The National tribune., 1903-09-24
TIE SLAYS.

| The Slavic race is ROW n great dea
in evidence. owing to the troubles in Tur
key and in Austria. According to the oil,
Max Muller theory the Aryan famil.
forms most of the people in Europe. The,
ut one time all dwelt together in Contra
Asia but becoming too numerous for til,
land began the great Migration of Ma
tons. According to this one branch wen
south over the Himalayas and became tn
dominant power in India. Another b.ancl
went west into Persia and built up tina
great empire. a third went still furthe
west and built up in time Greece an,
Rome To those last he gave the name
of ''Italic.' or Greco Roman" TIT
fourth part of the family. called ''telts.
either went by the Mediterranean and NJ
the Atlantic coast. leaving colonies il
Spain. northwestern France. to the Brit
iSh Islands. or reached those countries by
going overland. The fifth was the Tcu
tonic who migrated by way of the vale.
of the Danube into Europe. and becam,
what we now know as the Germans
Dutch. Scandinavians and the English
Last of all were the Slavs. As to wher
they came into Europe. or whether the,
were not always there. has been a matter
of fierce discussion. Some writers claim
that they originated in the Carpathiar
Mountains. near Rumania. and spread ont
from there. Others claim that they came
from Asia going north of the Caspian Sea
and settled on the River Volga. whence
the name of Bulsarians. In some way
they increased and multiplied. until they
now constitute the greater portion of the
people of eastern Europe. They do not
seem to have been at any time so warlike
or dominant as the other branches of the
family. They became so numerous and
depressing that the German tribes made
war on them, took them prisoners and
made slaves of them. from which we get
our word slave All old writers describe
them as an Industrious race. living by agri-
culture. fiocks and herds. They were sim
pie and peaceful. and made war only in
defense. There is no doubt that they do
not equal the Germans in intellect and
force of character. The farm of a Ger
man peasant is always superior to that of
his Slav neighbor. They built up the
kingdoms of Poland and Bohemia. which
for time fOurished, but at length fell
into disorder and misery. There are prob
ably over 10O,000.O00 Slavs in eastern
Europe. The population of Russia is al
most wholly Slavic, and there are about
100000 Slavs in Germany. known by
the name of Wends. Massurians. Cassu-
rians, etc. In Austro- Hungary. Bohemia,
Slovcrnia, Bosnia. Herzegovina. and the
Polish provinces are almost wholly Slavic,
making up 22000,0C0, people out of the to-
tai population of 42,0OO.00O of the AustrO-
Hungary, the Slavs of Croatia and Tran
sylvania are allowed no political rights
whatever, by the dominant Magyars and
the present trouble in Austria is
due to the Slavs of Bohemia and the other
provinces demanding to be put on a poll
teal equality, which the Germans obsti-
nately refuse TO do.
Besides these there are the Slavic peo-
pie of the countries which were once Turk
ish provinces.
Greece has a population of 1900 600
people, whom many writer's think are
nearly wholly Slavic. Others admit that
about One-half are Slays.
Montenegro has q population of 90, 600
Slavs.
Bulgaria has population of nearly
oh WIN
Servia has 2.5OO,00O people, entirely
Slavic, and who speak what many think
the original language of the race.
The important little Kingdom of Ruma-
mia has a population of 100000, who are
wholly Slavic with 4 Latin modification.
1t was at one time the policy, of Rome to
settle her discharged soldiers on the banks
of the Danube, 10 make a bulwark there
against the Slavic irruptions. Though
these veterans were comparatively few in
number, they profoundly affected the Ian
guage and the character of the Slavic peo-
pie around them. Their language is Sla-
vic, but has n Latin form, and they show
much more brightness and alertness than
the true SIavs.
OF the 100000 people in the territory
of Europe which still remains to Turkey,
about one-thrd are pure Slavs, while an
other third is mixed Greek and Turkish
blood.
All Slavs speak branches of one Ian
guage, but which one is the mother Ian
suage is matter of earnest dispute. The
Russian, Bohemian and Polish branches of
the language have been cultivated to high
degree in literary way, approaching the
perfection of the leading languages in the
west of Europe.
The soldiers, while not showing the en-
terprise and aggressiveness of soldiers of
Celtic and Germanic blood, have evinced
patience and stubbornness, which, togeth-
er with their great numbers, have made
them formidable antagonists, as Frederick
the Great and Napoleon found out to their
sorrow.
THE cpnSuS Shnyyc tbot tho ,;t;o. -.