The National tribune., 1908-10-15

over the Balkans the well-to-do Ser
vians, Albanians, Montenegrians, etc.,
! gather to drink the waters and watdn
| the horse racIiis.
Austria's Wise Military System.
With the establishment Of law and
| order in Bosnia the large military force
gradually sent back, and the Bosnian
youths conscripted into the service.
These are as fine a body Of young men
as would be seen in any army, and
instead of keeping them at home 1t has
| been Austrias policy to send them to
other parts of the dual Empire, to give
| them some idea of the world. and par
ticularly of the size of the country of
| which they are subjects. Soldiers from
Hungary or some other part of Austria
have been sent to take the place of
these native troops and In this way
marriages have been made and friend
ships forI d which have aided greatly
| in making the Austrian occupation ac-
ceptable to the Bosnians. The State
especially encourages such marriages,
and generously contributes to the start
in life of the young couple.
Probably nowhere in the world are
the police called upon TO perform such
unusual and novel duties as in Bosnia.
These guardians of the peace-num-
bering about 2,600-are kept busy in
almost every way except making ar
rests, etc. Their services are required
frequently to advise the best crop for
piece of land, and they are expected to
furnish the seed for planting it. If
native has a sick COW, he hunts up
policeman to tell him what to do for it.
They act as guides to strangers, some
times spending whole days in showing
them around If a marriage ceremony
E-Az l. AI,r a01t
man does it, and as his valuable SER
vices are sought in time of rejoicing,
so in the day of trouble, when death
visits the home, it is the policeman
friend who sees the undertaken and at
tends to all the melancholy details
which the appearance of the Dread
Messenger makes necessary.
Racial Differences.
Austria's greatest problem in Bosnia
has been and is the reconciliation of
the racial differences, task sufficient
to daunt the most intrepid spirit. The
people are almost entirely SlavS, with
good sprinkling of Mahometans. The
Slavs are Christian, and your Mahome-
tan has about as little love for Chris
tian dog as old Shylock had. Up to the
coming of the Austrians the Christians
in Bosnia did not know what justice
was, and looked with suspicion and dis
trust upon any form of court, while the
Mahometan, from the teachings of his
faith, believed he was under no obliga-
ton to tell the truth when his adversary
was Christian. The Austrians have
gradually inspired the Christian Bos-
mans with confidence in their admins
tration of justice, while the Mahometans
have their own courts, presided over by
cadi of their own faith.
Strange as it might seem. the bitter
ness between Christian and Mahometan
is less intense than that which exists
between the two great Christian bodies,
the Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic
Churches. This feeling is so strong that
it has influenced the National costumes,
member of either being easily distin-
guished by his or her dress. The Greek
Catholic Church uses old Slayonic char
acters in all printed matter, while the
Roman Catholics consider the use of
/ such books in-this type as a mortal sin,
and insist upon Latin characters. To
prepare public notice. therefore, be it
only warning at railway station, is
no slight job, for it must not only be
printed in both these languages, but in
German, the official language of the
Empire. and in Hungarian and Turkish
as well.