The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-09-18

Ill uuuuSI III
| they could always be counted on to make
| things troublesome for anybody who
troubled them, but they were never much
, addicted 10 barrying and disturbing their
%neighbors. Tho Hottest peak OF tho Balkan
peninsula. skhar-Dagh. rising ten thousand
feet above the level OF the sea. Is the crown
ing summit Of tho great mountain range
which the Albanians hold. and for centuries
have held. 1t Is to the strength OF the
position occupied by the Albanians thnt
tho gallant little princlpality OF Monte
negro. on their northern frontier. Is In no
small measure indebted for the indepen-
dence 1t has so long maintained.
The Sultans have never been able TO pro-
vision their forces In their numerous ana
unsuccessful expeditions against Montene-
gro except through the territory OF upper
Albania: and whenever the Albanians have
| taken 1t into their heads to put a stop to a
Turkish movement against Montenegro.
they have lone It very easily. Those Alba
mans who we're transferred without much
ceremony from the sovereignty OF Turkey
to the sovereignty Of Greece. when q great
part OF the ancient kingdom Of Epirus was
put by the great powers under the Hellenic
crown. have on the whole been very good
subjects OF Greece, Just as those Albnnians
who have remained under the dominion
OF Constantinople have on the whole
been very good subjects OF the Sultan.
But neither tho Turkish nor tho Greek
Albanians have ever ceased to be AL
bn'nians, first, last and always. Like
the Scotch In Great Britain. they
have helped themselves very literally to
place. power, and prosperity both In Tur-
key and in Greece. As soldiers. as civil
rulers, as merchants. they are to be met
with throughout Turkish history in tho
past and all over the Levant at this time.
playing no insignificant part in the pic
turesque drama Of eastern European his
tory. They arc q migratory people. going
off by thousands ct seed time and ut hal-
vest to till the fields and reap the crops OF
Turkey, Asia Minor, Greece. and even
southern Italy. With southern Italy their
connection has from the earliest times been
very close. One Of tho chief ports Of AL
bania, Antivari. takes its name. indeed.
from Its position almost directly opposite
the important south Italian city of Bari;
and an italian statesman whose name Is
now familiar to both continents. Signor
CR1sp1, is believed by his countrymen
1 ellICI " u bCCi ooih 49,
Of Albanian parentage.
In numbers the Albanians are at least as
| considerable rs the Greeks. No really
trustworthy census exists Of either race.
but it is assumed by the best authorities.
such as Count KARAczAY. that the Alba
| mans number. including with those inhab-
ting their native regions. the many other
Albanians scattered throughout Serbia.
Bulgaria, and Roumania, etween two and
three millions Of people. OF whom about
half o million are to be found still under the
Turkish flag. The great majority are
Catholics. and while many OF them. espe-
cially Of the upper feudal class. embraced
Islam after the Turkish conquest. the Mo-
hammedanism Of Albania has always been OF
q very mild type. The Albanian Moslcms
live on the best terms with the Albanian
Christians. They even pay to support the
Christian priests. and solemnly celebrate
with their Christian neighbors the feasts
OF their national saints, st. GEORGE and st.
NICHOLAS.
Since Serbia. Roumania, and Bulgaria be-
gan to cut q figure in the world rs nation
alities, the Abanians both in Greece and
Turkey have been growing more and more
restless. If the Slavs and the Serbs and the
Roumanians and the Greeks are to have
realms and rulers Of their own,w why not the
Albanians3 The Albanians. directly de-
scended from the ulyrians OF sthe Roman
empire. nave a race history as clear and
peculiar as that Of any Of the three other
races. Roumanian. Slav. and Greek. which
with them have long peopled European
Turkey. or as that Of the Osmanli conquer
oro khavpeo1rao Thov md thair onoactnra
the Illyrians are admitted by ethnolo-
gists to be one OF the great white
races. which with tho Iberlans. the
E%truscans. and the Thracians. preceded in
Europe the Celts and the Hellenes. They
belong to the great Aryan family with the
Hindus. tho Modes. the Persians. and the
Teutons. Their language is an Aryan Ian
guage. and though there is a visible dash
Of the Mongol blood in their vigorous.
physical type. neither %philology nor eth
nology has yet ever plausibly ascertained
Its origin. Suffice it that wherever this
strange and strong people originally came
from. 1t has held Its OWE in tho mountain
regions 1t still occupies from the great days
OF the Roman empire to our own.
1t Is q sign of the times therefore. not to
be disregardsd. that the Albanians are now
beginning what looks very much like q
systematic agitation for the establishment
Of an Albanian nationality In the east Of
Europe. The first symptom OF this agita-
ton. like the first symptom Of the organized
agitation which eventually led to tho con-
stitution Of united Italy. Is the formation
throughout Greece. Turkey. the Balkan
States. and Italy. OF n great society moro
or less secret. which appears to DO mod
elled on the lines Of tho Carbonari.
This society calls itself tho "Drita."
1t has branches in Albania. Macedonia.
| Bulgaria. Serbia. Greece. Austria Hungary.
and Italy. In Roumania this society has
| Just established a sort Of lyccum, described
asthe First Institute OF Albano-R oumanian
Culture" at Bucharest, and called the
"Lumina." Tho purpose Of this institu-
ton Is declared In n recently published
volume OF Its rules Inc regulations to be tho
DEVELOPMENT OF an Albanian propaganda,