Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-04
purpose. who consider themselves as SUI
noriar To those nennla as the southern

purpose, who consider themselves as SUI
perior to those people as the southern
white man does to the African negro.
The Albanians resent this as an Insult.
"Albanians who are In civil service:
when they begin to show efficiency ana
distinguish themselves. are transferred at
once to Anatolia and Turks are brought
In to take their places. And they resent
that for the same reasons; me AlDaman
loves his home and bis children HIS wiie
is companion anu social equal and,
Moslem though he be. he has nothing IN
common with the Asiatic Turk>and does
not desire to bring himself or family 10
Turkish conditions OF life. That some are
ultimately transformed by the process
and 'out-Turk the Turk himself cannot
be denied, but the majority OF them re-
sign rather than submit to the process.
I'm parts of Albania taxes were COL
lecteG for scores Of years. but invariably
the money went to STEAMBOAT and what
escaped the grafters was used to build
railroads in Anatolia. 1t Is not used In
Albania When a stone bridge Is, washed
away by swollen river lano the1e are
few standing now the government does
not replace It, The people build tenn
porary bridge and assess toll to pay
for It.
..The government has provided few
schools in the larger towns. but the chill
Gren have been taught in a foreign lam
guage. that of Anatolia. Their own Ian
Euage was forbidden to be taught ano
their teachers could not teach 1t II they
would. The only alternative was the
garia, where again the local languagef
and not Albanian, were taught. To poss
sess a paper printed In Albanian Or
book (for in Bucharest some were print
punishable with Imprisonment or exile.
War Of the Alphabets.
"when the new constitution was pro-
claimed the people turned their attention
to the recovery of their language. to
making an alphabet for 1t that all were
agreed upon. Up till then there existed
half a. dozen alpha bets all similarly based
on the Latin, but varying In important
particulars The very first congress con-
vened after the constitution was for that
purpose and two alphabets were accepted
to be tried out for two years, when an
to settle upon one. Papers began to be
published in the new language-two each
in Kortcha, Monastir and Scutari. and
one each in Elbasan and Saloniki-and
to the front. Albanian schools were
opened also all over the country. clubs
organized to maintain. them and In the
government schools, at least many OF
taught. teacher and scholar learning <
together.
In The midst OF this came the govern
nent order requiring the Albanians to be
taught. If taught at all. with Turkish
characters. and to close all the private
schools which did not conform to this
order. Fourteen Of the Albanian deputies
in the Turkish parliament, four OF them
Turks. and the others either ignorant OF
the real import OF the order or loving
their Office more than their nation. signed
q paper urging the government not only
to enforce the order. but to prosecute all
who did not comply. Not only men. but
q woman was employed to carry on
propaganda among the people. especially
the Moslems, in favor OF the Arabic let
ters and so the war Of the alphabets'
began. Whenever the government got up
g demonstration, the Albanians got up
another. always numbering thousands
more, and always adopting resolutions
pledging their lives not to yield. III Berat
TIE orders and books which the govern
mont sent were publicly burned, with |
some such demonstrations as followed