The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-07-28
"TIME AND MY RIGHT.o
Something Concerning the Brave Little
Principally that has Thrown Down the
Gauntlet to a Great Empire.

[From the New York Tlmes.l
The coat of arms of the Princes OF
Servia is white cross on red field,
with drawn sword between two dates
l3S9-1815-and the legend "Time and
my Right" A whole history is in this
heraldric device. For nearly five cen
turies the Servians have upheld the
cross on bloody fields against the Turks.
Through the middle ages they were the
border-guard of Europe. The date
1889" represents the year of the great
battle when the free Christian empire
of Servia was broken by Amurath and
Bajazet, and this brave people was
trodden under foot by the Turks. The
intervening centuries are long periods
of oppression, servitude, and suffering,
under q conqueror who never knew the
meaning of the word mercy to Chris
tian. When we recall that in this long
era the best youth of Servia were taken
as children to be trained for Moham-
medan slaves or janissaries, and that a
Christian mother often beheld her boys
carried away by violence to serve the un-
natural vices of Viziers and Pashas and
grow up as Mohammedan servants, and
that in later years no property or harvest
was safe from the rapacity of Turkish
tax-gatherers and Governors-that in
this long history of tyranny, religion
was insulted and all rights trampled on
we may understand the deep and
bitter passions which lie back OF the
present Servian outbreak. The date
"1815" is the year of Servian independ
ence, won by the valor of the people; and,
though anominal tribute has been paid to
the Porte, Servia since that year has been
free and self-governing state. Her
progress and freedom, the happiness
and courage of the peasantry, the ad-
vance of public improvements, are a
perpetual model to the subject Sclavonic
provinces in their servitude and bar
barism of what they would be, freed
from the tyranny of the Turks.
"Time and my right" is the legend
which expresses the ambition of the
Servian people, rs well as Of the ruling
house. More than four centuries of
defeat and disaster have not quenched
the passion to be revenged on the Mos
lem and to restore the fright" of the
Servian empire. Before 1889 the Ser
Wan monarchy extended from Belgrade
W bllC IDltCh OCtt, lIOul blO OhluOO W
the Adriatic, and even over Macedonia
and Thessaly. Montenegro is still q
cliff from that primitive formation,
standing over the later drift of the Mo-
hammedan invasion. Bosnia and Herze-
govina are only fragments Of that an
cient Sclavonic state. The Servians
have waited almost five centuries to
avenge Kassowa, to advance the cross
again over bloody fields, and to drive
the crescent from Europe.
1t might be thought that little state
like Servia, with only million and
quarter of inhabitants, could hardly
venture to throw down the glove to
great empire like Turkey. But it
should be remembered that the popula-
ton of this state is particularly warlike,
and animated by the most bitter taadi-
tional hatred against the Turks. The
militia has been trained to arms and is
remarkably numerous for SO small a
some $4,000. The whole Turkish regu-
lar force in all European Turkey is re-
ported to be only 10000. Then the
territory of Servia and all the surround
ing provinces has been fought over
and over again in the incessant wars
with the Ottomans. Every feature has
been studied in q stragetic view. So
natural are the backgrounds that his
tory repeats some of the battles, genera
tion after generation. The Servians and
the insurgents know their ground. Then,
| Just outside of Servia is Bulgaria, with
population of some 6,000,00 of kindred
race, flaming in insurrection and burning
with resentment at the recent cruelties
of the Mohammedans. To the west are
Bosnia and Herzegovina, the kinsmen
of Servia, and holding their own against
their former master. Little Montenegro
is but another Servia, and we doubt if
any jealousies of the princely houses
can keep her brave army from the fray
when Servia declares war.
In European Turkey are eight or nine
millions of Sclavonians in Austria,
close by the scene of war, four millions
more of the same race. Still beyond is
the great Sclavonic empire, with mil.
lions burning with ardor to aid their
Southern brethren in their unequal
struggle with the ancient enemy of their
faith and race. Despite the inequality, we
should be inclined to predict the sue.
cess of the weaker combatant, ii it were
not for one peculiarly of the Turkish
race. The Turks, in their degeneracy
preserved one of the qualities of once
commanding race, the "staying" power
They do not know when they are beaten
And, If put on the last defensive, they
may hold their lines of communication
with Constantinople and protract the
war for years. They have repudiatet
practically their debt, and can now figh'
on with all they can wiring from an OPP
pressed people. The new sofia, oi
devotee faction, ought to have some
thing of the ancient fanaticism, ant
therefore should fight to the end. Th,
European powers will counterbalanc,
one another, and the crescent and Tn,
cross fight their own battles on the his
toric fields of the Danube, as they have
so often done before.
VIRGINIA CRY is proud OF it's athletes
| Reoniar the French wrestler. wen