THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE DECEMBER, 1929 CONTENTS SPRCIAL SUPPLEMENT MAP OF EUROPE AND THE NEAR EAST Tn sie colors, sige 34 bey 28 incre The Danube, Highway of Races With 54 Illustrations MELVILLE CHATER ers of Austria lor Photographs HANS HILDENBRAND Bethichem and the Christmas Story With 27 Tinstrations JOHN D. WHITING Along the Way of the Magi 14 Natural-Color Photographs G, &. MATSON The Secret of the Southwest Solved by Talkative Tree Rings With 34 Ilustrations ANDREW ELLICOTT DOUGLASS The Society's New Map of Europe GILBERT GROSVENOR PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY~~ | LONGINES WATCH PIONEER OF THE AIR ‘Moce than sixty years of continuous improvement have assured the Longines watch a world-wide reputation for accuracy. Justifying the absolute reliance placed in their precision, Longines have been exclusive time equip. ment on nearly every long distance fight in the history of aviation, including this year's outstand- ing achievements of WILLIAMS and YANCEY, ASSOLANT, LEFEVRE and LOTTI and the GRAF ZEPPELIN. TRUE PIONEERS OF THE AIR Longines in 2927 first broadcase the correct time over the radio, Now the "Longines Musical Note" is heard daily over one hundred stations from coast to coast. Longines matcher ate priced from $35 1 $3,560 and are sold by leading jewelers. Write for illustrated booklet A. WITTNAUER Co. 402-404 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CHICAGO MONTREAL GENEVAVor. LVI, No.6 WASHINGTON Decrarr, 1929 THE | NATIONAL _ | i GEOGRAPHIC) MAGAZINIE | THE DANUBE, HIGHWAY OF RACES From the Black Forest to the Black Sea, Europe’s Most Important River Has Borne the ‘Tratlie of Centuries By Metvitte CuAter Auree ocatsnm, Mavrwsa pi TW ake OU'RE too late," arnonnced the omaster of Turn when does the next “Not until the ice flows out next spring.” he replied. We sat down om our suiteases to think itever. With the expecial purpose af tak- y that westhaund boat, we had come by rail from the Black Sea and up the Danuhe Valley 10 Turnu-Severin, ‘There the mari- time Daniihe, with its 9 ink delta, its reedy expanses, its ma: lains, has heen left far behind, Phere the Grient tins heen exchanged for the Qecident—Moslem minarets for Greek-Orthordox deme: Turkish gates for old Roman bridges. a narrower Danube winds between blue, ever-tifting hills, the gateway to western Eurape, And there, untess, tike ns, you arrive out of season, you may board one of the big river steamers that all summer lang as- cend or descend through half a dozen countries lying between the Black Forest and the Black Sea, auRoueH THE oath “Missed your boat, ch?” said a bronzed man standing near ws. “If you fike, you “rae Steare or Stheaien” “Fuanecat tHe thee 1 Fey re, tn THe can come as far as Orsova in my Inunch, You might catch something up there." We thanked him and climbed. aboard. He proved to be a Hungarian tig captain who had spent same youthful years barg- ing on the Hudson, and he still retained glimorctus memories. concerning Western ways of progress along that rivers dardly was Tummm-Severin astern when we found ourselves amid a wild swirl of waters, before whose terrific force our progress more and more resembled the Freak foat of trying to motnt a deseend- ing escalator, The launch quivered: with propeller revolutions, yet remained almost statie amid crested wavelets that flew past us, 50 oxtr acquaintance said, at a-speed bf twelve fect per second, At last we gained the shelter of an artificially walled channel, from which we jireently emerged in midriver, beyond Teach of that devil's cald Men call this two-mile stretch the from Gate, and doultless the Argonautic heroes in their ascent gave it some equally forceful name, perhaps likening it to the battering eluh of Herakles. For thousands o tered, or, if you prefer. the gates elanged against craft that sneaked upshore, towed