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Photo by Frederick Moore 



OI.D AND N£:W IN BUCHAREST 



Standing among the tall modern buildings of "the little Paris" is this gem of old Ru- 

 manian art. The exterior of this church is embellished with frescoes of the saints set amid 

 beautiful arabesque work in the most vivid colors. The cloister at the side, in harmony 

 with the church, exhibits the characteristic arch of the native architecture. 



Whether there is a secret treaty be- 

 tween Rumania and the Triple Alliance 

 of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy 

 is not known, but at any rate Rumania is 

 recognized as a silent partner of the two 

 Germanic powers that border Russia. 



The Rumanians consider themselves a 

 much superior people to their neighbors. 

 Prior to the present war they did not 

 like to be called a Balkan people, and it 

 would seem that even now, in spite of 

 the prowess displayed by the other Bal- 

 kan States, they are still reluctant to be 

 classified with them. 



It is true that their country is far in 

 advance of other Balkan countries. Fast 

 express trains run daily the length and 

 breadth of the state; ports on the Dan- 

 ube collect and ship the produce of the 

 country to various parts of the world 



(see page 1062) ; a fast Rumanian steam- 

 ship line carries European mails from 

 Constanza, on the Black Sea, to Constan- 

 tinople and other eastern centers of com- 

 merce, and several cities, both in size and 

 style, resemble more closely the cities of 

 Europe than the other Balkan capitals. 



Bucharest is generally a surprise to 

 visitors from other countries. Few ex- 

 pect to find anywhere in the Balkans a 

 capital that can worthily be called a 

 "little Paris," yet Bucharest is worthy of 

 this title. 



It is a city with broad clean streets, on 

 which are to be found good stores and 

 splendid public buildings; and there are 

 avenues of beautiful homes, in which the 

 distinctive architecture of the country is 

 displayed with remarkable effect (see 

 page 1076). The peculiar architecture of 



1079 



