Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-06-01
ROUh4 sII-SERVI4.

! yet form the theme of some native MacanIay
vi hotley. ROumanla, which stands on the
| rounded by all the fiercest elements of the
eastern strife, with Servia, forms The most re.
cent OF those new powers that have joined the
! European family of nations. 1t stretches a
broad extent of fertile territory enclosed by
| he Danube and the Carpathi IN mountains,
ana bounded on the east by the Pruth. 1t has
| great river on the Black Sea- its only outlet
ior navigation. The new kingdom has a sur
lace OF about 5000 square miles, little less
| 100000 A strange blending of discOrdant
races appears upon this inland region so shut
In py It's enclrcling range of mountains, and
The ROumanians claim a descent from the
Romans, who under Trajan first planted a
colony colony ID the midst OF Dacia, and whose
first traces of civilization. After a century or
more of dangerous occupation it was found
that the - mountains and the rivers failed to
paotecI me exposed province. A Roman en-
Peror withdrew his garrison. Dacia was aban-
doned, and the Danube, diligently fortified,
became the upper boundary of the Roman
But ROumania has been ever the refupe of
wandering races. Among its most remarka-
pie inhabitants are 2O0, con gypSies-wild, half
S Tnrf; VINO We're long held in slavery by the
with tenacity to land which offered them
only miserable oppression. Why these wan
derers have fixed themselves in this inland
Iy.D
glned. But since ROumania has become a ma
tlOn the gypsies have been set free: they were
purchased from their masters by government
aid, and it is said are now employed as ser
wants and in various useful pursuits. A still
more unfortunate class of the population are
me Jews They, too seem to have thriven in
Inc midst OF persecution and tyranny, and
have refused to fly from land of bondage.
They number almost One-tenth of the people
They are often of light complexion and hair,
OF Spanish descent. Their activity in trade
- n rur1j up1n
are still exposed to various disabilities. But it
Is stated that since its erection into separate
state, and lis freedom from Turkish control,
R0umania has made some progress toward
liberation, and that equal ri gifts will at last
be awarded TO all its people.
In It's early history, when the Romans re-
treated across the Danube, their place was
supplied by the savage Goths, and on the wide
plains of RUumania took place that fierce con-
fIct between Goth and Hun that led to the
conquest OF Rome and the foundation of mod
ern Europe. The Cloths were driven across
the river; the Huns filed their place, and held
the wide and fertile region and its subject
people that had once formed the Dacian pro-
vince: Under Attila the wandering race was
1ol med into an Obedient nation. The master
genius OF the famous cOnquerer founded
prie1 and powerful empire. To the Germans
ne was known as EtZel, the most potent of
eafthiy princes. His capital was fixed some
here upon the Danube within the boundaries
6 hungary, or at Vienna, aud here were per-
formed or witnessed the stately nuptiaS of
hrlemhlld, and all the dreadful scenery OF the
Gle Sc OF The German epic. But Attla as real
character exceeded The exploits of all that was
loIu OF him In romance or legend. He swept
me roman provinces, rayaged Greece, fought
on the fie DIS of France pillaged Italy, and in a
comparatively short period established the
supremacy OF the Huns in Europe. The horri-
PIE race seemed destined to rule over all civil
ilZatlon. But the cOnquerer died, and his EN-
pre- vanished. New states arose, new races
OF barbaIIans crossed the fertile fields of Rou-
mania The Turk, Sclave, Tartar, Russian.
roe, nave left their impress upon the Scanty
population. At last. as Waachia and Media
Via, 1t became Turkish province: the Roman
element o. the people must have sunk into
slavery. The herce and imperiOuS Turk ruled
with an iron sway the upper bank of the Dan
H ue e. Bgs the Turkish power, too, !decayed,
q avia and Wallachia. The people, who were
still Christian, began to sigh for Independence
the race revived, the Turkish rule was in part
Ihr0Wn on. The Roman element has Outlived
Hun, Goth, Tux. Roumania became almost
independent under Alexander |. under Prince
Charles it has declared itself free.
OF its two rulers, the first, Prince COuZa, was
He ruled from 1859 to 1866, one of the most rad
zeal of refOrmers SerfdOm was abolished and
me land owners satisfied from the public
funds; the church lands were confiScated, the
clergy paid by the state the press was declared
free: railways roads, bridges, introduced;
encouraged, honesty, .frugality,
driven from office perhaps because he was
only too sincere. He was succeeded by the
p ti ESHn Ut rnler Prince Charles Roumanla has
Huns has become the seat Of real si 9hhs and
A new nation has been formed Jassy and BIZ:
charest are the centers of a rising civilization;
and the Roumanans have proved on many
bloody field their resolution to be free. A large
export and import trade has sprung up on the
and the flag of almost every European
nation is seen in the harbOrs of the towns and
cities that line its shores.
Still more remarkable is the sudden rise of
Seryia to freedom and prosperity; The Servi.
a famous King Stephen Dushan, in the four
teenih century, defeated the Turks, Byzan-
tines, Hungarlans, and created powerful
state. But when he died, the Turks, at the bat
tie of KOssOvO 1850, aided by treachery. de-
stroyed the might of Servia; MilOS, the Ser
Wan LeOnidas, sta bbed his cOnquerOr, Murad.
try sank into lasting subsection. Its rising
literature was suppressed, it's children were
snatched away to fill the armies or harems of
the Turks the people sank into intense ignor-
ance; oppression checked their progress for
nearly five hundred years. During all the five
centuries that have witnessed the rapid pro-
slumbered in this medieval decay: Within
he present century it has sprung into new
life. Through all its period OF miserable sub
lection Servia still retained the memory of its
earlier freedom, and expressed in mOurnful
songs and ballads the pains and shame of
present decay, or celebrated the glory of its
early heroes and kings, One famous ballad
away in early youth by the cruel law of the
Turks, came back in a hostile Invasion to Ser
via, sacked and destroyed uncOnSciOusly the
home of his childhood, killed his own parents,
bore off into captivity beautiful girl, his
sister, and at last discovers his crimes with
ceaSelesS remorSe. Others celebrate the
great deeds of MilOs Obilic, who fought on the
field of KOsSOvO, and stabbed to the heart
Murad, the eXulting cOnquerOr. Servian lit
erature outlasted its nationality, and many of
its b. autiful pieces have recently been trans
lated into English by Mrs Robinson, Lord
LUTON, and others: These touching songs,
written in unrhymed verse, may be called the
!ears OF Servia; But since 1915 Seryia has been,
in measure, free {; in 1856 it received recOg-
hi'ion from Europe, and in 1878 il has become
an Independent state. Its modern princes
have assumed the historical names of its early
heroes and the first of the line, the uncle of
the present prince, was known as MilOs l., so
intense are the national traditions of these
ST. blect races.
The two Kingdoms of Servia and Roumania
are democratic communities, founded upon
universal suffrage. Every male citizen over
twenty one, except the gypses and servants,
can vote in Servia in Roumania the voter
must be twenty-five, and know how to read
and write. One of the striking traits of the
progress OF the past twenty years is the adOp-
tiOn every where Of the republican principle
OF manhood suffrage; it would be improved if
the ROumanian restriction should be Initiated
and the only qualification demanded for
voter should be an educational one. Ger
many, and in part Austria, have already
adopted universal suffrage and a general tot
Grafton the cruel treatment of the LEWIS in