tributed. German histories were only recitals of camp and court, of princes and potentates, war and conquest, and always in the name of "Gott und das Vaterland." "Vaterland!" What mockery to the conquered Danes, who might be driven out at any moment on one pretext or another! The iron fist ruled alike in civil, political and religious life. Every school had a life-sized picture of that moral coward and fugitive who is now hiding behind the petticoats of Queen Wilhelmina. I visited some of the schools down there last Spring. The teachers told me that Kaiser Wilhelm's pictures had been burned. But though a foreign overlord may rend a people with civil feuds and tear asunder all that has material form, he cannot rob a people of its soul, strike down its ideals, erase its memories, or permanently hinder the realization of its purposes. The words of Georg Brandes, in an address to the South Jutlanders in 1902, deserve citation here: It is humiliating to be weak [said Brandes], so weak that you can't even make your rights count, but submit to fate without protest. It is a misfortune to be small, so small that one's presence remains unacted upon and little noticed by the big world. But it is stimulating and uplifting to be the one who, despite weakness and littleness, does not give up and does not fall into spiritual sleep or death. It is good to be big, but only when the objective bigness reflects a subjective bigness, not when it is expressed in conceit of presumptuous advantages. A people is not big when it is arrogant and ignoble. It is good to be strong, but only when that power is applied to common welfare. To live for self is not enough. To live and share of one's inner riches is better. HANSSEN'S WORK FOR FREEDOM One of the dominant personalities in the South Jutland question, a man who realized that if the Danish language and ideals were to endure, forces must be set in motion to combat the heavy inroads of the Prussian compulsion-rule, is H. P. Hanssen of Aabenraa. He was during many years a member of the Reichstag, elected by the Danish votes in Slesvig. In 1893, he purchased the daily paper, Hejmdal, through whose columns he has kept the North Slesvig issue before the people has far as the rigid censorship would permit. He, more than any other man, was the guiding light in the fight against the Prussian aggression. He has been ably assisted by Nis Nissen and Kloppenborg-Skrumsager, also members of the Landtag from North Slesvig. All three men were members of the BALTIC SEA BELT APENRADE SONDERBURG G E FÖHR GLUCKSBURG FLENSBURG RMANY ZONE OF NORTH SLESVIG, WHICH WAS TAKEN FROM GERMANY AND RETURNED ΤΟ DENMARK BY THE PLEBISCITE OF 1920. German Government until the close of the plebiscite. Mr. Hanssen was particularly active in the language and cultural societies. Through his efforts a large circulating library was built up. Those books were a powerful influence for the preservation of Danish. A Danish book was a treasure during Prussian times, a friend, a solace, a welcome visitor to old and young The old folksongs were still sung; the lullabies were chanted beside the cradle, fables and folklore were repeated, the adventures of dwarfs and giants were not forgotten. So, at last, the will to freedom of a small ethnic group triumphed over the will to power of a strong alien rule. "Now the times of the sword are ended and plow time has begun. I feel as if I had one foot in Denmark already," rejoiced H. P. Hanssen, still a member of the Reichstag from North Slesvig, when world peace was declared. After a quarter of a century of activity in the Reichstag and through his daily paper in behalf of his people, he saw now imminent the crowning of his work-the reunion of Danish North Slesvig with the motherland. There was, however, much work and campaigning ahead before the solution could be reached. There was the question of boundary to be determined, on which there was sure to develop a fight even within Denmark. Some wanted the "Clausen Line" (named after Magister H. V. Clausen, the Danish historian); the annexationists raised the cry of the old "Eiderpolitikken." Hanssen therefore appealed to the North Slesvig Voting Society-a well disciplined organization. A resolution with an overwhelming majority of the voters was sent to Hanssen, praying for a just solution of this aged and trouble-brewing question. With this resolution in hand, he rose in the Reichstag on Oct. 23, 1918, and said: I demand as representative of the Danish inhabitants in North Slesvig, in the name of justice and righteousness, that Paragraph V. of the Prague Treaty be executed, and thus through the coming peace program that a final solution of this problem be reached on the basis of the principle of selfdetermination. Practically the same resolution was passed by the Danish Rigsdag on the same day, unknown to Hanssen. On the following day, Oct. 24, Dr. Solf, speaking for the German Government in the Reichstag, acreplied: "When we have received knowledged Hanssen's resolution and Wilson's program as a basis for world peace, we will in all directions and upon all points fulfill the demands loyally and in the spirit of joyed, and Slesvig and Denmark rerighteousness." Hanssen was over joiced with him. Having been thus favorably recognized in the German Reichstag, the Voting Society of North Slesvig solicited the Danish Government to appeal to the Allies to take the necessary steps in order to secure recognition of the rights of the Danish North Slesvigers at the peace table. Simultaneously the Society met in convention at Aabenraa, North Slesvig, and passed a resolution which expressed the views of the Danish Government and of North Slesvig relative to the boundary and plebiscite questions. A delegation was appointed by the Danish Government to press the The North Slesvig issue in Paris. members were: Ambassador Bernhoft, assisted by the historical expert, H. V. Clausen; one representative of each of the four political parties, viz., Dr. P. Munch, N. Neergaard, Alex Foss and C. Bramnaes. The four South Jutlanders who were members of the Reichstag also participated: H. P. Hanssen, Nis Nissen, Kloppenborg-Skrumsager, and P. Grau. that characterized the delegation, stood a few fanatical nationalists and annexationists at home who wanted Slesvig annexed as far south as the Eider River, regardless of the free plebiscite. Failing this plan, they wanted a third zone established in South Slesvig to vote for reunion. Now, South Slesvig had become thoroughly Germanized. Few well-informed persons entertained the least hope of restoring even the secon zone, containing the Baltic port Flensburg, with an adult population of 40,000. Of this number only 1,500 voted for restoration, and those were not wholly of pure Danish origin. Had Hanssen not foreseen the necessity of dividing Slesvig into three zones, the case would have been lost, as Middle and South Slesvig