102 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph from Gen. George P. Scriven 



AN AMERICAN TRACTOR PLOW IN USE ON THE EXPERIMENTAL FARM AT 



VAEONA: ALBANIA 



This farm, conducted under the auspices of the Italian Government, is intended primarily 

 as an example to Albanian tenants and proprietors who are inclined rather to the use of the 

 ancient crooked-stick plow. It serves the Italians as a huge war garden, however, for its 

 tillers are obliged to sell their products exclusively to the troops. 



serious evils in the past ; but this has been 

 checked, to some extent. The religious 

 troubles, if unfermented by Greek or 

 Turk, perhaps would have been no greater 

 than in Switzerland of the past or in 

 Ireland of the present. The factions, if 

 permitted, will soon learn to live in peace. 



In the past, under the Turk, whose 

 laws were made to be violated, order did 

 not exist ; the hand of power punished, 

 but it did not lead. So it happened that 

 schools were neglected and the people, 

 for the most part, remained illiterate. 

 The young Turks were probably allowed 

 to attend or not to attend the indifferent 

 schools provided, but the Albanians were 

 allowed no schools taught in their own 

 language. Their children, if instructed 

 at all, were taught in the Turkish or^.the 

 Greek schools. In spite of this, the chil- 

 dren are intelligent and those whom I saw 



in the Italian schools were bright and 

 eager to learn. 



THE ALBANIAN AN OPEN FIGHTER 



But, ignorant or not, the Albanians have 

 in them the making of real men and 

 women. The man is a fighter, but an 

 open fighter who scorns a treacherous 

 advantage ; he believes in the vendetta, 

 but will warn his adversary before strik- 

 ing- him. If he becomes a bandit by pro- 

 fession, he is not in his own eyes an out- 

 law; he lives beyond the control of law. 

 He strikes his enemy, but would scorn to 

 be a mere murderer and is above being a 

 thief. Honorable in his dealings with 

 strangers who are properly accredited to 

 him or his community, the latter are safe 

 under his roof. He is especially honor- 

 able in his attitude toward women. It is 

 said that before the war, alone and un- 



