The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-06-22
THE sLAv REVIVAL.

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THE sLAv REVIVAL,
No movement liz more remarkable
in Europe to-day than the steady and
trend towards the re-es-
tabl'shment OF the Slav races. After
the catastrophe OF the Russo.Japanese
War. many recalled with sarcastic
smiles Napoleon's dictum that Europe
would be all Cossack or all republican in
twenty years. Despite the blow that
the Japanese victory gave to the pres
tige Of the greatest Slav race, there
is no lack OF definite proof that the
principles OF Pan slavism are stronger
to-day than they were under Peter the
Great
Stleler's Atlas, az the London Spec
tator remarks. shows In recent map
the distribution OF languages. 1t Is
common knowledge that the English
language is the most widely spoken
of any tongue on earth, but how many
know that those who can speak any
one of the Slavonic tongues can make
himself understood from the eastern
shore OF the Adratic, through Austria,
Montenegro, Servia. Bulgaria, Hungary,
Poland Russia and Siberia. to the
shores of the Bering Sea? This per-
vasivcness of the Slav tongue is the
more remarkable when 1t is renem-
bercd with what bitterness the Prus-
SLAMS tried to stamp out the use of
Polish and the desperate fight of the
Bohemians for equal rights for their
own tongue The causes Of this Slav
revival, one OF the most far-reachins
developments in European history,
are two-fold; one Is the awakening
OF national feeling In Russia. that meS-
terlous cloud of power In the North, /"
as Chatham calls II, with the life which
this awakening brought for the Slav
races in Southeastern Europe; the
other is the institution Of the Ger
man empire. with the consequent
gravitation Of the Austro- Hungarian
monarchy's interest from Germany to
all the scattered races In its own
orbit,
We are too apt to think of Austria
as a German empire, while. in matter
of fact in Austria proper only 100000
out of 26,ooo,0oo are Germans 1,o0o,-
600 are Italians and Wallach.ans. and
the remaining 100000 are slavs.
Even in Hungary with population
of over 100000. the Slavs account
for 100000. and the Hungarians dc
not form half of the population. De-
spite their numbers, the slavs have
not gained the power they should have
because of their differences among
themselves. Some of the Austrian
slavs, for example, belong to the
Orthodox Greek Church, as, for ex'
ample, the Serbs, while the Croats are
Roman Catholics, and religious diff
ferences have kept these races iron
harmonious action. The Poles AM
Russians have been at dasger's points
and, until recently, it seemed tina
their differences were irreconcilable
A change has come about, however
and a remarkable conference recent,
held in ST. Petersburg was attendet
bv members Of the Slavonic race from
all over Europe. Apparently the OBJ
jcct Of the conference was not to fur
Their the military aspirations OF Russia
. but to spread, II possible, the spiri
OF the Slav, which is essentially pro
test against that sort of centraliza
ton which has made Prussia so power
full and so detested. II the Slavs con
tinue to build their hopes on sue
basic ideals as personal liberty an
local self government, the development
OF Pan Slavism in Europe will be
blessing to the whole civilized worlt
, At present the Slavs are an insig
nificant portion OF Americas popula
Ition. From the census of 1903 1t ap
pears that there were no Russian!
Poles or Bohemians in America
} 1850, a bare trace in 1850, less tina
$1,000 in 1870, not 100000 in 1850.
little over 100000 in 1890, and nearl
: II ooe 900 in 1900 This exhibit is In
: ter.stipg, in that 1t shows the rapi
t increase Of Slavic immigration
I America. while since 1900 immigratio
! from Germany, ireland, England, sco'
e land and Wales has markedly DE-
creased.