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Venezuelan and Georgetown Students Fraternizing at the Foot of Statue of Simón Bolívar

Series II Bulletin No. 1
Georgetown University
SCHOOL OF
FOREIGN SERVICE

VENEZUELA
AN ECONOMIC REPORT PRESENTED BY STUDENTS
OF THE SCHOOL OF FOREIGN SERVICE
AS AN AID TO THE FOREIGN TRADE
OF THE UNITED STATES

PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY
Washington, D. C.
April, 1921

THIS REPORT

The first of a series of economic surveys of the commercial
areas of the world to be conducted as aids to
American overseas commerce
by
Students of the School of Foreign Service

Is Dedicated

TO

Señor Doctor Esteban Gíl Borges

MINISTER OF FOREIGN RELATIONS OF
VENEZUELA

Upon Whom as Representing the People
of
The Land of Bolívar
Georgetown University will Confer
With felicitations
The Honorary Degree of

Doctor of Laws

On April twenty-sixth
nineteen hundred and twenty-one

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

REPORT OF THE REGENT OF THE SCHOOL OF FOREIGN SERVICE TO THE PRESIDENT OF GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, WITH RESPECT TO THE VISIT OF CERTAIN STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY TO VENEZUELA.

Office of the Regent

School of Foreign Service
Georgetown University
Washington, D. C.

March 1, 1921.

To the President of Georgetown University.
Sir:

I hand you herewith papers relating to the visit to Venezuela made by a group of eighteen students in the summer of 1920. These papers comprise a brief report of the trip, by Dr. G. A. Sherwell, who was in charge of the mission, some of the essays on the economic resources of Venezuela, prepared by the students, and, in the appendix, a translation of a notable address delivered by Dr. Itriago Chacín at the close of the Georgetown students' sojourn in Caracas, together with editorial comments from certain journals of this country and Venezuela. I venture to refer briefly to each of these documents.

Dr. Sherwell's report makes clear how great was the courtesy shown and how extensive were the facilities afforded to the Georgetown students by the official and academic authorities of Venezuela. I believe the University, and for that matter academic circles outside our own University in this country, must be grateful for the many attentions and unfailing interest manifested by the Venezuelan officials and teachers in the work of these students.

Dr. Sherwell's report likewise makes clear that the contact was a valuable one for the particular students who made the trip, and that they bore themselves well and creditably. All the more satisfaction may be derived from this fact inasmuch as the students selected might be fairly taken as a cross section of the student body in the School of Foreign Service,—and you are already aware how widely representative of the youth of our country that student body is. That these young men should have made a favorable impression in a rather long trip of this character when they were under the observation of a great number of persons, and often in situations calling for a demonstration of no inconsiderable poise and sense of the fitness of things, can not but enhance our satisfaction and our confidence not merely in the resourcefulness but in the trustworthiness of the men upon whom this country must depend in the future for the promotion of her trade and the dignified and active representation of her policies.

The address of Dr. Itriago Chacín has been reproduced in full,—in so far as a translation can ever render the full effect of an original,—and it is, quite apart from its intrinsic merit, a document of much interest, for it shows how profitable and enlightening must be the studies in the field of political science carried on by students sent out in groups under conditions described in this report. Studies in the field of Political Science are not, to be sure, the primary object of students going abroad to survey the economic resources, the commercial usages, and the facilities for transportation and distribution of commodities in the countries which they visit. None the less, sustained contact with trained masters of political studies may at times be possible, and should in all cases be availed of in order to gain the valuable experience of hearing points of view on matters of international policy developed in other countries and under conditions quite different from those obtaining at home.

Space forbids that more than thirteen of the reports prepared by the students be published. Those selected are believed to have the more general interest and to contain material not easily found in other sources. All of them were based upon personal investigation and consultation with Venezuelan authorities. Obviously, there are evidences of hasty preparation and the papers leave something to be desired in the arrangement and presentation of material, the collation of figures, and the critical discussion of printed sources. In places, too, there are statements which might require modification if a more mature person were to assume responsibility for the given report. They are submitted solely as the work of students in process of formation.

It is of interest to call attention to the fact that this visit to Venezuela was the source of much favorable comment in the press of the two countries, several papers in the United States dwelling upon its significance as the first formal effort to place our own students directly in contact with the life of the other Republics. Specimens are included in the Appendix.

Dr. Sherwell has referred to the bestowal of a decoration on him by the Venezuelan Government, and has minimized its personal significance. This reservation of his I transmit with amendments, for I can not but share the views of the Venezuelan authorities in granting him first, the Medal of Public Instruction and later the Order of the Liberator, that he had rendered Venezuela a lasting service, no less than his own country, by his dignified, gracious, and enthusiastic interest in the promotion of the intellectual and commercial relations of the two republics.

The immense practical value of laboratory work in the physical sciences is among the cardinal tenets of sound pedagogy. In like manner, the application of economic principles and theories of political science to actual conditions as they exist in the world to-day is the ideal feature of a liberal education for foreign service such as this department undertakes to provide. Perhaps in no other educational program should more pains be taken to cultivate the faculty of accurate observation, exact expression and bold initiative, based on logical reasoning aided by fertile imagination.

Proficiency in the technique of foreign trade or consular practice or diplomatic procedure is but a fractional part of the full equipment of American youths aspiring to serve their country's interests abroad either in public or private capacity. Technical knowledge will be futile unless humanized by a broad sympathy with the men and institutions of other climes. Therefore, the policy of sending such groups of students abroad deserves encouragement, and I earnestly recommend that the Regent of the School of Foreign Service be authorized, on the basis of the substantial success of this first experimental visit, to send such students as it is possible to select and send under competent direction, to other countries in the summer of the present year and hereafter.

Respectfully, Edmund A. Walsh, S. J.,
Regent.
To
John B. Creeden, S. J., Ph. D.,
President of Georgetown University,
Washington, D. C.

Part I
Report of Dr. Guillermo A. Sherwell
Professor of Spanish

to the Regent of the School of Foreign Service

Sir:

In order to afford the students of the School of Foreign Service an opportunity to practise Spanish and to study at first hand economic conditions in one of the South American countries, it was decided in May, 1920, to send a group of not more than twenty to Venezuela under the direction of the Professor of Spanish. The Knights of Columbus agreed to pay for the expenses of twelve of the students, who were holders of scholarships awarded by that organization to ex-service men, and six other candidates offered to pay their own expenses. Consequently, a group of eighteen was selected in accordance with the following conditions laid down by the University authorities: (1) That the student's mark in Spanish had not been less than 70% and (2) That he had not failed in any other subject of the Foreign Service curriculum. The students chosen were:

• Paul Babbitt, Arizona
• J. Homer Butler, Massachusetts
• Frank Chirieleison, District of Columbia
• James F. Costello, Wisconsin
• Walter J. Donnelly, Connecticut
• Edward Fanning, New York
• Willard C. Frazee, Ohio
• Matthew Heiler, Massachusetts
• Nelson Hopkins, New Jersey
• William Johnson, District of Columbia
• George E. Mckenna, Massachusetts
• Thomas Morris, New York
• Edward L. Murphy, Pennsylvania
• James J. O'Neil, Massachusetts
• Joseph P. Quinlan, Massachusetts
• David Schlesinger, Iowa
• Philip D. Sullivan, Massachusetts
• George A. Townsend, Maryland

It was provided that the students should have, each day, an academic hour of formal Spanish instruction while in South America, that they should be distributed among private families where they might have frequent opportunity to practise Spanish and that they should devote a second academic hour each day to recitation and discussion of the economic and financial conditions of Venezuela. Individual research work on economic topics was likewise required. The results of each student's investigations were to be discussed in class so that each student might profit by his fellow-students' labors, each man having one topic on which to report. This program was carried out as it had been planned. The topics, distributed by lot during the sea voyage, were as follows:

• Economic history of Venezuela.
• Agricultural and forestal resources of Venezuela.
• Cattle industry in Venezuela.
• Coffee industry in Venezuela.
• Sugar industry in Venezuela.
• Mineral oil industry in Venezuela.
• Mineral resources of Venezuela.
• Ports of Venezuela.
• Commercial travelers in Venezuela.
• Venezuela as a field for the investment of foreign capital. Present foreign investments.
• Banking and currency in Venezuela. History and present status.
• Venezuelan foreign trade. American goods in Venezuela.
• Bills of exchange, checks, and trade acceptances in Venezuela.
• Steamer and cable communications with Venezuela.
• Taxation and budget in Venezuela.
• Venezuelan public debt.
• Population, immigration, and public education in Venezuela.

