extend throughout the world. There is a large field also in Roumania, which was not concerned in the late Balkan wars.
Our opportunities in Russia are practically boundless. Vodka was the greatest enemy of the Russian peasantry. It is said they will probably gain more from its prohibition than they will lose by the war. Russia will always look to us for a large portion of the merchandise formerly bought in Germany.
In conference with members of the Chamber of Commerce in Constantinople, and with government officials, I was assured that the markets there would be open to us, especially for agricultural implements and machinery. Judging from their up-to-date institutions, notably Robert College and the American College for Girls on the shores of the Bosporus (the latter largely assisted by Mrs. Shephard, formerly Miss Helen Gould, and by Mr. Rockefeller), in which the people and the government seem to take a deep interest, there would appear to be a genuine awakening; but this war will probably end with Russian control of the Dardanelles-Bosporus waterway and suzerainty over Turkey.
I also visited Asia Minor, but the land and the people are poor and the field there is limited. Mesopotamia, once the great granary for supplies of grain and fruit, is now being irrigated, and there may be good trade there later on. It was made a desert by the forest being cut away.
There is a large opening for us in Italy, however, including machinery, improved implements and mechanical appliances generally. Although Italy is neutral, it has suffered greatly on account of the war, as has the rest of the world, with factories closed and thousands of idle men. This is made worse by Italians, to the number, it is said, of at least a hundred thousand, sent home from the warring nations. These can find no work to do, and must be supported by the government. We can not expect to do much business there until the war is over.
We have trade also with Australia. The war has temporarily paralyzed business there, but I believe it will soon revive, and the opening is exceedingly bright. The same may be said of South Africa, where we have been shipping largely for many years past. That region is rapidly improving, and we had expected a large business this year, but the civil war there and the European cataclysm put an end to it for this season.
There is no part of the world where the products of the United States may not find a market. We have only to go after it. Business with foreign countries is done very much as it is here. People are a good deal alike. We have only to furnish them what they want, as they want it, giving careful attention to packing, stenciling, and adaptation to available means of carriage. If we send men abroad they must understand the language of the country, and above all else be courteous and considerate with every one they meet. This is important in domestic
