Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-11-28

/ "a no
slow but ccasclcss progress toward the
| East.
Tartary as name has disappeared from
the maps whore Mongolia. the possession
| of which is now tn be contested. Ia tho
only souvenir of that great but short
lived empire which was founded In tho
| 18th century by Genghis Khan and at one
| time spread over most Of Asia and mart
| of Europe. Tho Turkish invasion was hu,
| one phase of this astonishing movement,
and the partition - Turkey in tho vost
| comes AZ the same time with the parti-
ton OF Mongolia In the East Turkey has
| held ont little better than most OF the
Mongol empire. largely by reaching the
Mediterranean and establishing sea now
or and relations with the western civiliza-
ton which is now destroying It, The
Asiatic empire. nj one time so colossal.
quickly crumblcd because 1t had no solid
| foundations It was based on conquest
and the Mongols while mighty warriors
and not lacking in genius Of various
sorts. had not tho gift needed for building
n great permanent empire. They achieved
some splendid things. including an archi-
lecture equal to any but the Greek. its
finest flower being the Tai MahaI and its
| most ambitious creation the great build
| ings about the public square at Sauna rk :
and. which Lord Curzon has rated above
| the group about the piazza of St Mark
| in Venice. AS conquest the reign of
| the Mongos. or Moguls as they were
| known I'm Persia and India was even
moro wonderful than the career of Alex
| ander the Great, ana as fruitless. Prob
| ably destiny was against them from the
start over so great an inland area di-
vded by wide and almost impossible
deserts, a much more firmly welded en-
| pire could hardly have held together
the connections which q railroad affords
| AS the great railroad builder of Asia.
Russia has better chance.
| 1t is n matter of curious interes, that
| the people whom Russia is now prepar-
| ing To absorb include the descendants of
| the very people of whose exodus in III
De Quincy gave SO thrilling an account
in his Flight Of a Tartar Tribe" These
nomads had grown tired of Chinese rule
and had migrated to the region about AS
! trakhan north of the Caucasus But find.
! ing this position, hemmed in between Rus.
slams and Turks Increasingly unpea SAINT
| they determined to return to China. The
| Russians tried in vain to dissuade them,
| and then came that amazing fight of
100000 people. men. women and children
with their beasts of burden and family
| possessions, across the great deserts OF
/ Asia pursued by cavalry who slew pitI.
| icssly at every step They were making
| havoc among the survivors. who. perish
| linz with thirst. had waded into lake
where the pursuing horscinen followed
| raI IN daft Il
and avens" the Mongols. who once more
| Russia, by steady oncroachments. has
! crossed the no-man's land between and
again threatens the same tribe which
| has often changed masters Reports
arc conflicting; apparently the majority
of the Mongolians prefer to remain UNI
der the rule of China. and probably they
are wise; 1t Is mildor and less meddle-
| some soVercigntv
ON the map the chinese empire still
makes an imposing figure. but recen,
| events threaten its future Russia and
Japan have come to an agreement by
| which they are to support each other
claims in Mongolia and Manchuria re-
spectivcly. And England. which has
meekly left il to liberal newspapers I,
| tllll'lLt tne RUSSIAN HtrOCltleS IN Persia
| is greatly exercised over the sever.
measures adopted by a Chimes. .xpedi-
| ton to Tibet that she has taken actor
which will virtually separate that bleak
! plateau from the Chinese empire. Thu
: manitarian motives are urged. hut in
| frankcr moments II is confessed that En-
| gland by the punitive expedition to Lhas
81 extorted a very satisfactory treaty
| with Tibet which might lapse If china
! We're allowed to reassert her ancient
sovereignty. The fact is that the chin
esq giant has slumhorcd little too long
! The outlying provinces in tn. bleak in
terror Of Asia which used to he amply
protected by mountain and desert. have
| been given too lax Il rein. and every at
| tempt to strengthen her hold on them is
| treated by interfering neighbors as al
outrage Russia only 20 Years ago butch.
| cred 20,0o0 men. women and children II
/ the sack Of one town In Turkestan. bu,
Russia now figures ahsurdly as the de
/ fender OF the liberties OF the Mongolians
while England is trying to keep china
| from exercising such sovereignty in II
bet as England has In India. Under such
| conditions the fate of the Chinese empire
| can readily be forescen; China can afford
to let it go II her own integrity is spared.