals capi capi- have e never ne echoed to the tread of ot ofa a conquering Turkish host the Capital Two broad brond parallel streets connected connect connect- ed by Irregularly laid out oot cross streets comprise the time town which lies hemmed In on every side by the stern stem hills The green fields the elms the buttercups by the roadside and the steep gables of the houses which often lie He banked to their eaves with winters winter's snows are reminiscent of a White mountain vii vil la loge lage e. e European dress has made slight in inroads inroads In in- roads In this part of the world Though the army thanks to Russian generosIty generosity generos It ity wore khaki the time palace guard wore Montenegrin garb to the end and II It was the habitual dress of both king and queen the latter having refused the suggestion of her daughters daugh daugh- law in law in-law that together with th the royal roal title she should take on modern gowns Montenegrins are arc nearly all giants gianta and they stride as though each wore seven league boots Indeed when a Q Montenegrin wants to go anywhere in ina a hurry he walks not using the splendid splendid did roads with which his mountains are threaded but taking the the old old short shortcuts shortcuts shortcuts cuts among the time hills These Montenegrins are ore a race of ot warriors and before the World war ant about In the coffee houses bemoaning bemoan ing their lot What a life Ute for a man i 1 they said Thirty years ears without a war nothing for tor a man to do Bat But there was ws always plenty plent for the time women to do and the time women of ot Montenegro so alert and oud graceful in their youth soon lose their good looks Jook u IJ tl become bent and bowed ed and ug I |