On June 16, 1920, the group sailed from New York on the Red "D" Line Steamship Caracas. Several representatives of the press came on board together with friends and alumni of Georgetown to bid Godspeed to the first missionaries of friendship sent by an American university to South America.

On June 26th the group arrived at La Guaira, the port nearest the capital of the country, and was received by personal representatives of the Secretaries of Foreign Relations, of the Treasury and of Public Instruction, as well as by a very distinguished group of students of the different schools of Caracas, headed by their President, Mr. Atilano Carnevali. After lunching at a beach called Macuto, the group was taken in automobiles to Caracas and escorted to their lodgings where two students were placed in each house.

On Monday, June 28th, the message, in Latin, from the University of Georgetown, engraved on parchment and addressed to the Universidad Central de Caracas, was delivered to the Venezuelan authorities in the beautiful auditorium of that University.

The President of the Council, a body which exercises supervision of the University studies and is the supreme examining tribunal for the conferring of diplomas, announced in brief words the object of the meeting and invited us in the following words, to present the message of the University of Georgetown:

"Gentlemen of the National Council of Instruction and Members of the National Commissions; President and Members of the Schools of Physical, Medical, Mathematical and Political Sciences of the City of Caracas; Representatives of the Academies and other Institutions of University Extension; Students, Ladies and Gentlemen:

"We have assembled to receive the visit of illustrious guests who bring a noble and generous message from the University of Georgetown; they come at a time propitious for American patriotism and they are going to spend here the month in which we celebrate the date of the independence of our countries. It will be a pleasure for the Venezuelans to do as much as lies in their power to the end that such distinguished guests carry back to their country the most agreeable impressions. You are about to hear the message from the University of Georgetown. Prof. Sherwell will now address you."

The message follows.

The
President and Faculties of the
University of Georgetown
to
The President and Faculties of
the
Central University of Caracas,

Greetings:

"We avail ourselves of a mission made with an educational object by one of our professors and a group of our students to send to you and to the students of your University fraternal expressions of affection and comradeship from the University of Georgetown.

"The University of Georgetown has developed at the same time that this nation has advanced into its proper life. She has witnessed its struggles for liberty, its efforts to acquire constitutional life, the bloody conflict which was necessary to preserve the union and the last tremendous war into which it entered in order to preserve inviolate the sacred heritage of liberty which our ancestors have handed down to us.

"To each one of these conflicts the University of Georgetown has given liberally of its blood, and she preserves sacred the names of those who carried the banner of the Blue and Gray whithersoever the banner of the Stars and Stripes led them.

"Identified with the country of Washington since the days of Washington, this University believes itself worthy to regard itself as a sister of the University of the country of Bolívar, and in extending its hand to clasp the hand of its sister, the University of Georgetown presents to the University of Caracas her sincere wishes that the friendship of the two institutions may endure and be as profound as was the friendship of the two liberators for the whole American continent, and as sincere as is the friendship which exists between the United States of North America and the United States of Venezuela. Assuredly there is no stronger bond among men than the pure love of liberty and truth. In this common devotion, racial differences are forgotten and party strife ceases. When Truth and Liberty speak, all else is silent.

Farewell.

John B. Creeden, S. J., Ph. D., Rector of the University.

William Coleman Nevils, S. J., Ph. D., Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Thomas I. Gasson, S. J., Ph. D., Dean, Graduate School.

Bruce L. Taylor, D. D. S., Dean, Faculty of Dentistry.

George Martin Kober, M. D., LL. D., Dean, Faculty of Medicine.

George E. Hamilton, LL. D., Dean, Faculty of Law.

Edmund A. Walsh, S. J., Ph. D., Regent, School of Foreign Service.

Given at Washington, on the Ides of June, in the year of our Salvation One Thousand Nine Hundred and Twenty."

Salutation—Georgetown to University of Caracas

After delivering in Spanish the formal message from the University of Georgetown to the Universidad Central de Caracas your representative added the following words:

"The students of the School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University are very sensible of the honor conferred upon them by this reception in the Assembly Hall of the Central University of Caracas, and especially appreciative of the courtesy shown by this distinguished assembly of selected social and educational elements of this capital.

"The students of the School of Foreign Service have been sent to this wonderful country of yours to practise the beautiful Spanish language, to study the economic and financial life of Venezuela, and to live among you your own life and observe your own customs. They come to you with minds set to their work and with hearts open to all impressions which may come from the outside world. Most of them have passed through the harrowing experiences of the World War. They crossed the seas to the European battle fields to defend the cause of liberty for which America stands, and now, upon returning to the activities of civil life, they are preparing themselves for a better service to their country by improving their minds, with the ultimate purpose of promoting the foreign trade of the United States. They have much to learn, and you have much to teach them. They are in your hands, and I am sure that the University of Georgetown could never hope to provide better instructors for students of Latin American affairs.

"We have journied hither with only the general knowledge of this country acquired in our schools, but since our arrival at La Guaira, we have passed through experiences which have left our spirits fatigued, if this expression may be permitted, with the constant spectacle of grandeur and majesty never dreamed of before. As we climbed your lofty mountains, which form a great barrier between the heart of your country and the outside world, we were continually passing from one deep impression to another, and at the same time were arriving at a clearer understanding of the character of your people. We saw the humble laborers of the field stand erect as we passed and show that noble type of manhood which has been observable in all the men we have met in this country. And when we gazed upon the mountains and the huge abysses which abound in this part of the American continent, we ceased to wonder at the marvelous deeds of your famous warriors in your struggle for independence. Backed by men accustomed to fight and conquer a land of mountains and valleys like your mountains and valleys, a chieftain might well dare to range over a continent fighting for the freedom of his own country and offering freedom to neighboring peoples. Bolívar and the Venezuelans seem in some respects identical with this territory. Their characters suggest mountains.

"We shall learn more and more of you during our stay, and I hope you will know us well enough to consider us your sincere and permanent friends.

"To the young men who study in this University I must say a few words, yielding to the old tendency of men accustomed to speak from the chair or the platform of the classroom. It would seem that every teacher should have a message to deliver to the youth of his country, or to those of any other country of the world. My message to you is this: We must use every endeavor in scientific research to extract from nature all that nature has for the benefit of mankind, in order to destroy such evil forces as still molest human beings, to improve our standards of life, to advance upwards to higher levels in thinking and in acting. To accomplish this, we need clear, practical and investigating minds. But beware of the fallacies entertained by those who contend that the mind of man can encompass and explain all truths, and that whatever can not be fully explained by the mind or demonstrated according to the limited means that science may offer is not truth. There are some things above human reason, and to understand them and to explain them we must invoke more than our minds. We must bring to them the best of our hearts. Those great truths that are beyond actual scientific demonstration are not lesser truths, but greater truths. It is not permissible to live indifferent to good and bad as some so-called philosophers pretend, but it is permissible, and it is our solemn duty in many instances, to look beyond science, because there are summits which science does not reach, and to attain which we must fly with the wings of our hearts. The supreme spiritual conceptions of God, of Home, of Country do not fall within the range of the physical sciences, but are, nevertheless, the great, fundamental truths upon which everything noble and everything lofty must rest.

