Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-12-07
THE EASTERN QUESTION.
Uneasiness OF the Macedonian, Who As
pire to Become Free.

pire to Become Free.
We have lately heard great about
Macedonia. II is a name which al
ways seems TO trouble the despots and
the diplomatists; for it is name not
to their credit, any more than the name
of Armenia. Without going into
minute geographical questions, Mace
donia is just now a convenient name
for certain lands which in 1877 8 Rus
STA set free from bondage to the Turk,
but which Europe, at the treaty of
Berlin, thrust back into bondage. But
when Europe" gave Macedonia back
to the Turk, it did at least make him
promise that he would give the land
institutions" of some kind or other
which were to make everybody there
happy. How very simple Europe"
must have been if it thought that the
Turk would keep his word. Plain peo-
pie who looked to facts and not to
formula, knew that the Turk had
made this kind of promise over
and over again, and had always
broken it. OF course the Turk
broke his word this time. too Mace
donia is cruelty oppressed, like Ar.
menia or any other land that the Turk
has got hold of. And Europe"
which gave him the power to do
wrong, has in no way stepped in to
hinder him. or even to rebuke him,
for this wrong doing. Europe" is
very angry when a people asserts its
rights against a despot-it looks on
very calmly when a despot breaks his
word to a people. But the Macedon-
ian people, on whom the rub comes,
are less calm; they know that the Turk
wish to get rid of the Turk. They
wish to join their free brethren, all
the more so since the half free have
been joined on to the free. For this
they are called names in well informed
circles, and their free brethren have
to walk very warily lest they should
be called names too. In no well in
formed circle is the grand Turk ever
called names for breaking his word or
doing any act of oppression. For the
grand Turk is an imperial majesty,
and an imperial majesty must not be
called names. But the enslaved Bull
garian who seeks for freedom can at
any moment be called turbulent
conspirator," and the free Bulgarian
who tries to help him can at any mo-
ment be called foreign intriguer."
Thus, as we all know, The Eastern
Question" is still awaiting its solu-
ton" 1t has been awaiting it
ever since the beginning of record
ed history Plain people, who look
solution will never come till the Turk
| g 90.
tempted to say that it will not come
till the will of Europe" is got rid of
too. That means till the sovereigns of
Russia and Austria can be taught to
mind their own business a process
which is likely to take good while
Meanwhile The Times of recent date
has assured us that the treaty of Ber-
lin is very good example of what a
treaty ought not to be-" 1t is some
thing to be told that from well in
formed quarter. To be sure, we are
also told that there is a tendency in
Macedonia to resort to instructions,
which would produce awkward com
plcations." No doubt there is such a
tendency in Macedonia, but it is not
peculiar to Macedonia; it is common
to all countries in all ages of the
world which has been so treated as to
make instructions needful. And no
doubt the complications" produced
by such instructions have often been
awkward" for those against whom
the instruction has been made The
tendency to instruction has been at
different times shown very conspicu-
ously both in Old England and in
New. Something of the kind was done
at Naseby, something at Bunker Hill
Whether the general results at Naseby
and Bunker Hill down to our own day
are to be looked on merely as ''awk
ward complications" or as anything
else must be left to well informed
circles to determine. Edward A. Free
man in Kansas City Journal.