I
TITE NORTH PL TTE SEMT-WEEKLY TTUBUNE.
m JYrftrtJ j Till Nit!oJI GwgTtjiWZ
PISA: AN OLD CURIOSITY
SHOP PF HISTORY
A city of 10,000 skyscrapers before
Peter Mlniilt bought Manliattitii IhIiuhI
for the present price of a supper ut
u Hroudway cnburet.
A city that warred and traded with
empires, yet plunged Into 'a disastrous
Btruggle with a rlvul city over the
rights to a Inpdog.
A city which was seized after a
Florentine Hohson "bottled up" Its
harbor entrance with sunken boats
six centuries before tliu battle off San
tiago bay.
Such Is Pisa, whoso leaning tower
was endangered by recent earthquake
tremors In Italy.
Pisa's record abounds In Incidents as
freakish as Its famous tower; yet It
possesses a history necessarily more
significant than any British or Amer
ican city.
Indicative of IMsn's Importance In
the thirteenth century wus her send
ing an ambassador to Home. There
by hangs the story of the lapdog. Dur
big the coronation ceremonies of
Frederick II the Florentine emissary
admired the lapdog of a certain car
dinal, so that dignitary promised to
give the- tiny nnlnial to Its admirer.
Noxtdny the I'lsan ambassador said u
few kind words about the same dog.
and (lie cardinal Just us readily prom
ised It to him. The Florentine sent
for Ills gift, nnd got It; the Plsnn sent,
and received an apology. Florentines
began Joking the lisnns about this In
cident, and fights ensued on the Ro
man streets. When the I'lsan home
folks heard this It gave them an ex
cellent chance to pick a quarrel that
had long been simmering. A sort of
medieval Huston tea party was staged
by the PIsnns, who. seized all the en
emy merchandise within their reach,
and thus precipitated the tlrst of a
series5 of wars with Florence which
culminated In ho subjection of I'lsa
by her long-time rival.
The lapdog story seems trivial, yet
characteristic of a certain childish
quality 'noticeable among the Juvenile
civic nationalities that preceded na
tional Italy. As further proof one
might recall the occasion when the
victorious army of Luccu hung upon
a I'lsan tower a mirror with the In
scription "Oil women of Plsu, use
these to look at yourselves." No oth
er challenge wns needed for (lie 1'lsans
to march to the gate of Lucca, and
there to plant poles, topped with mlr
-rors, bearing retaliatory comment.
Were a super Hip Van Winkle of
medieval I'lsa to conic with his latter
day compatriots to Kills Island In 10120,
not only the national bird of his
adopted land, hut the skyscraper line
of New York might mnke him feel at
home.
Towers they were called, these I'lsa
skyscrapers, huddled together for nil
the world like groups of tall apartment
house, Two reasons are assigned for
this method of building, common to
Italian (owns of the twelfth century.
line was that the wall permitted only
vertical expansion when population
pressure Increased. Another, hcllov-
nlilii In view of the constant factional
tights and family feuds, attributed
them to the necessity for protection.
Hrldges that couirt bo thrown from
tower to tower further suggested the
skyscraper likeness1. On these precur
snrs of the modern lire escape, many
a community battle has raged.
The Leaning Tower of I'lsa served
humanity well, aside from becoming
the most effective bit of city adver
Using yet devised, for It permitted
Galileo, u native of I'lsa, to carry on
his experiments with the laws govern
ing the pendulum.
THE FLAMINGO, A BIRD OF
BEAUTY AND MYSTERY,
IS SAVED FROM
EXTINCTION
Assurance that the Uamlngo, bird of
beauty nnd mystery, will escape ex
tinction Is contained In a letter from
II. H. W. Grant, colonial governor of
tlie Hahnmns, which says:
"You will bo glad to hear that an
order lit council has been passed giv
ing complete protection to the lhuriln
go. This glory of our mnrshes" owes
the expudltlon a debt of gratitude."
The action of the Unhamus council
was taken following tin expedition,
which trailed the ihunlngo, the most
bunutlful of the world's larger birds,
to Its last stand, took motion pictures
of tho timorous creatures ; and brought
about a realization of how near they
were to becoming extinct In tho new
world through annihilation by uatlvo
spongo flshormon, Tlieso fishermen
bunted 'them down for food purposes
n i the nostlng and molting season.
