The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-12-15

might almost have imagined one
self at a suburban station on
Sunday instead of at one of the
most important centers in south
ern Europe. Fortunately there
were but few passengers. and we
were thus able to share between us
the services of an ancient peasant,
who bobbled along the platform
and undertook to attend to the lug
gage. At the gate we gave up
our tickets to one-armed ticket
collector and passed into the Gus
toms office, where a very raw
youth turned all our possessions
out on the floor, and after demand
ing q repeated assurance from us
that we were not smuggling any
thing. allowed us to depart.
There was not a cab to be had
but a number of old men, young
boys and even a few women were
waiting outside ready to act as
porters and the passengers set
out on their weary tramp up the
steep hill that leads TO tho central
part of the city. Belgrade has in
the past acquired All unhappy
notoriety through its soul-rending
cobble pavement. Some months
ago the municipality decided to
have all the streets paved with
wood, but the war broke out be.
fore the work had been half com
pleted, and the result is that now
the streets of Belgrade are nothing
more than a series Of trenches and
mounds Of earth. The workmep
have all Joined the colors. and ii
IS rumored that women will be
employed to finish the undertaking
before the snow comes down.
The next day was a national boli-
day in Belgrade. The town was
decked with flags, the shops were
closed, and the war proclamation
was everywhere to be seen. 1t
nestled among Paris hats in mil
liners windows, and hung on every
door and every wall, and was dis
tTibuted outside all the churches,
where divine services was held for
the success of the Balkan allics.
Servlans are not a church 60
ing people by any means. "God
keeps Servia' is a popular saying,
and the churches are left to take
care of themselves on Sundays.
But now they are daily packed to
overflowipg with mothers, wives,
daughters, and sisters. Prayer is
the only weapon left to the women.
Numbers of them applied as volun-
teers at the war office, but they
were rejected and SO they returned
home to the greater heroism of
silent watching.
These Serviap women are hero
ines. There are no scenes, no weep
ing, no protests as they bid fare
well to their dear ones off to the
front.
"God bless you and good luck,
my boy" Thus a mother parts
with her son. Well she knows that
she may never see him again, or II
she does, it will perhaps be in
wounded condition. She does not
faint, however. It is q practice
unknown in Servia where centuries
of suffering and oppression under
the Turkish yoke have taught the
women as well as the men to be
stoics in the greatest crises of
life.
The last detachment Of troops
has left and now Belgrade is a
city of sad~faced women. a friend
of mine, promising young musi
clan. who had recently been ap-
pointed conductor to the orcbes-
ira at the National theater was
summoned to JOIN the colors. He
frankly admitted to me that he was
annoyed. He had been working
on a new symphony, and he scarce
IL wished to die before it was
finished. He spent his last night
at home in revising his score; and
at daybreak next morning he don
ned his uniform and Joined his
regiment. l visited his mother,
and found her In tears in her son g
room bending over sheets Of music
end stacks of books,
''This was all he cared FORE
she said, "The army never inter
ested him.
The staff at the cafes and res
taurants dwindled yesterday. There
were only about dozen people at
table aud the establishment ap-
pears to be ntbe hands Of one
solitary waiter.
"Why have you not eone7" 1
asked. "They have not called me
YETI ne replied indifferently. ffI
belong to the 'last defense. The
master went ten days ago. He is
younger than ! am
At the National theater patriotic
pieces arc performed daily by order
Of the government. Men s parts
are all played by actresses. In a
few days when the wounded are
brought TO Belgrade, the theater.
like the university aud other pub
lie buildings, will be turned into
4 hospital.
During the past weeks the women
and girls of Belgrade have been
busy with sewing and courses in
first aid and IN nursing, and their
voluntary services have also been
accepted in government offices
and in the postal administration.
A strict censorship is exercised
over correspondence, and every
letter and telegram is read by the
officials before it is delivered or
dispatched abroad.
The popular man in Belgrade TO-
day is NJ Tosheff the BULGARIAN
minister. He is by nature buoyant-
" optimistic. Remember this. he
said to ME with genial smile,
Hdefeat for the united Balkan
races is an impossihility. We shall
suffer losses, but we shall conquer
NV own son is among the combat
ants" he added gravely. 81 fes.
for him. but not for our cause
The "Belgrade Piedmont" a
patriotic journal, appeared for the
last time this mornin. after val
,on+ oFfnrta to survive the dep5T-