"We thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for opening your doors to us in such a frank and cordial manner, and we hope to prove during our stay in this country that we are not unworthy of such friendship."

The Minister of Public Instruction, Dr. González Rincones, then read the reply of the University of Caracas and later forwarded the engrossed manuscript to Washington:

The President of the Council of Instruction
and the
Faculties of the University of Caracas
to the
President and Faculties
of the
University of Georgetown,
Washington, D. C.,

Greetings:

"We appreciate profoundly your message of friendship, and we see with pleasure under the roof of the University of Caracas your distinguished professor and this chosen group of your students.

"The fraternal expressions of affection and comradeship which the President and Faculties of the University of Georgetown send us have entered into the hearts of our professors and students, and have found there a most cordial welcome. Your travelers will be able to tell you how great has been the enthusiasm which your visit has awakened, a visit which does not come from a house unknown to us, since besides holding in our memory the scientific renown which the University of Georgetown deservedly enjoys, and the marks of glory of which she boasts, we remember with that fondness which we owe to all that proceeds from the Father of our Country, the special recommendation which he made that Fernando Bolívar be educated in the celebrated and ancient College of Georgetown, which we see to-day converted into a great University.

"Venezuelan students have distinguished themselves always by love of liberty, and have sacrificed themselves with Ribas in the holy struggle for our independence. With equal love they venerate Science and Liberty. It is not strange, then, that they are full of joy in receiving envoys of a University which, on the banks of the Potomac and near the tomb of Washington, holds always aloft the ideals which the liberators of the North and of the South loved with passionate devotion.

"The professors and students of the country of Bolívar clasp cordially the hand which the University of Georgetown extends to them, and will deem it a signal honor to cultivate the friendship which tradition has originated and which the visit of your professor and your students will contribute powerfully to cement."

Given in the City of Caracas, the fourth day before the Kalends of July in the year of our Salvation, One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty.

Farewell.

President of the Council of National Instruction,
R. González Rincones.

The President of the Commission of Theology,
Nicolás E. Navarro.

The President of the Commission of Political Sciences,
Carlos F. Grisanti.

The President of the Commission of Medicine,
Luis Razetti.

The President of the Commission of Physics, Mathematics, and Natural Sciences,
Germán Jiménez.

The President of the Commission of Philosophy and Letters,
R. Villavicencio.

The President of the Commission of Political Sciences,
José Santiago Rodríguez.

The President of the Faculty of Medicine,
Luis Felipe Blanco.

The President of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences,
Luis Ugueto.

Secretary of the Council of Instruction,
Eduardo Calcaño Sz.

Beginning Tuesday, June 29th, regular lectures in Spanish and economics were held in a splendid room in the National Library of Venezuela placed at the disposal of our group. The Director of the Library, Dr. Manuel Segundo Sánchez, very graciously and with considerable pains furnished the students with all books, documents, and information they required, and during our entire stay in Caracas did all in his power to make us comfortable and render our work successful. Dr. Sánchez deserves the gratitude of the University.

The Minister of Public Instruction, Dr. Rafael González Rincones, kindly gave the students letters of introduction to the persons in charge of the different government offices who were in a position to furnish them the most accurate information on the assigned topics. Furthermore, all offices were thrown open to the Georgetown students, and all the public officials placed themselves at their disposal whenever they went to them in search of information or help.

Reply of University of Caracas to Georgetown

The work of the students was supplemented by several entertainments, such as a luncheon given by the students of the Venezuela in the Normal School; a reception tendered by the Seminary of Caracas, with the attendance of the Archbishop and the Nuncio; a theatrical function in the National Theatre; a picnic in a grove called Los Chorros; a visit to an industrial exhibition where they learned of the remarkable progress made by that country in recent years; and finally a concert and theatrical performance by the College of San Francisco de Sales, at which the "Star Spangled Banner" was sung by the students and the United States flag and the Georgetown colors were displayed together with the Venezuelan flag.

On one occasion the Federation of Students held a reception at the School of Political Sciences in honor of the Georgetown students. Addresses were delivered by the president of the Federation and by your representative, who took occasion to describe some of the characteristics of student life in the United States, which could not but be of interest to students in other countries, terminating his remarks with the expression of a sincere wish for closer relations between the students of the University of Caracas and those of Georgetown.

The College of San Francisco de Sales from the first day opened its doors to the students of Georgetown, who found there a real home, and they certainly used it to their best advantage, playing tennis, baseball, and mingling freely with the students and the persons in charge of that institution. The Reverend Jerónimo Gordini, Director of the College, Dom Pardo and other professors of the establishment deserve the gratitude of our University.

The authorities of the Military Academy of Venezuela, realizing that most of the Georgetown students who were visiting that country had seen service in the United States Army, tendered them a reception on the Fourth of July, at which many distinguished ladies and gentlemen of Caracas were present. The cadets gave an exhibition drill, after which tea was served in the large hall of the Academy, which had been beautifully decorated with flowers in combinations representing the colors of the United States and Venezuela. The Director of the Academy addressed the Georgetown men, welcoming them cordially; and your representative answered in the following terms:

"Mr. Director, Officers and Students of The Military Academy, Ladies and Gentlemen:

"The idea of country finds expression in certain symbols which, powerfully impressed in the hearts of men, lead them to great deeds, even to the sacrifice of their lives, for principles radicated in their hearts and minds from childhood. Those symbols are the flag, the national anthem and the army.

"The army is a country itself, converted into a weapon of protection and defense, and is constituted not only of men who form the ranks of the present, but also of the glorious traditions of the men who have formed the ranks of days gone by.

"Armies are heirs to a rich legacy of honor, and in increasing that legacy and leaving it to their successors, they bequeath the noblest ideals of unsurpassed patriotism.

"Were we to institute a comparative study of the achievements of the armies of the various countries of the world, we should find that no one of them surpasses the Venezuelan army in the glory of its traditions. You are the descendants and the followers of those men who, under the guidance of Bolívar's mighty genius, traversed this continent holding aloft the flag of liberty, creating countries wherever they went, and writing with their own blood the supreme epic of South American independence. You students of this Academy are the hope of your country. She trusts you as a fond mother trusts in the love and protection of her vigorous growing sons. You have an inheritance of which you may well be proud. This inheritance imposes upon you a great responsibility. You are to increase it, never to imperil it. You will never, I am confident, tarnish the purity of Venezuela's glory by not exemplifying the highest ideals of life or by not striving in every way for the promotion of Venezuela's welfare.

"These young Americans who are here among you have been soldiers, and with the fellowship of comrades they are here in intimate communication with you, feeling a deep sense of respect for the sons of a sister republic which their fathers have long appreciated and loved. They extend the hand of brotherhood and ask you to believe that their purposes are also yours—the best service to their country and the preserving of the sacred inheritance of honor handed down to them by their forefathers.

"Wherever patriotism is alive, wherever there exist the same inspiration and the same lofty purposes, comradeship is not a mere formula, but a union of souls. We feel that we have seen the very soul of Venezuela, and when we leave your hospitable Academy we shall carry away with us a deep respect and admiration for your country, for your institutions and for your army."

On the Fourth of July wreaths were deposited on the tomb of Bolívar and statue of Washington. Addresses were delivered on the latter occasion by the president of the Students' Federation, Mr. Atilano Carnevali, and at the former ceremony by your representative.

A most pleasant interruption in our work was a four-day automobile trip which lasted from Sunday, July 11th, to Wednesday, July 14th, and which was provided by the Minister of Public Instruction.