Tho first American naturalist to lo
cate nml study tho gorgeous llamlngo
was Dr. Frank M. Chapman In 1001,
when ho estimated that somo 20,000
tlatnlugooH were to be found on ono
of the little known Islands of tho
Jtabunias group. SInco then .It Is be
lieved thntx fully two-thirds of the
colonies have perished.
The -expedition that spent ten days
In tlto abysmal Bait swamps of Andros
fjlnurt. filming tho flamingo and study
ing bis hnhlint for sclentlflr pur
poses, was sent out by the Miami
Aquarium association.
yacht was the mother ship of the
expedition and an express cruiser was
used as n scout boat. Canvas canoes
were taken along to get Into the shal
low salt creeks, and nose Into the la
goons for deep entrances to the murky
swamps where the flamingo hides. A
Hahama guide, I'oter Hnnnlster. who
had aided Doctor Chapman's party 10
years ago, also went with the partyi
After penetrating to the utmost
navigable points with the canoes It
was necessary to traverse tulles of the
'swash" or tidal mnrr marshes, carry
ing the heavy cameras and motion pic
ture machines, In tearch for the birds.
Wading In water up to the waist, knee
deep In the marl mud, was the daily-
program, while blinding swarms of
mosquitoes compelled nightly retreats
o the yacht, anchored several miles
off shore.
Hut the hnrdshlps found a worthy
reward when the party came upon col
onies of several hundred birds, de
scribed by n member of the party ns
"a flaming mass of brilliant scarlet
bodies, Jet black beneath the huge
wings, with their long, slender necks
gracefully lowering and raising their
Homnn-nosed heads as they sought be
neath the water tho tiny spiral shell
known to fricntlsts ns Cerlthlum,' up
on which the flamingo lives exclusively
In Its native habitat,"
SARDINIA: THE ISLAND OF
PYGMIES AND WOLFRAM
A traveler of flue Imagination sug
gests that travel involves a double
oumey "one forward through space,
the other backward through time."
Your 'steamboat ticket from Clvl-
aveccbla, the port of Home, entitles
you to an eight-hour voyage to Sar
dinia, but affords a premium of sev
eral thousand yenrs backward' to Ku-
rope's earliest traceable history.
Sardinia has a double Interest Just
now because of the reported native
demand for home rule, and because
Americans have found tracts contain
ing wolfram, highly prized ns a source
of tungsten.
Second only to Sicily among Medi
terranean Islands, Sardinia has been
referred to as the lost Isle of that
sea. lieograplucally It lias lieen said
to turn Its back on Italy, for Its cast
coast Is mountainous. This Isolation
has n compensation In preserving tho
homogeneity of n people who have a
Sardinian Miners,
special Interest for students of racial
history. Sardinians arc small of
stature. Even their soldiers have an
average height a fraction under five
feet, four Inches.
Hut the most conspicuous curiosities
of Sardinia are Its nuraghi, grcift
round towvrs, relics of tho bronze age.
which nerved as fortllled dwellings for
sotno prehistoric people. There aro
0,000 or more of these towers, some GO
feet high, usually about !10 feet in dl
nmeter at the base, made of stone
blocks and smeared with clay, on the
Insldo. Stairways lead to upper cham
bers and platforms.
Interesting ns aro these relics of un
known inhabitants, even moro fnsel
anting are the traces of ancient clvlll
zntlous to be found In the dally life
of Sardinians of today. Ono mny find
oxen plowing as they did in tho dnys
of the Roman empire, Implements
which were introduced by tho succes
slvo occupants, ono Catalan town
(Alghero) where there Is no Jarring
note In tho Illusion of old Spain, and
dances of the classic Greek period at
tho mountain feste.
Only in Sardinia nnd Corsica Is tho
mutlonl, predecessor of our sheep, to
bo found. Wild deer and wild bonr
are plentiful In tho mountain districts,
Tunny llshing is a major industry.
