Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-08-11
THE sERv1ANs.
Government, Taxes, De.olatlon of Belgrade

The emptiness and silence Of Belgrade are
almost terrible. Save for the women and
children, the place looks almost wholly de.
serted The vines are growing on the slopes
around it. | wonder whether, this autumn,
they will be trodden by the white feet Of
Servian girls, whose sires have gone to the
war. You remember that Macaulay writes,
Laughing girls" From what | have yet
seen, | do not think there will be much
laughter among the Servian women, till
their sires, brothers, kinsfolk and friends re-
turn from the enterprise into which they have
flung themselves. The community of Bel.
glade is so small that it is almost like one
family. Everybody remaining behind knows
every one who has gone up into the battle.
1t is impossible not to like these ServiaAs,
and to great extent to believe in them.
You cannot imagine a people more thor
oughly in earnest, not in an attudinizing,
domonstrative manner, but quietly, indeed,
one would almost say sulleDly, aud with
steady, lurid glow of fervor that speaks vol
umes for the strength of their determination
and the steadfastness Of their endurance.
Remember what they are fighting for. Not
certainty. Servia, month ago, was as
prosperous state in a small way as any in
Europe. No internal quarrel rent her, no
exterior foe threatened her. The porte's
claim to suzerainty had become mere nom
inis umbra. Her people were perhaps the
most lightly taxed in Europe-most Of her
inhabitants pay simply poll-tax Of twelve
shillings per annum, and large brewer,
who is the greatest taxpayer in Servia, con-
tributes to the revenue the sum in all of $50
sterling. She was perhaps singular among
European states in having no national debt.
For years her modest expenditure had been
lower than her modest income, and she had
accumulated no insignificant sum in ducats
aud piastsrs in her national treasury. Her
commerce was on the increase her population
growing with the spread OF culture in her
rural regions; roads were being made
through her upland mountain tracts, mining
enterprise-was being opened out, there was
great talk of a railway from Belgrade to
Semendria southwark along the Orava valley
to meet the Adrianope-So6a line to the
frontier, and thus give western Europe
near cut to Constantinople. Altogether
Servia was prospecting nightly, and if she
could have been content to let things outside
her borders take their course, further and
uninterrupted prosperity would doubtless
have been her portion. .f4 Fe
But the Servians have found themselves
unable to stand quietly by, while their fell.
low-Scaves and fellow Christians were suf-
fering the atrocious tyranny and the wanton
crueltes OF the Turks. The fame is not a
sudden outbuIst 1t has burned for long.
1t is now more than year since sage men
on the spot recognized that war was newt.
able, unless Turkey should make important
concessions 10 favor Of her Sclavonian Chris.
tian population. can find little trace oil
any active flaming of the fame on the part
of Russia: 1t wanted no tanning it had
an internal yivacity that was not to be re.
pressed. Prince Milan was an instrument
rather than a spontaneous leader. The peo
ple took the bit between their teeth, and be
had to carry out their aspirations or 60 to
the wall himself. L am assured that there
would have been a revolution, had he re-
pressed, or rather tried to repress the burn
ing zeal Of bis people for a struggle 10 favOl
of the emancipation of the SclaVes
All cheerfully accept sacrifices such as il
England we can scarcely conceive Of. Try
to imagine, if you can, the high officials Of
state, ministers, judges, lord chancellors, ant
placemen generally, content to accept fol
stipend, while war should last, a pittancC
of less than EGO per annum, and pay besides
war tax levied on that paltry sum. Thi
is what SerVian officials have accepted will
a ready cheerfulness indeed the arrange.
ment must have been the suggestion Of thos
most affected by it. All salaries which ar
over 600 forms year have been cut dow
to that point, and all under that figure hay
been reduced 20 per cent. Servia is cheaI
country, but this is pauper's dole; yet tn,
Servians profess themselves quite content
There is something almost ludicrous in tn
notion of living on such salary 1 met
yesterday, an Englishman who had accep
ted service in the Belgrade post Office, an,
who, never well paid, found himself by thi
reduction compelled to attempt living on Al
infnitesimal income. allow can a man,
asked he, "live and keep wife on G3 los.
month, with war tax levied even on that ,
The princes civil list amounts to the stu
pendous sum Of 100000 a year, includin
his wifes pin money. His town palace is
very respectable villa, and he keeps a cal
rage and country house. AS the war gOG
on, it is true, he may give up his carriag
and let his country house If he could find
tenant for it.-COr. London Netos.