On Sunday morning all arose at about three o'clock, and after taking coffee, we boarded automobiles in the Plaza Bolívar, from which point a start was made at five o'clock. I shall not undertake to describe the wonderful Venezuelan mountains and valleys. They must be seen to have their grandeur appreciated. The automobile roads passing through the valleys and over the mountains are as good as can be found anywhere in this country, and it is a matter of great surprise that so few tourists visit Venezuela, where the scenery has no superior in beauty, where the climate is unsurpassed in mildness and healthfulness, the safety of travelers is as secure as in the best streets of a well-policed city, and where the comforts of traveling—at least by automobile—are as great as could be found in the United States, not to mention the extreme courtesy of the Venezuelans, a quality which is not shallow, but comes from the heart and makes all foreigners feel very much at home.

At 6:15 A. M. the group reached the little town of Los Teques enveloped in a morning mist, the stillness broken by the ringing of the bells of a little chapel, calling the faithful to worship. We left the automobiles and entered the church, and had one of the most charming experiences of our lives by attending the service in that quiet country shrine.

About 8:30 A. M. we arrived at a place called Guayas, where we had an excellent breakfast. From there we continued our trip through the valley of Aragua, which lies to the west of the valley of Caracas. The entire valley of Aragua is rich with memories of Bolívar and the struggle for independence. There stands his old farm, San Mateo, made sacred by the memories of Captain Ricaurte, who blew himself and an hostile army to pieces rather than allow the ammunition of the patriots to fall into the hands of their foes. There lies the town of La Victoria, where the brave general Ribas defeated the royalists with the aid of the students of the city of Caracas. Every plain, hill, brook and forest seems to speak of Venezuela's epic fight for independence.

At 12:30 we stopped at a place called San Juan de Los Morros, where we enjoyed a bath in the sulphur springs, had luncheon as the guests of the Minister of Public Instruction, and had the pleasure of meeting the president-elect, the provisional president, and several other high officials of the Republic. From San Juan de Los Morros we continued to Maracay, a city of about 15,000 inhabitants, where the president-elect, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, generally resides.

Leaving Maracay early Monday morning and crossing the mountain range which divides the valley of Aragua from the seashore, we journied to the port of Ocumare de la Costa. The road is a constant marvel. Carved in the live rock of the mountain, it climbs from the lowland surrounding Lake Valencia up to the clouds, and actually pierces the clouds until a spot called Rancho Grande is attained. From there it begins to descend towards the Caribbean Sea. On the south side of the mountains the beautiful lake of Valencia can be seen, visible at times in its complete extension, surrounded by forests, sugarcane plantations and cattle farms. The hills to the south are covered with coffee plantations. There several small rivers finish their courses. Stretching down to the seashore may be seen numerous cocoa and rubber plantations.

Ocumare de la Costa is a very fine natural port. There Miranda and Bolívar landed with their troops to fight for independence, and at it, too, ten young Americans landed to join the Independent Army of Venezuela. All these youths were made prisoners by the Spaniards and executed. We saw the two beautiful monuments erected to their memory, one in Maracay and another in Puerto Cabello. Colonel Romero, Commander of the Port, entertained us at luncheon.

In the afternoon we drove back by the same road and had still time to visit Las Delicias, where there is a good zoological museum containing, among other animals, beautiful specimens of herons, which produce the famous aigrettes. It is to be noted that there is in Venezuela a very stringent law against the killing of herons or even against the plucking of their feathers. The aigrettes are to be obtained only in the places where the herons assemble and drop their feathers naturally, at certain periods of the year. In view of these facts it seems reasonable to suggest that our law prohibiting the importation of aigrettes should make an exception of feathers coming from Venezuela.

After spending a second night in Maracay, we left on Tuesday for a trip around Lake Valencia. We visited a cream and cheese factory where the most modern machinery is used in multiplying the products of the dairy industry. On our way we visited the town of Güigüe, where we were the object of the most courteous attention from General Romero Galván, who accompanied us to the great coffee plantation of El Trompillo, owned by the Pimentel family, two members of which, Don Antonio and Don Manuel, made our brief stay as pleasant as it was instructive.

From El Trompillo we proceeded to inspect a sugar plantation called Tacarigua, where the overseer in charge of the machinery explained to the students all the processes in the preparation of cane sugar. From Tacarigua we continued to Valencia, where we arrived in the afternoon, having had luncheon in a small town called Bucarito. Valencia has been called the most beautiful of tropical cities and, indeed, it deserves the distinction. From Valencia we continued around the lake until we arrived again in Maracay, after having once more admired the beauty and splendid condition of the Venezuelan automobile roads.

Our last night we spent in Maracay, and on Wednesday started back to Caracas. The return trip was made more slowly to enable us to stop at several historical places and hear the interesting explanations very kindly given by Dr. Manuel Segundo Sánchez, Director of the National Library, who was our kind and learned guide and friend throughout the trip. At San Mateo, we stopped and took several pictures of the house where Captain Ricaurte made the supreme sacrifice of his life for the independence of Venezuela. In La Victoria we visited several places of historic interest and had a picture taken of the statue of the heroic general Ribas. In Guayas we remained for over an hour resting. Late in the afternoon we arrived in Caracas delighted with our trip and warmly grateful both to the Minister of Public Instruction, to whose kindness we owed the valuable experience, and to Dr. Manuel Segundo Sánchez, to whom we owed most of the profit and pleasure derived from the expedition.

Recitations and research work continued as before until Thursday, July 29th, when we had the last formal class. It would be of interest to recount some of the minor activities of the members of the class if time and space would permit. For instance, several students were charged to keep a detailed and accurate thermometric and barometric record in order to demonstrate the fact that Caracas has a clearer and less oppressive climate in summer than any of the great cities of the north Atlantic seaboard of the United States. On Friday, the 30th, a written examination in Spanish was held from 9 to 11, and at 11 o'clock the students proceeded to the School of Social Sciences where our course was to terminate with a lecture delivered by Dr. Pedro Itriago Chacín, head of the diplomatic service of the government, professor of international law, and a well known internationalist of Venezuela. In the appendix of this report appears a translation of Dr. Itriago's address. At the close of the inspiring address of Dr. Itriago Chacín, a student in his course, Don Pedro La-Riva Vale, briefly expressed the sentiment of fraternal feelings of Venezuelan students for the Georgetown students. Some sentences from his remarks are not unworthy of quotation.

"Our satisfaction is greater when we turn our eyes to the pages of our diplomatic history, for we can not forget, if we are grateful, that North America, ever ready to foster noble ideas of Freedom, has always encouraged those who aspire to Liberty, with the same ardor which she inspired in the heart of her legionaries in the crusade for her freedom.

"At the time of our emancipation, following her own indications that Congress would duly receive the representatives of those who fought constantly to give us a free country, the United States on June 26, 1810, sent to the Supreme Council of Caracas Mr. Lowry, in the capacity of financial agent, who had the duties proper to a consular position although he was not received in this capacity because it was not allowed by the form of government existing at that time. In 1811, the two Houses manifested their sympathy and interest for the newly-born sovereignties; it was Democracy sanctioning the conquests of Liberty. Later, Scott was made Agent of Supplies, and Lowry, Consul in fact; and Congress voted credits to establish legations, thus sanctioning our introduction into the community of free countries. In 1824, commercial ties were established which, strengthened day by day, are the vital arteries giving force to the economic organism of our nationalities.

