The farmer and mechanic., 1906-09-04

EnH Is Not ct.
Copyright, 1906. by Joseph b. Bowles
Copyright in Great Britain
Al Rights Rcservcd.)
T~onghjem Norway, June p, '06.-
southeastern Europe is out of the line
Of travel and little known to us, if l
can measure the knowledge of others
by my own. In order to learn some
thing Of this section we came north
west from COnstantinOple through
Bulgaria. SerVia and Hungary.
We passed through European Tur-
key in the night, and morning found
us in Bulgaria, where nothing but an
occasional minaret remained to re-
mind US of the orient. Strange that
50 great Il difference exists between
two populations separated for centu-
riCS by nothing but an imaginary line.
NO more the Turk with mis- wealth Of
leisure, his baggy trousers and his gay
headgcar. but the sturdy peasant Is
Working in the field with his unveiled
Wife or trudging along the road car
rying his produce to market; no more
begging for baksheesh by lame and
halt and blind, but a busy industrious
thrOng, each labOring apparently with
It purpose and Il nope.
All day long we rode past we'll cul-
tiVated fields and watched tidy viii
lages. The Bulgarians, judged by APP
pcaranCes, might be thought a mixture
of German and Italian but they are
really Slavic in their origin. ! had the
good fortune to meet former minis
ter. a very intelligent man with a good
command of English, and learned from
him that there is a strong democratic
sentiment in that country and that the
people are making constant progress
in the matter OF education and politi-
cal intelligence.
He said that during his ministry he
had introduced into Bulgaria the
American homestead law and that it
bad resulted i'll an increase in the
number of peasant prOprietOrS. 1t was
gratifying to know that American cX-
ample had been helpful to people so
remote from US. He also spoke of the
establishment in his country Of State
assurance against hail, that being one
of the greatest Derils the farmer has
to meet. He said that the system had
worked we'll. The railroads and tele-
graph lines are also owned by the
state in Bulgaria and are operated
very successfully.
The capital, Sofia. is a prosperous
looking city. viewed from the railroad
and has an elevation of some 1,50C
feet.
We crossed the Balkan mountains
and tho second morning reached Bel
grade, the capital of Servia. The city
has a fine location on bluff at june
ton of the Save with the Danube. \
Gays visit here gave an opportunity tC
sec something of the population, as i
was sunday, and the streets and park:
were filled with Weil-dressed, we'll.
behaved and eIligcnt-lOOking peO
TIo. The SerVians. who are also Sla
Vi" i'm origin, are members of th'
Greek church, and at the principa
church of this denomination tacre wa
'h2t day a large congregation and al
impressive service.
King Peter, it will be remembered
is the present ruler, having been called
to the throne three years ago when hi
predecessor was assassinated Tn
brutaljtics attending the murder o
King Alexander and his Wife WeT
widely discussed at the time, tn
bodies Of the king and queen bein,
thrown from the window of the palac
into the park While the new SOVer
ciGn was recognized by most of tf'
powers of Europe, England refused t
send a representative to his court Be
cause the king retained some nigh II
tcials who participated in the masssl
ere.
AS Scrvia has a parliament Whic
controls the ministry, and as tins par
lament was hostile to the former klnE
King Peter was pOWerless to comp
with thn conditions imposed by Ems
laUd-at least this was the eHplanatio
given me. | heard next day at buu1
pest however, that some satiSfactor
settlement had been reached and tina
England would soon be represented
Belgrade. King Peter is not OF hunpi
ancestry, a | had supposed, but is
gradson of a former king who WI
conspicuous in the war for indepeno
once. Peter himself was in exile
Switzerland at the time of his cleFa
ton to the throne, and having dufit
his residence there imblbed Sometnlll
of the spirit Of constitutional lpei
is much more popular than was n
predecessor. There is quite close cor
n"ction between Servia, Rouma.' ~
bulgaria and European Turkey anu
will not be surprising if the last rel,
nant of Turkish territory III Eulopo
before many years. released 1roih :
su1tan.e r,1le and a federation of ia
kan states created. a majority OF u