In area Sardinia Is comparable to
Vermont, but has moro than twice tho
nonulation of that state. Tho Island
lies directly south or uorsicu, anil is
separated therefrom by the narrow
straits of Honifaclo. In shape It has
been compared to a human footprint.
AIRPLANES TO WHIR OVER
THUNDEROUS FALLS
-Willie Niagara Falls will continue
to hold their own as a mecca for hon-oy-uiooncrs
and other travelers, ther
must henceforth submit to comparison
with unother miturnl wonder, tho Vic
toria Falls of the Zambesi, as Africa
becomes frequented by tourists.
iFrom being a place of mystery, so
feared that Livingstone, who discov
ered tho falls In 1855, had great dltll
culty In persuading ids followers to
uccompnny him, the falls now are vis
ible from n railway that crosses-fnc
river hnlf-mlle below them, and the)
He under the route of the proposed
Cupo to Cairo aerial service.
Louis Livingston Seaman, In a com
inuulcutlon to the National Geographic
society, describes a visit to Victoria
Falls and contrasts them with Ni
agara, as follows:
"Early In the morning of tho third
dny, we wero 'suddenly awakened by
the guard and treated to a scene of
beauty never lo be forgotten. Smo
ten miles distant live enormous col
umns of vnpor were shooting their
rosente-tlnted shafts hundreds of feet
heavenward, while the faint ronr of
the falls told us the Moslnu-Tunga
the smoke that sounds was no longer
a mystery.
"Kncli moment Increased the beauty
nnd vividness of the scene. With the
first rays of the rising sun xnme a
picture, of color of wondrous loveliness.
Delicate tints of violet, .crlmsou, and
beryl played through the mounting
spray as It shot higher and higher,
ultimately disappearing ns virgin
clouds In heaven, whllo tho ever-Increasing
thunders of the waters lent
an added solemnity to the view.
"Hardly could we wait to reach our
destination, so great was pur enthusi
asm. Hut our hopes were doomed to
momentary disappointment, only to be
more than realized after a study of
the environment; for, notwithstanding
their magnitude, the first view of Vic
toria Falls is decidedly disappointing.
"Although nearly a mile In width
nnd '100 feet in height, tho grandeur
of their proportions Is eclipsed by tho
sudden disappearance of the river, ns
It plunges Into u narrow, rocky fissure
extending across Its entire width. Only
at a single central point. Is there a
breach In this fissure through which
the falls can be seen and appreciated
In their full proportions, where the
converging waters rush madly to the
zigzag canyon below. So restricted Is
this view that there Is an entire ab
sence of that awo-lnsplrlni? nnd most
paralyzing effect which strikes the vis
itor dumb with wonder and amazement
when Niagara bursts on his near
vision.
'On first sight of tho Victoria Falls
one Involuntarily exclaims, 'Oh, how
beautiful 1' but they lack the innjesty
of our grand Niagara.'
"No Blngte visit can adequately re
veal the fullness of their clinrms. but
repeated excursions must be. made to
their Islnnds nnd precipices, their grot
tos nnd palm gardens, their rain for
ests and projecting crags, their rain
bows and cataracts and many-sided
views of their exquisite setting jn tho
emerald framework of tropic forests,
before their Indescribable beauty can
be appreciated.
'Had tl,e falls been In America, tho
Indians would surely hnve named
them Minnehaha. Laughing Waters."
THE MARSHALL ISLANDS
The Marshall Islands, ulong with tho
Carolines, wero seized by Japan soon
after the outburst of the war, and their
permanent disposition has been under
discussion. Their proximity to the
Philippines has been referred to In
this connection.
Tho two chains of curlously-shnped
atolls, or coral Islands consisting of
low-lying coral reefs encircling la-
goous, known as Hie Marshall group,
He a little south of the center of an
imaginary lino between the Philippines
and Hawaii.
Guam, Samoa and Honolulu form a
triangle of trade routes, with Its sides
not penetrated by Important steamship
lines. Near the center of this isolated
Pacific zone arc the Marshall islands.
Hefore the war Sydney was reached
by steamer, a voyage of more than
H.OOO miles. Tho only other egress Is
a steamer to Ponape which connects
with tho French lino to Singapore.