"Monroe, when he defined in his celebrated doctrine our rights to independence and formulated the prohibition to Europeans against colonizing in the new world, sanctioned in the most emphatic manner the highest achievement of American rights. "America for Americans,"—without any spurious interpretation such as some have given to it,—is the condensation of the efforts of the champions of the freedom of America, of this, our America, which has known how to defend its right amid the vibrations of its tempestuous seas! Bolívar, breaking the chains of slavery with an invincible sword, and Monroe, establishing a new concept of right, understand each other. Subsequently the Monroe doctrine was our shield in many transcendental events of our international life. It was the formidable weapon opposing the predatory ambition of England in 1895, when Grover Cleveland valiantly forced her to submit to arbitration her pretensions to the Venezuelan territory near the border of British Guiana. It was also our support in the incident brought about by Count Magliano, when he sought to obtain pressure from his own government, as well as from Germany, France and Belgium, on Venezuela. As for the coalition between Italy, England and Germany, those sorrowful days are not far distant, when our territory saw itself so seriously threatened, until finally the opposing parties agreed to submit their contention to the Supreme Tribunal of the Hague."

In answer to the stirring words of Dr. Itriago Chacín and Mr. La-Riva Vale, your representative expressed genuine hope in the recovery and substantial progress of the principles of international law based, more than ever, squarely upon a thoroughly enlightened and responsive public opinion. Democracy would, in the course of time, and perhaps in a surprisingly reasonable brief time, come to contain a genuine and significant meaning and guarantee of world peace. Perhaps at present we are passing through reactions natural and inevitable after the stupendous conflict from which we have just emerged, but those who are able to measure the progress of culture on a larger scale than the months and years, are not without great hope and substantial confidence. He closed his remarks with the expression of sincere thanks for the generous cooperation and sincere cordiality of the authorities and students alike of the professional and academic world of Caracas.

On August 7th a reception was given at the School of Political Sciences at which Dr. José Santiago Rodríguez, Director of the School, who possesses a wide acquaintance with commercial and economic conditions in the United States by reason of a careful survey of them made in the interest of his Government, eloquently expressed the hope of closer relations between the two countries, not merely with reference to commerce and investment, but between the youth of both lands and on as profoundly spiritual plan as possible.

Enthusiastic assurances of the sentiments of cordial solidarity towards North America animating the sentiments of Venezuela was voiced by a student of the School of Political Science, Don Aníbal Villasmil Gabaldón. Again it was the pleasant duty of your representative to express the appreciation of the students for all the courtesies and sincere manifestations of friendship showered upon them, and to renew the expression of confidence that the work of the University of Caracas would go far in the firm and enduring upbuilding of an enlightened public opinion, which would be regarded by the students of North America as of the greatest service to mankind.

On Saturday, July 31st, two of our students left Caracas for the United States. On Tuesday, August 3rd, six more students left, and on Monday, August 9th, the rest of the students and your representative embarked for New York. The steamer stopped for thirty-six hours at Puerto Cabello, for some hours at Curazao, and for twenty-four hours at San Juan de Puerto Rico. On Friday, August 20th, we landed in New York, and thus came to an end the first university field work in economics directed towards the expansion of American foreign trade.

During our stay in Caracas, the physical welfare of the students was not neglected and consequently there were no serious cases of illness. The change of food occasioned some minor ailments but no alarming results occurred. All the members of the party were comfortably lodged, and in all respects well taken care of by orders of the Minister of Public Instruction. They had occasion also to engage in sports, notably in baseball. Three public games were played, the first with the students of the School of San Francisco de Sales, the second with the American commercial employees of Caracas, and the third with the students of the College of San Francisco de Sales, in which we won a loving cup offered by the Minister of Public Instruction. Tennis was frequently enjoyed and excursions to the beautiful mountain, Ávila, were also organized.

Every opportunity was offered our students to mingle socially with the best families of Caracas. Thus, they had not only the means to practise Spanish, but also a rare opportunity to enjoy intimate contact with the character of the Venezuelan people, whose constant kindness and genuine courtesy made a deep and lasting impression on the Georgetown boys.

Among the persons entitled to our gratitude, besides those already mentioned, are Dr. Vicente Lecuna, a senator of the country and the President of the Banco de Venezuela, a man universally respected by reason of his high moral character, who was instrumental in obtaining for us valuable information and who showed himself tireless in his efforts to help our students at every turn and on any subject; Dr. Víctor V. Maldonado, the Director of the Industrial Exhibition; Mr. Atilano Carnevali, President of the Federation of Students, and all the members of the Federation; the Reverend Evaristo Ipiñázar, S. J., Rector of the Seminary; Monsignor Nicolás E. Navarro, Apostolic Prothonotary, and all the dignitaries of the Church, among whom special mention is respectfully made of Monsignor Rincón González, the Archbishop of Venezuela, and His Excellency, Monsignor Marchetti, the Papal Nuncio. Dr. Manuel C. Correa of the Department of Public Instruction, the Director of the Normal School and the faculties of the University and of the different institutions of learning in Caracas also deserve our grateful remembrances.

The Venezuelan press was extremely kind to us in its remarks. An expression of sincere thanks is due to El Nuevo Diario, El Impartial, El Universal, Religión, Actualidades, Billiken and other publications.

As a last honor, your representative was decorated with the medal of "Public Instruction" by the Executive of Venezuela, according to a decree of July 27, 1920, published in the Official Gazette of the country on Friday, August 13, of the same year, No. 14,138. In his answer to the communication of the Minister of Public Instruction notifying him of this honor, your representative made it clear that this recognition is very superior to his personal attainments and is to be considered an honor conferred on the School of Foreign Service rather than on himself.[1]

Respectfully submitted,
G. A. Sherwell.
To
Edmund A. Walsh, S. J.,
Regent of the School of Foreign Service,
Georgetown University,
Washington, D. C.

[1] The Medal of Public Instruction has since been conferred by the President of Venezuela on John B. Creeden, S. J., President of Georgetown University and Edmund A. Walsh, S. J., Regent of the School of Foreign Service.

Dr. Sherwell was further honored by the Venezuelan Government with the high distinction of membership in the "Order of the Liberator."

Edward Fanning William Johnson Joseph P. Quinlan George A. Townsend Paul Babbitt
Frank Chirieleison Nelson Hopkins Philip D. Sullivan Thomas Morris James F. Costello David Schlesinger Matthew Heiler
Willard C. Frazee Edward I. Murphy J. Homer Butler Dr. Sherwell Walter J. Donnelly James J. O'Neil George E. McKenna

Part II
Student Reports

THE ECONOMIC HISTORY OF VENEZUELA

References Used.—History of South America, W. H. Koebel; With the Trade Winds, Ira Nelson Morris; The Land of Bolívar, Statesman's Yearbook, 1918-1919; Reports of International High Commission; Reports of Minister of Finance (Venezuela); Official Gazette of Venezuela.

GEOGRAPHICAL

The United States of Venezuela occupies the northernmost part of South America bounded on the ocean side by the Atlantic and the Caribbean and on the land side by British Guiana, Colombia and Brazil. It has an area of 393,976 square miles (1,020,396 kilometers) with a population, however, of only 2,848,121 or approximately 7 to the square mile. This is in striking contrast with the figures obtained from the United States Census of 1920 which shows an average population of 35.5 to the square mile.

Venezuela is divided geographically into four zones, the llanos or large plains and river valleys which afford excellent opportunities for the raising of cattle, the mountain section, formed by three mountain ranges, the table lands or plateaus and the mining zone. Venezuela covers the same extent of superficial area as France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Switzerland, Portugal, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The country is especially fortunate in having an immense coast line which extends over 1,800 miles. It has 32 ports, some 50 creeks and bays, 7 peninsulas and 7 straits. Besides the Lake of Maracaibo, which is the largest and of special importance, there are also 204 smaller lakes, 60 rivers, 8 of which are of the first magnitude. Along with the variety of physical features Venezuela has a variety of climate which permits the raising of many crops of the tropical and temperate zones.

POLITICAL

Venezuela was sighted by Columbus on his third voyage in 1498, when he entered the Gulf of Paria and sailed along the Delta of the Orinoco. In 1550 this territory became the Captain-generalcy of Caracas and remained under Spanish rule until early in the nineteenth century.

