Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 February 1919 — FIVE YOUNGER THAN AMERICA [ARTICLE]

FIVE YOUNGER THAN AMERICA

This Country by No Means Most Juvenile of the Nations Engaged in the War. The average roan thinks the United States is the youegest nation that was actively engaged in the yvar that pracTRallF^^^rVHff^Ee'“recent signing of the armistice with Germany. As a matter of fact, it is one of the older nations engaged-in the war*. The most recently formed nations that hnye taken part in the struggle are Rounianla. Bulgaria, and Serbia, wfilch were given their independence Of forty years ago. They bad existed liefore. though not. pre<>js.ly in the limits of today, but they had been long under Turkish rule. Next in yoUlli is Germany. Of course there has been a Germany for -twenty centuries or longer, but at first we name described the.territory in which various entindy imh-pendent tribes lived and afterward it described a federation so loosely joined together that its states were as often fighting each otheras in .alliance-, with ...each other. Still later —about fifty years ago —Germany was divideij into two federations, —hnt —bottr combined againstFrance in 1370. Tlie.Geriuan empire in 1871 and Germany was never really a nation before that time. Next comes Italy, which became a kingdoroTfiFlßs9 or 1860. Of course Italian history is older than the history of any other country in Europe except Greece, but the earlier history of Italy was the history of Rome, which overflowed the boundaries of the peninsula and conquered the greater' part <>'f the known world. But less than sixty years ago what is now Italy was divided into four states. It was consolidated about fifty-eight years ago. though a small strip of territory was left to the pope. This was taken during the war between France and Germany and the capital -of the united nation was moved to Rome; So five of the nations taking an active part in the war are younger than the United States, which had existed as an independent government nearly one hundred years before the German empire was established. Of course the states of Germany are older than the United States, but the German empire Is not. If Greece were considered as taking an active part in the war she would he added to the list of juniors, being less than a century old. France, Great Britain, Russia, and Austria are the only nations participating in the war that are older than the United States unless Portugal’s participation is considered active enough to count In the list.