The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1897-03-04
The Island OF Crete.

uprising OF the former against the rule
Of the Sultan Of Turkey of whose en-
pire they have formed part, have fixed
the eyes Of the whole world upon this
little island in the midst Of the blue
waters OF the Mediterranean sea.
Crete, or Gambia as it is often called, is
the most southerly portion of Europe.
By its position south Of the Aegian sea
and stretching across from within sixty
miles Of the southern extremity of the
Grecian peninsula to point only ITO
miles from the southwestern extremity
of Asia Minor, it forms natural limit
between the Archipelago and the Med.
iterranean, as we'll as one Of the chief
lines of natural connection between the
southern shore of Europe and Asia.
The island has length of 160 miles
and an average breadth of twenty, the
width at the widest place being only
thirty.five miles. The area is about
$500 square miles, with population of
100000, of which 100000 are Greeks and
Christians. A large part of the island
is occupied by mountains rising to the
height of 5000 feet. Wherever the land
is sufficiently level to be cultivated it is
Of great fertility.
Crete has been known from almost the
earliest dawn of history. Like most
of continental Greece its earliest history
is so interviewer with mythology and
fable as to render it Impossible to sep.
arate the one from the other. At very
early period the Cretan cities were cele.
brated for their laws and system of gov.
eminent and tradition has it that the
famous laws of Lycurgus at Sparta were
copied in great measure from these
already existing in Crete.
Crete was Homer's "Island of a Hun.
dred Cities" and has been essentially
Greek for $500 years. The Dorians
founded number of Independent re.
publics there as early as 1000 B. q. 1t
was not conquered by the Romans until
81 B. @. In the partition of the empire
Crete fell to the east, and was not con.
quered by the Saracens until A. D. 1923.
It was reconquered in 961, and when
Oonstantinople was captured by the
crusaders Crete was given to Boniface,
MARQUIS of Mounterrat, who in 1904 sold
it to the Vonetians, who held it against
the Turks until 1869, when all but the
mountaineers became subjects of Tur.
key. Instructions were frequent, and
in 1880 the island was ceded to Egypt
but was restored to Turkey in 1S41. A
new insurrection broke out in 1858, and
in 1866 the Christian population joined
in an effort to throw off the Turkish
yoke. In 1868 the powers interviewed te
secure reforms, and guaranteed new
constitution. The Cretans submitted ir
1869.
In 1878 they made another attempt tt
throw off the Turkish yoke and asked
for annexation to Greece. The power
again interfered, and in the treaty %
Berlin promised extension of the guar
antees of 1s6s Russia at that time wal
more interested in the Slavs than tn,
Greeks, and Gladstone criticized tn,
treaty of Berlin for not doing more fo
the Greeks, saying, "The Slavs who re
lied upon Russia, have in the main oh
tanned what they desired the Hellenel
who have relied upon England have il
the main failed to obtain it."
The Powers of Western Europe arr
endeavoring to hold back Greece from
actual hostilities, but Russia keeps silen
So it is very possible, should hostilitiel
break out and the Greeks are getting th'
worst of it, Russia may intervene as sh'
did in 1877 with such effect, and force ,
peace on Turkey which would set th'
island free. This time the popular sym
pathies ofall Europe arAwith the Greeks
and this increases the difficulties which
the diplomats have in controlling th'
present situation.
An insurrection in Crete is no new
thing. For thirty years there have beer
many bloody outbreaks OF some kind
This is owing to the very principle o
Turkish government. While the gov
ernment of any province or district il
Turkish peace cannot reign long between
the Mussulman and Christian inhabi
tants. They cannot live together lonI
peaceably, because every Turkish boy i
brought up to believe that if justic'
were done his Christian neighbors woul(
have their throats cut; and he accord
ingly cuts them whenever he gets goo'
opportunity. This makes efficient gov
ernment by Mussulmans impossible
They live quietly enough under Christ
ian rule, but a modern state under Mus
sulman rule is impossible, because i
would be considered irreligious by tn