The modern history of Venezuela dates from the year 1813 when Simón Bolívar took up arms against the Spanish Government and finally defeated them at the Battle of Boyaca on August 7, 1819. Two years later at Carabobo the Royalist forces were entirely routed and an end was put to Spanish control in South America.

Simón Bolívar is venerated in Venezuela as the father of his country, a title which he richly deserves. He was born in Caracas in 1783 and from his earliest years his life seemed to be dedicated to the cause of freedom. As a young man he studied in France and was an eye witness to many of the scenes of the French Revolution, so that the spirit of freedom and revolt against despotic government was further intensified in him.

After his victory over the Spanish forces in 1821 Bolívar was formally appointed President of Colombia which then included the present republics of Venezuela and Ecuador. In 1830 Venezuela separated from Colombia and became an independent state. The remainder of Bolívar's public career was devoted to tireless labor in behalf of his people that they might enjoy a stable and beneficial government. He died at Santa Marta on December 17, 1830, almost penniless after having labored throughout his entire life in the interest of his native country.

On March 30, 1845, Spain recognized the independence of Venezuela in the Treaty of Madrid.

A period of successive revolutions followed until finally in 1870 Guzman Blanco assumed control of the country as dictator. Evading the provisions of the constitution which prohibits the election of a President for successive terms, Blanco successfully arranged through two decades for the nomination of some one of his colleagues who was to hold office as a figurehead.

The people finally tired of this procedure and in 1889 there was a revolt against the dictator which resulted in his overthrow. At the elections which followed General Andueza Palacios was elected to the presidency, but another revolution followed in 1891, during which Palacios was unseated and General Crespo, his vanquisher, took up the reins of government.

During the administration of General Crespo trouble arose with Great Britain over the boundary between British Guiana and Venezuela. President Cleveland intervened in 1895, urging arbitration and finally in 1899 the matter was amicably settled. This difference with Great Britain left certain memories with the Venezuelan people which for a long time operated to the discouragement of British capital.

After another series of revolts, General Cipriano Castro became president in 1900. Internal disturbances continued and in addition to this misfortune, Castro ruled as a dictator, employing corrupt and revolutionary methods which not only aggravated the domestic disease but ruined credit before the nations of the world. In 1907 the Belgium debt was repudiated and the following year trouble arose with Holland regarding the harboring of refugees in Curaçao. Diplomatic relations were also broken off with England, Italy and France during Castro's administration. Finally, in 1908 he found it advisable to retire to Europe and in his absence Juan Vicente Gómez, the Vice President, took control and was installed as President in June, 1910. General Gómez still exercises the supreme power in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Army.

PRODUCTS

(See Reports on Agriculture, Minerals, and Animal Industries.)

BANKS AND CURRENCY

There are four national banks in the country—the Bank of Venezuela, the Bank of Caracas, the Bank of Maracaibo and the Commercial Bank. These four banks issue paper currency, which is not legal tender, although generally accepted as such.

Previous to the establishment of branch banks in Venezuela by foreign concerns, the majority of import and export houses doing business in the Republic were engaged in domestic and foreign banking business. As a general rule, these merchants charged such a high rate of interest that individuals could not improve their property nor prosper in their regular agricultural pursuits.

In 1916 the Royal Bank of Canada opened a branch in Caracas and in several other places in the country. Three years later the National City Bank of New York entered the field and opened branches in Caracas and Maracaibo. Other concerns which have opened branches are the Anglo-Spanish-American Bank, Ltd., The Commercial Bank of Spanish America, Grace & Co. of New York through their branch, the Venezuela Commercial Company, and The Mercantile Bank of the Americas.

The currency is on a gold basis and gold coins of foreign countries are accepted as legal tender. The coinage of silver and subsidiary metal is restricted.

The bolivar, named in honor of the Liberator, is the monetary unit and contains 1-1000 part of a kilogram of gold.

Gold coins are issued in 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 bolivar pieces. Silver coins are issued in 1, 2½, 5 bolivar pieces and 50 and 20 centimo pieces. The smaller, token coins, are of nickel in 12½ and 5 centimo pieces. The five-bolivar piece is commonly known as the "fuerte" and is worth $.96½ in U. S. gold.

AIDS TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Capital can be supplied in either of two ways: by investors from foreign countries or through loans made by the government of Venezuela to individuals who are unable to interest outside capital. For the welfare of the country, the latter seems to be more advisable, as it would reach a larger number of small farmers who are not in need of large sums, and who moreover are not familiar with the financial requirements of foreign investors.

A provision similar to the Federal Farm Loan Act passed in the United States in July, 1917, would be of immense importance in aiding agriculture enterprises.

The lack of immigration has long been a serious problem in the economic development of this country; it can only be said that the government has this question under discussion and probably something will soon be done to induce immigrants to come to Venezuela where a multitude of opportunities await them.[2] However, it will be necessary for the government to assure this class of prospective citizens that the bulk of desirable land is still in the hands of small holders and that the power of the government is sufficient to protect the small farmers.

[2] See report on new Immigration Act, pp. 39-41.

In spite of the fact that the country is very sparsely settled, the present railroad system is inadequate and large tracts of land are of little or no value because of the expense of handling the products. Obviously, the products of these areas can not successfully compete in the world's markets, if the margin of profit has been absorbed antecedently by high transportation expenses.

The oldest railroad is the Bolívar Railroad which was begun in 1873. It is a 24-inch gauge, 176½ kilometers long and extends from Tuscasas to Barquisimeto. The La Ciella line was authorized in 1880 and has a 91-meter gauge and a length of 81½ kilometers.

The most important road and one of the few which has paid any returns is the La Guaira to Caracas line, which is about 23 miles long and was built by British capital.

In passing it can truly be said that railroad development has been retarded as much by political insecurity as by the undeveloped industrial state of the country, the topography and the expense of securing railroad equipment. However, the present administration is giving considerable attention to this need and an extensive program of wagon-road building is now in process of construction and plans have also been perfected for extensive railroad expansion.

GOVERNMENT

The Republic of Venezuela was founded in 1830 by separation from the other members of the "Free State" established by Simón Bolívar within the limits of the old Spanish colony of New Granada. The Constitution was modeled after that of the United States of North America, but greater autonomy is allowed to provincial and local governments.

The chief executive is the President, elected for a term of six years, assisted by six ministers and a Federal Council of 19 members. The Federal Council is appointed by Congress every two years; the Council chooses a President from its own members, who is also President of the Republic. Neither the President nor members of the Federal Council can be re-elected for the following period.

The legislative branch of the government is divided into two houses called the Senate, whose members are elected for six years by the State Legislatures, and the House of Representatives, whose members are also elected for a six year-period, but by direct vote, one to each 40,000 inhabitants.

The country is divided into 20 States, 2 Territories and a Federal District. The National Congress includes 40 Senators and 52 Representatives. Each state has an equal number of representatives, each having a legislative Assembly, whose members are chosen in accordance with its respective constitution.

PROSPECTIVE

Venezuela stands to-day upon the threshold of great interior development especially in agriculture and cattle-raising. Her position is similar to that of the United States after the Civil War when vast areas, sparsely settled, lay awaiting the movement of population to develop them. Her mineral resources are practically untouched and opportunities await foreign capitalists who are familiar with the development of new countries.

The political situation, however, should not be neglected. W. H. Koebel in his "History of South America" says, "No state of South America can show such a perpetual ferment, such a fog of unrest and strife hanging over and choking its development as this." Whether or not the past eight years of stable government and national prosperity has demonstrated to the people of Venezuela the proper course to follow is a question beyond the scope of the present inquiry.