could easily have outvoted the Danes in the first zone. When the treaty was finally prepared, it provided for a popular vote on linguistic lines, by zones, under an international commission, in the Spring of 1920. The result was the return of Northern Slesvig, first zone, to Denmark. THE PRESENT SITUATION This result of the plebiscite brought to Denmark an area of 1,505 square miles, or territory a little larger than Rhode Island. Its population numbers 170,000. Of this number approximately 10 per cent. are Germans. The province is largely rich marshland, diked in, as in Holland. Thousands of acres of mud flats can be reclaimed on the west coast, joining the islands of Romo and Mano to the mainland. The flats here run dry at half ebb tide. The does not always encroach on coastal lands. The topographical history of the west coast of the province shows continual accretion. In the 16th century large ships could sail into the harbor of Tonder, and the town of Ribe was the headquarters for the Greenland whaling expeditions. Those towns are now far inland, the former being twenty kilometers removed from the coast. Like Holland, North Slesvig is a land of grass and cows, mud and manure. This new acquisition to Denmark is not all velvet. A provision in the Peace Treaty called for recompense to Germany for railroad property and all State buildings. Then there was the problem of restitution to Danish citizens for the loss in exchange in crowns, known as the “ Valuta " question. Denmark must also be responsible for pensioning the widowed and orphaned and the disabled soldiers. Improvement of railroads and schools is badly needed. I visited many schools and found them in a dilapidated condition, without equipment, without even decent seats. Jacob Appel, the new Minister of Education, has already won State aid to rehabilitate these schools. Conservative estimates have been made by the Danish Ministry, placing the cost of the province in the neighborhood of 400 million crowns. While many smiled at escaping from the heavy tax burden imposed by Germany, some will frown when the tax schedule is announced to meet the aforementioned cost. The land, however, is fertile and the inhabitants are industrious and frugal. A 66 TO RUSSIA BY FRANCES A. BLANCHARD Interesting facts that show why the Lettish Republic is compȧratively prosperous while Soviet Russia is starving-Latvian representative in the United States tells why he thinks his country can keep its independence-Treaty with Russia S an independent republic, Latvia is but little known to the ordinary Westerner. As a part of the Baltic States," which for centuries have been the gateway to European Russia, it is more or less known to be the home of a peasant race descended from Indo-European ancestors of thirty-five centuries ago. Accordingly, the average American is amazed to discover that as one of the new, independent nations which have separated themselves from Soviet Russia it is a third larger than Switzerland and nearly twice the size of the Netherlands; that it has established a permanent Government with a Constituent Assembly consisting of 150 members; that this Government has already been recognized by twenty-two nations of the world, and that the leaders of this Government are a progressive, educated, capable body of men, ambitious that their country shall excel politically, industrially and intellectually. The representative from Latvia to the United States, Charles Louis Seya, with his Secretary, Arved L. Kundzin, is now in Washington, D. C., where he is seeking official recognition for his Government from the State Department. Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and Switzerland, together with fifteen other powers, have already granted such recognition. One interesting development which. encourages us to have faith in the future of such a republic is the intense earnestness with which the for which the hard-earned Lettish ruble may not be recklessly spent. Αί Instead of these gewgaws there is a demand for American plows, American harvesters, American textile machinery and American tractors. the present time farm machinery which was seized and has been returned badly worn by the Germans is being repaired to do whatever service it can. According to a recent number of the Baltic Review (published in London) the Government has seven Fordson tractor plows, which are lent to the ruined districts to facilitate reconstruction of fields. It has ordered from America 2,000 grass mowers, Spring harrows, and horse rakes, and 250 reaping machines. We have to visualize the fact that this whole country was as war-swept as Belgium, not only suffering from German invasion and pillage, but also being compelled to hand over many of its possessions to Russia; hence the call for work horses, breeding cattle, tools for wood and metal working industries, power machinery, steam Z. A. MEIEROVICA Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs boilers and other appliances that were plentiful before 1915. PLANS TO DEVELOP TRADE In order to stimulate trade and industry an agreement has been drawn up by which: 1. For five years, beginning Jan. 1, 1921, Latvia permits, duty free, the import of machinery, apparatus and appliances to build up new industries. 2. For three years, beginning Jan. 1, 1921, Latvia will admit, duty free, raw materials, half-manufactured and manufactured articles required by Section 1. 3. Industrial undertakings in Section 1 are exempted from income tax, trade and industrial tax, real estate tax, and duty on increased value until they commence to earn profit, but not exceeding five years. The economic policy of the new Government includes a study of ail the country's natural resources. Agricultural pursuits have always been the principal occupation of the Lettish people, about 85 per cent. of whom are peasants. There are abundant forests. Because of its position on the Baltic Sea, Latvia has large fishing and shipping interests. The Minister of Trade and Industry early in 1921 sanctioned the forming of a company called "Isstade," capitalized at a million rubles, for or ganizing an international exhibition, beginning Aug. 1 at Riga, the capital -a huge exhibition to emphasize modern methods in agriculture, manufacturing, education and household arts. Everything about it is planned with the idea of encouraging the best methods of utilizing the resources which already surround the people, and of securing suitable appliances to carry on the industries for their exploitation. Since the year 1906 there has existed the Central Agricultural Society of Riga, which maintains an agricultural school and many experimental farms, horticultural stations, cattlebreeding farms and a printing and publishing office. It has nearly forty specialists in different branches and more than 130 instructors. Large quantities of flax have always been raised in Latvia-not the |