The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-07-19


Maintaining the peace and making arrests
appear to be the smallest part. To-day
said one member Of the force, I'VE were
called upon to advise the best crop for q
piece Of land and to furnish the seed for
planting II; to look after q sick COW and
horse. and to act as a guide to some
strangers in showing them over the neigh
borhood. Yesterday one Of the men gave
first aid In a case of injury. arranged a
marriage ceremony. sent for a under
taker, and helped hook after the details OF
a fete day celebration, Then we look after
the employment Of help for the farmers in
harvest time. and endeavor to get work for
all who a or need it,
The administration of justice presented a
most serious problem. The Christians, who
neverknew what justice vas, looked with dis
trust upon any form Of court procedure while
the Mohammedan. from the principles OF
his religious training. believed that he
was under no obligations to tell the truth
when his adversary was n Christian. A
kindly but impartial hearing Of disputes
inspired the Christians with confidence.
and they overwhelmed the court with petty
grievances. 10 the Moslems was gwen u
court Of their own. presided over by a Cadi
OF their own faith. Moreover o school for
the study Of Mohammedan law was estab-
lished. the course comprising the Korap.
which Is taught in Arabic; law. taught in
Turkish; history. geography and subjects
OF general knowledge. taught in Slavonic.
One of the great changes too has come
in the condition OF women. Under the
Turkish rule the Christian woman was
little more than a ohattel. The Austrians
opened up to her a great number Of oooupa-
tons, n established schools for instruo-
ton in arts and industries by which she
might mako q living and be independent.
The Bosnian 10 considered by many to be
the best looking woman in the Balkans. |
The peasant women, living 90 much out
doors, are muscular and robust. The girls
generally meet their future husbands while
watching goats on tho hillside. The lads
play their pipes. sing love songs. and are 30
assiduous in their oourtship that they are
fairly servants to their s~weethearts. The
service begun thus early is pretty APT to
continue through life, and the Bosnian
woman remains always power in her own
household. She takes to politics as natu-
rally as al English woman to tea, and that
she should figure in the formation Of the
legislative body Of the country Is to be
expected.
The greatest difficulty that Austria has
met and will continue to meet In the organ
ization Of a Parliament Is the reconciliation
Of racial differences and the settlement Of
race precedence. While all he varied
people who make up the strangely ccmpos-
lite dual empire are here represented. the
strongest in number are the two Slavonio
races. the Croats and the Serbs. The
Mohammedans are descended from ancient
Bogomile families and are not Turks in
the strict sense Of the word. They possess
all the enthusiasm OF converts. yet their
practice of Accommodation presents some |
curious contradictions. While they are al
most fanatical in their strict Observance |
of fasts and festivals. hours Of prayer and
religious duties. they make pilgrimages |
to Christian shrines. and many OF them
desire at their deathbed a Christian priest
as well as a Moslem hodja. In Mostar |
the women's figures are SO carefully CON- |
cealed that in he street they look like |
nothing SO much as animated meal bags. |
while In the country q" few miles away
women 60 without wells M work in the |
fields with men.
The bitterness between the Mohammc- l
dams and Christians is less intense than that
between the two great Christian bodies
the Roman Catholic and the Greek Ortho-
dox. So strong Is the feeling between
these two peoples that a careful distinction
is made in the national costume. Members
Of the Orthodox Church use old Slavonio
characters in all printed matter. while
the Roman Catholics consider the use Of
books in this type as a mortal sin and in
sist upon Latin characters. Public notices
must thus be printed in both these languages.
When to these arc added German. the
official language Of the empire. Hungarian
and Turkish, any Official communication, |
even 90 simple q thing as q warning at a ]
railroad crossing or q trespass sign, be- ,
comes voluminous.
All these religious as well as racial
differences must of course be considered
in the makeup Of the new Diet. The plan
Is that the legislative body shall consist
OF members appointed by the Austrian
Government. one-third Of them from the
local ecclesiastical and lay dignitaries. |
and the remainder to be elected by the
people according to the three ruling denomi-
nations-Roman Catholic. Greek Orthodox |
and Mohammedan. These combinations
promise that the early sessions Of the Diet
to be held late this year will DO much in the
nm t,re NJ N Donnybrook Fair. 1