In any event, the foreign investor will be well advised if he places his capital in Venezuela only after mature consideration of the political changes of the last two decades and the ability of the present administration to carry through its policy of enlightened development.

James F. Costello.

POPULATION, IMMIGRATION, EDUCATION

References:

• Census Bureau, Caracas, Venezuela, July, 1920.
• Memoria del Ministro del Fomento, 1920.
• Confidential Report of Department of Commerce, 1919.
• Memoria de Instrucción Pública, 1918, 1919, 1920.
• Memoria de Obras Públicas, 1920, Vol. 1.
• Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The last official census of Venezuela, which was completed in the year 1891, placed the population of the country at 2,323,527. According to the Venezuelan Year Book of 1904, 10% of the people are white and of European descent, but by far the larger part, possibly 70% of the total, is a mixed race in which white and Indian blood prevail, the remainder being pure Indian blood. It is not to be expected that the new census, begun in August, 1919, will show any great changes because of the three following reasons:[3]

1. The neglect of sanitation and hygiene in the past, which was responsible for a heavy death rate.

2. The numerous civil wars and revolutions, which ended however some fifteen years ago, when a reconstruction period commenced under the present régime.

3. Comparative lack of immigration, the actual increase being balanced by the yearly total of emigration of Venezuelans to foreign countries.

[3] In 1917 the population was estimated as 2,848,121. The last census, 1919-1920, may show some increase.

The future, however, holds brighter prospects due to the fact that remedies have been found for the first two causes, and energetic efforts are being made to increase immigration, as will be shown in detail later.

Within an area of approximately 394,000 square miles the greater part of the people is found in the regions of Lake Maracaibo, the Federal District of Caracas and along the Coast, the Southern and interior sections being to a great extent unknown and unexplored. The region of Barquisimeto in the state of Lara is the most densely populated area, while in Apure far to the south is found low swampy land, sparsely populated, interlaced with a network of rivers, which in the rainy season cover the entire country with a blanket of water, making travel impossible for months and mail deliveries most difficult and irregular.

The agricultural zone extending along the coast and inland to the Orinoco, employs 20% of the population in this pursuit alone, and contains all the important cities of Venezuela, with the exception of Ciudad Bolívar. The largest city is Caracas, with a population (including the Federal District) estimated to-day at 137,687, an increase of 47,687 since 1891. Its sea-port is La Guaira, connected by a railroad winding around 23 miles of mountains. The second port of importance is Puerto Cabello in the vicinity of Valencia, the second largest city of Venezuela, which has a population estimated at 64,681. Maracaibo with 48,480 is the third largest city in Venezuela, being second in the country in business importance. This last district ought to have the heaviest increase in the future due to the location of the mines and petroleum wells in this area which attract the majority of immigrants, while its heavy coffee exportations offer a wide field for investment and employment.

Mérida, and Barcelona with its port of Juanta which serves the coal and salt mining regions, are two important populous regions while other cities varying in population from 10,000 to 50,000 are Ciudad Bolívar, Barquisimeto, Trujillo and Juanare.

A glance at the following data, with the last two reports approximately estimated, will serve to show the increase.

The most heavily populated districts are:

The least populated states are:

The territories which have had no increase since 1891:

Revised statistics June 19, 1920, for the city of Caracas:

Yearly increase of population estimated from comparative statistics of births, deaths, immigration and emigration:

IMMIGRATION

The nationalities that immigrate to Venezuela, in order of numbers, at the present time are Americans, Germans, Italians, Spaniards, Syrians, Hollanders, with few French and English. Of these, the Spaniards, Italians and Syrians alone, with a few odd exceptions, become citizens. Before the war, Germany furnished the preponderant immigrant element but to-day the Germans are coming in fewer numbers, and Americans are increasing proportionately.

The reasons for the American increase are mainly the establishment of three branches of the Royal Bank of Canada in Venezuela in 1916; the National City Bank of New York with two branches, one in Caracas the other in Maracaibo, and the Mercantile Bank of America with branches in the same two cities. As mentioned above, the petroleum activities in San Lorenzo in the Maracaibo district, the mines and coffee ventures, also brought many Americans.

The lack of immigration in the past has been due mainly to sanitary conditions, and the internal troubles of the country. The foreigner, if unmolested long enough to build up a profitable business, faced the danger of having it swept away, and his life endangered during one of the frequent revolutionary outbreaks prior to the present régime. However, great efforts are being expended to promote immigration as vitally necessary for the future successful upbuilding of the country, for Venezuela relies for her increase in population upon this source and consequently several methods have been pursued to attain this end. A glance at the laws of immigration formulated January 7, 1893, will show the favorable inducements offered foreigners.

The Decree of 1893 created a Board of Immigration to promote colonization. The Board is known as the Central Board of Immigration and established subordinate boards throughout the country. These societies, state societies, as well as private companies, were authorized to make the following favorable concessions to induce foreigners to come and colonize unused lands.

1. Payment of the immigrant's passage by land and sea, from the place of embarkation to any of the main immigrant depots. The National Government may also pay the passage of the immigrant from the place of residence to the place of embarkation.

2. Payment of landing expenses and board and lodging for thirty days after arrival.

3. Admission free of duty of their wearing apparel, domestic utensils, and instruments of trade.

4. Exemption of any payments for necessary passports.

SPECIAL PROVISIONS

All rights accorded by law to aliens are guaranteed, and if naturalized they are exempt from military duties, except only in case of foreign wars.

Special provisions were also made in behalf of individuals and companies organizing colonies for settlement in Venezuela.

The manner of making contracts with immigrants is carefully specified in the following manner:

(a) Those who purchase lands during the first two years of their settlement, shall not be bound to pay the price thereof until after the expiration of four years, counted from the day actual possession is taken. They can not dispose of the land, however, during this period.

(b) The title is not to be determined until the stipulated price is paid and the required cultivation and residence proved.

Special provisions and concessions were also made for the colonization of public lands by private individuals and companies.

There is an annual appropriation in the National Budget to promote this project. At the time of this writing, Mr. Simon Barcelo is in Europe, traveling through the different countries inducing immigrants to come, and acting as a forwarding agent. The result of his endeavors is being manifested in the increased number of immigrants arriving within recent months.

Venezuela's immigration is bound to increase in the future, for advertisement is bringing results. The subjoined statistics will show that this is not the only problem confronting the Government, for the balance of immigration and emigration is only slightly in favor of the former, as many Venezuelans leave the country yearly for the West Indies, the United States and Europe. Whereas before the war, the majority of the youths were educated in Europe, and travelers naturally sought Europe, difficulty of communication and transportation during the war turned the stream toward the United States, and the present popularity of Americans in Venezuela bids fair to perpetuate this condition of affairs.

PUBLIC EDUCATION

Education in Venezuela is free, and in the six primary grades is compulsory, the schools from the ages of 7 to 14 years being maintained by the National Government, State, or Municipality, the Department of Education being under the direct supervision of the Minister of Public Instruction, with subordinate officials forming a board. In 1908 Mr. Guillermo Todd, a distinguished Venezuelan educator, was sent to the United States, where he spent two years in the larger cities inspecting the school system, the normal schools and universities. On his return he was appointed superintendent of schools, and reorganized the system, introducing many American ideas and methods which largely prevail to-day.

The maintenance of the educational system depends upon the receipts from stamps, from post-cards and letters, from fines collected from violators of the instruction laws; from taxes upon inheritances, imposts upon tobacco leaves and manufactures, and from the proceeds of the revenue stamps placed upon boxes of cigars.

