Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-01
DREAM OF AN EMPIRE.
Recalled in the Life Story of
the Balkans.
SERVIA NOT UNDERSTOOD
Attitude of the Powers in the Pres
ent Crisis.
PEN PICTURES OF THE SLAVS
Threats Against Austria and the
Peace of Europe-History
Of the Peoples.
EN- PICTURES OF THE sLAvS
Special Cablegram to The Star.

Special Cabegram to The Star.
BELGRADE, March 23.-The position
of Servia is not sufficiently understood in
western Europe. I'VE have all to win by
battle" say the Servians, "and nothing to
lose. Russia may not help us In the be-
ginning. but we have only to keep on
long enough in the fight and our brother
Slavs in Russia are sure to come to our
assistance" Russia can never allow Aus
tria to swallow up a Slav state. Mon
tenegro, too, won her independence from
the Turks; she believes that she is per-
fectly able to win an increase of terri
tory from Austria. Austria will have to
do something to conciliate the suscepti-
bilities Of the two bantam states: can
give Servia a railway and an outlet to
the sea, and Montene gro, too, without
hurting herself in any degree. Such a
concession would really strengthen Aus
trias position in the Balkans, but thus
far she has shown herself only as an
aggressor.
It Is a common failing of humanity to
imagine we can do b. st that for which
we are often the least fitted. The Servian
peope have always shown incapacity to
combine in large political units: yet ever
since they were disentangled from the
mixed races of the Ottoman empire they
mighty Servian state which rose and
fell with Dusan.
The dream of an empire which shall
unite the Servian-speaking people of
S-rvia, old Servia, the Sanjak of Novi
Bazaar, Montenegro. Bosnia. Herzegovina,
Da malta. Istria, Slavonia and the coun-
try north of the Danube between Bel
grade and Orsova is never forgotten.
Every ripple on the unstable surface of
the Balkans brings back the dream. Aus
trials annexation of Bosnia and Here
govina and Bulgaria's remuneration of
Turkish suzerainty have aroused the
dreamers They see the foundations of
their airy castle being ffched under their
very noses. and they cry out in defiance
or despair.
That Is one Interpretation of the crisis
in the Balkans. There is another, less
romantic. because 1t relates to pigs-the
staple commodity Of Servia. The travel
er who sees only Be grade and the north
of Servia knows only the least vigorous
of the race. To correct his Impressions
political and ethnological-he must leave
the beaten track. The true Servian. he will
find. is a peasant-self-satisfie and self
centered. yet reasonably Industrious and
reasonably wealthy. Social inequality
and poverty are equally rare in TINS
peasant state. Not SO laborious as the
Bulgarian, who, having planted a cab
the Servian gives to his pigs and his
plums and his maize only the attention
necessary to their existence-not their
perfection. His leisure he devotes to end
ess political discussion and the recital
of interminable epics.
Epics and Politics Of slavs.
The epics are of the glory and great
ness of the Slavs and the politics is of
pigs and how they may be got to market.
1t has been said-and with truth-that the
foreign policy of Servia Is based upon
pigs. Pigs are one of the principal re-
sources of the land. and anything that
is matter of deep nat onal concern.
Whenever Austria feels inciint to teach
Servia fesson-and that has happened
before today-she raises a ba .rier against
pigs, and Sarvia-tired of sQuea ing-iurns
her thoughts to the restoi alton of the
Servian empire, a railway and port on
the Adr.atic
When the powers met in Berlin to carve
up the Balkans they gave little heed to
race or language, but ordained that Bull
garia should become vassal to Russia
and Servia vassal to Austria. That is
what Bismarck meant when he said: Il
am Russian in Sofia and an Austrian
in Belgrade" Bismarck was an oppor-
tunist, after al, and touay he would find
himself an Austrian in S,fia and Rus
sian in Belgrade. The truth is that
neither Servia nor Bulgaria has done
what the statecraft of Europe ordained;
each has refused to be the bondnan to
its great neighbor. Russia sulked and re-
fused to recognize Bulgaria for years.
while Austria erected tariff and transit
barriers against Servian pigs.
In Montenegro and Herzegovina, where
the people struggle with nature for a
bare existence the conviction pr walls
hat war is inevitable. But in Bosnia
with its great resources, and still more
n Servia, The impression Is one Of peace
However much tn Bosnians may desire
independence, they are not going to risk
the pena ty Of failure. Like many Greek
in the war with Turkey. thy say to
their slav champ ons: Come as victors
luck" And in Servia there is division
among the people. Remote from centers
Of political agitation. the peasant Is no.
warlike. and even in Belgrade the talk
Of war IS fe bier than its echo In Europe
Even ministers-contrary to haLit-are
private than their public utteI ances. and
the crown prince, Who, from afar, looks
like a firebrand, is nothing more danger
GUS that com Portable Grawing-room rire
at which his admirers warm their hopes.
Belgrade's Position.
To discuss in Be. lin or Paris or Lon
don the prospects of war between Servia
and Austria is a much simple matte.
han to contemplate the pos Utility in
Belgrade. For Belgla de lies in the hol-
ow of Austria's ma led fist, and could b.
crushed at a word or a sign. Saryians
who 1--we in the capital do not need to be
reminded Of their dIfense.ess position and
IF the ruin and death that would follow
the first act of war. Servians. of course,
=