Like two loosely-strung chnlns of
Jewels, the Islands stretch from north
west to southeast, eacli with its In
goon setting encased by a strangely
shaped clrqlet of coral, some like trl
angles, harps and stirrups, and one
outlining n bull's head with Its horns
Stralght-hnlred, dark-brown nntlves,
still preserving tho religious slgnlll
canco of tattoo and taboo, uro to be
found.
Woman was given a higher position
than among most snvnges because suc
cession was through tho female line,
Hut tho chief's power was absolute, to
tho point of life and death. One am
hltlous ruler learned an alphabet and
Is said to have beheaded nil his sub
jects who seemed likely to acquire
more knowledge than he had. In somo
Islnnds tho mother was nllowed to
keep only tho tlrst three children. She
had to bury tho fourth.
Skillful and fearless navigators, tho
nntlves used bread-tree wood to make
sailing canoes In which they would
voyage for months. They ilovlseil
charts, made of sticks, showing tho lo
cations of islands and tho directions
of prevailing winds.
Ancestor worship was their predomi
nant religious sentiment. With po
tltlons nnd gifts they worshiped the
departed whoso spirits were supposed
to return to earth In certain palm trees
which they set, Off In stono lnclosures.
Hlrds and fishes sometimes embodied
tltese spirits, they believed, and thus
certain species became taboo.
Homes of tho nntlves wero Hot pre
tentious. Floors were raised above
tho ground to escape tho rats, and
tHitched roofs covered tho combination
houso nnd storage room.
Tho two island groups are known
as tho Rntuk and Rallk chains. Their
entlro area Is not moro than 100 square
miles; their native population 15,000,
with fewer thnn 800 foreigners. Tho
scat of German government was on
.Talult and the most populous Island
la Majeru, with but 1,000 persons.
Scouts on Their Newly Dedicated Reservation
Hoy scouts on a slope of the Woodrow Wilson boy scout reservation, a 41-acro plot of land at Ilumt Hills, Mil.,
Just dedicated with hnpresslvo ceremonies. It was given by Robert S. Brookings to the 2,500 boy scouts of the Dis
trict of Columbia. There are streams In tho tract, and wooded hills, a splendid swimming hole nnd an open stretch
for every variety of athletics.
Russian Nobles Cleaning Streets of Petrograd
This photograph, one of the few reaching this country picturing conditions In soviet Petrograd, shows fonr..-r
members of the czar's court at work cleaning the streets. Former grand dukes, dukes and princes, hnve been com
mandeered by the soviet government, and many of them are forced to menlnl. tasks.
John Paul Jones Statue Unveiled
RECORD TUNA FISH
Assistant Secretury of the Navy Gordon Woodbury speaking nt the un
veiling of n tablet on the John Paul Jones-stivtue, Potomac park, Washington.
Hundreds of people, including government olllclals, diplomats and navnl offi
cers stationed In "Washington, paid tribute to tho founder of the Amorlcan
navy. The ovent marked the 145th anniversary of the founding of tho United
States navy.
America Decorates French Heroes
This .'125-pound tuna fish, cnught off
San Diego, Cnl., Is the largest ever
taken In California waters. It Is n
yellowfln tunn ; n variety seldom found
so far North. Hook and line were
used In catching It.
SAVING AN OLD TREE
I 3
American ambassador Hugh Campbell Wallace, In tho name of tho
United Stntes government, presenting distinguished services nnd navy crosseB
to about one hundred oltlcers of tho French nrmy nnd navy. Tho presenta
tion wns made in tho gardens of tho American embassy In Paris.
One of tho only two Japanese acacia
trees In tho United Stntes, both locnted
in the Whlto Houso grounds, Is "sick!"
from rot nt the ripo old ago of forty
tlvo years. J. Rebaumc, the Whlto
Houso tree doctor, Is trying to snvo
It's life.
That's Different.
"Your husband told mo ho abhorred)
nil kinds pf cats."' '
"Oh, you must have misunderstood
him. He Is Just devoted to a llttloj
kitty they have at tho club." j