During the school year of 1919 there were founded two primary schools with three teachers each, two with two teachers and nine schools with one teacher. Two schools were suspended and eleven changed into co-educational with one teacher, while thirteen schools changed their location. Heretofore education has followed the population only. Outside the cities, towns and large cities near the coast there were scant educational facilities, and the rural population was to a large extent uninstructed, there being no schools nor teachers. During 1917 a movement was inaugurated to establish rural schools in all industrial districts, and migratory schools of this kind are now in operation in Frujillo, in Mario El Cantado and Caracas, the states and municipalities have taken the matter in hand. On September 19, 1919, a decree was passed by the National Government to offer a bonus in the form of wages, of from 100 to 200 bolivares ($20.00 to $40.00) to competent persons possessing a certificate of primary elemental instruction, who would enroll and teach children below fourteen years of age the rudiments of education in localities of small population where there were no public schools nor teachers. The bonus to be received varied according to the number of pupils enrolled; many small classes are now in operation throughout the rural districts.

The Obligatory Instruction Law compelling children from 7 to 14 years of age to attend class has been rigidly enforced by Government decree during 1919; a list of offending parents is compiled and they are visited by educational officers, and fined if found guilty of not sending their children to school. By an order of June 20, 1919, English is to be henceforth taught in all primary schools, in view of its present importance as a commercial language. On September 1, 1919, appropriation being made, two new Manual Training Schools were founded, one at Mérida, the other at San Cristobal. Physical training is now considered an important part of the training, and at least a half-hour a day is spent in calisthenics and gymnastic training. In 1918 the Boy Scouts movement was proposed, and introduced into the schools of Maracaibo, where under the supervision of Mr. W. Douglas it has been intertwined with the courses of the public educational institutions. This movement is now receiving national prominence, and gained favorable commendation in the Memoria de Instrucción Pública (1918).

According to the latest data, there are approximately 1,500 primary schools in Venezuela with 50,000 pupils enrolled, but the system is laboring under the difficulty of a lack of teachers, due to inadequate compensation. The children attend school six days a week, but on Saturday have class in the morning only. The curriculum consists of a daily lecture or assembly, elements of the Spanish language, arithmetic, the legal system of weights and measures, rudiments of etiquette and hygiene, moral and civic instruction, gymnastic exercises or national songs, and elements of manual training. The afternoon classes embrace writing, geography, history, topics of the day and gymnastic exercises.

The Secondary Education of Venezuela is not as generally widespread, in proportion, as primary education. There are 102 schools of this class corresponding to high schools in the United States; 58 are for boys, 38 for girls, and 4 are co-educational. Some are grouped into Federal Colleges and Normal Schools annexed to Federal Schools in Caracas and Valencia.

Caracas is nominally the center of education in Venezuela. Here are found two normal schools, one for men and one for women, and two national schools of arts and trades, one for each sex. In 1917 Schools of Commerce were instituted at Caracas, Maracaibo, Puerto Cabello, Curúpano and Ciudad Bolívar. These are similar to our own commercial schools, teaching languages, bookkeeping, stenography, accounting and the like. Besides, there are found throughout the country thirty-four schools of higher instruction, and twenty-one subsidized by the Government.

One institution, founded June 30, 1919, may be interesting to note, viz, the National Telegraph School of Caracas in which the first pupils were enrolled from July 1 to 7, 1919. The school is situated in the Federal Telephone and Telegraph Building.

The candidate must have the following qualifications:

• 1. Be a Venezuelan.
• 2. Over 15 years of age and under 25.
• 3. Have had elementary primary instructions and the certificate issued for the same.
• 4. Be of good character.
• 5. Have no contagious diseases, and no physical defects.
• 6. In case he is a minor he must have the permission of his legal guardian.

There are six National Universities, located in the following cities:

• 1. Central University of Caracas.
• 2. The University of the Andes at Mérida.
• 3. The University of Valencia in the State of Carabobo.
• 4. The University of Maracaibo in the State of Julia.
• 5. The University at Ciudad Bolívar in the State of Bolívar.
• 6. The University of Barquisimeto in the State of Lara.

The following courses are pursued in the Universities: Medicine, Law, Political Science, Philosophy and Letters, Dentistry and Pharmacy.

The length of these courses is six years with the exception of pharmacy, which is a four-year course.

Among the professional schools the following are of greater importance:

1. School of Engineering at Caracas.

2. School of Naval Construction at Puerto Cabello.

3. School of Political Science at San Cristobal.

4. School of Medicine in Caracas (founded December, 1915). A free dispensary is attached, subsidized by public funds under the direction of Civil Hospitals.

5. School of Dentistry, Caracas (1916).

6. School of Sciences (Physical, Natural and Mathematical) Caracas (December, 1915).

7. School of Chemical Research.

Of the Academies the more important are:

1. Those of natural science, music, oratory and modern languages found in the larger cities.

2. The Academy of Language in Caracas devoted to the national language and literature.

3. The Academy of History in Caracas devoted to national history.

4. One seminary at Caracas,—the Catholic Seminary for Theology and Canonical Jurisprudence.

Under "miscellaneous" we may consider the following:

The National Library of Caracas containing 50,000 volumes; a national museum containing a valuable historical collection; the Cajigal Observatory devoted to Astronomical and Meteorological work; the libraries of Valencia and Maracaibo, and the Pasteur Institute in Caracas.

Among the educational achievements of the past few years, the following are worthy of mention:

1. Departments for engineering work.

2. Departments for the administration of budget.

3. Improvements in laboratories in physics, mineralogy, geology, botany and zoology.

4. Enlargement of the libraries and improvement of the school of medicine.

5. The schools of arts and crafts for men has 541 men enrolled. The clever map making of the students should be especially noted.

6. The meteorological stations in Mérida, Maracaibo and Calabozo.

The appropriation for education for the fiscal year July 1, 1920 to June 30, 1921, recently passed by the Venezuelan Congress, contains the following items:

It may be said in conclusion that Venezuela fully recognizes the importance of sound educational institutions and every effort is being expended to bring about the desired results through legislation. The work is slowly materializing but assuredly progressing. By far the greatest problem is the lack of professors. Educational progress has of necessity been retarded in the past but as the era of prosperity of the country has been gradually, but surely, dawning, this important branch has not been neglected, and a brighter future is before the Venezuelan youths which will preclude the necessity of going abroad, as they have done in the past, to complete their training.

The country has need of highly educated men; it is determined to provide the institutions necessary to satisfy these needs.

Thomas F. Morris.

PORTS OF VENEZUELA

With an increasing commerce and steady betterment of domestic economic conditions, the ports of Venezuela are rapidly assuming a position that for continued development and general good condition has never been equalled in the history of the country. All countries recognize the vital economic value of ports and with few exceptions can gauge their own prosperity by the nature and number of their harbors. Few countries are more dependent upon their ports than Venezuela. Because of poor inland communication with neighboring countries, and an inability to maintain itself, largely due to lack of manufactures, and due also to a marked dependence upon the outside world for the marketing of its products, this nation is to a high degree reliant upon its foreign commerce and hence, in turn, upon its ports.

Fortunately, Venezuela has a long coast line of 3,020 kilometers, indented with 32 harbors, 50 small bays and many coves. The most important ports in the approximate order of importance are: La Guaira, Maracaibo, Puerto Cabello, Ciudad Bolívar, Carúpano, Puerto Sucre, La Vela, Cristobal Colón, Caño Colorado, Guanta, Pampatar, Imataca and San Antonio del Táchira. At the present time many of the best natural ports and the most favorably situated are still undeveloped or occupy a secondary position. This is partially due to the lack of development of their naturally rich and fertile hinterlands, difficulties of transportation and unsympathetic government legislation. However, remedies are now being applied and it can safely be predicted that certain of the minor ports will soon outstrip the older and better developed ones. A brief survey will serve to show the general nature and economic status of some of the better known ports.

Chief in importance is La Guaira which, connected with Caracas by 24 miles of railroad, stands as the commercial center of Venezuela and will be treated in more detail later.

MARACAIBO