The San Francisco call., 1908-10-25

their rights.
It's too far or; who cares?" people
say. These care-SOO,O00 good Amer
leans. Servian by birth. all willing and
able to pay their passage back to fight
for their native country.
These 100000 men, mostly young
there are only 1000 Servian women in
this country-have organized in all the
great centers in the United States
Every servian belongs to some kind of
national organization. In San Fran
cisco there are seven societies. and
many more throughout the state. They
have all taken action, organized them
selves into potential military bodies
and arc ready to sail back to Europe
- the call Among them they have
millions OF dollars, and every cent of
this they stand ready 10 give. For
they are a generous. patriotic people,
and throw themselves with zeal into
their cause. Such patriotism takes
strong hold on the sympathies and the
zest with which they have acted gives
them romantic appeal.
Last week I saw something of this
at a meeting held in the Servian club.
Representatives from all the Servian
organizations about the bay were there.
and they were voting money to further
the Servian movement. AS each rep
resentative came up he pulled out
handful Of gold and placed it on the
secretary's table. Above them hung
life size painting OF King Peter in his
scarlet uniform. his rugged face so
vivid that he seemed to be present, and
on the other side Prince Nicholas of
Montenegro. There was something fine
and inspiring about the sight Of these
men thousands of miles from their old
homes. all with new interests in a new
land. but every one a Servian still
when Servia should need him. Such a
scene could not be possible of a people
who thought more of business than
their rights. Not so with the roman
tic Serb. lie only wishes he had more
money TO throw into the pile while
his black eyes snapped with pride.
In san Francisco. Oakland, Los
Angeles and other California cities
Servians have formed military COM
panies and are being drilled under
capable drill masters They viii not
be raw recruits when they answer the
call to Europe. if it comes.
These thousands of American Seryians
are from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and
thereby hangs a tale. For Bosnians and
Herzegovinians are Servian, and there
is where the trouble lies.
once the Servians We're one people
and occupied all that portion of Europe
which lies between the Danube and
the Adriatic The map now tells diff
ferent story. Servia is shown as a small
kingdom, with no outlet to the sea
Bosnia and Herzegovina-as Servian as
Servia itself-belong to Austria Dali
malta is also cut of as if by a sword.
and Montenegro holds its own. remem-
bering the days when there was a
great Servian empire.
The Servians from Servia find little
cause to leave home. out of the thou
y sands who are in California, there are
perhaps two dozen from servia- The
rest come from under the Austrian
flag, where the Austrian yoke had
CALLED them.
What manner of people. then. are
these Servians? Few know their his
tory or have taken the trouble to find
out what they are lighting for. They
are practically the last of the free
mountain people Of Europe. Switzer-
land excepted. Like the Highlanders
Of Scotland and the gallant Poles, they
know more Of war than money. and in
consequence they have not counted
against the great powers-Austria, for
example.
They are tall mountain people,
strong and handsome, with the Slavonic
blood showing only in the black, fiery
eyes 1t was of little Seryian princi-
paIity that Anthony Hope wrote his
Prisoner Of Zenda" and Rupert of
Hentzau." Their literature is mostly in