The Washington herald., 1912-10-20

iotW Tur1l pOpuA8tlOu very pOOx eu0
stiu bearing traces Of many centuriea
Only for q few decades past has this
population. for centuries rough. ignorant
and oppressed begun. partly owing %
the influence OF the Balkan states. part
ly as 4 result Of religious propaganda.
increased education and emigration 10
America, to acquire consciousness Of
itself or its stock and its national rights.
to aspire to better conditions. greater
ease, more comfortable life and. above
all. that safety and order which our
civilization has secured to the rural
populations Of Europa
II. therefore. cannot be said. that ow-
ing to the sole fact OF their being Chris
uans for centuries these populations
represent civilization In Macedonia Un-
til half century ago they lived in crude
barbarism a. did the rural populations
Of entire Europe until q century and .
half ago. Only during tho last half
century have they begun to feel the
influence coming from civilixed Europe
and America We should therefore. be
nearer the truth II We said that the
Christian masses represent In Mace
donis an ancient barbarian. the on
same barbarism which Europs was
-
ago a. regards the whole Of its nom
urban populations, who are now hap
PLY awakening and beginning to be
agftated by . new desire for civilization.
siussalman Peasants Uncivilised.
II We make a comparison between the
Christian populations Of Macedonia and
the Mussulman populations We shall see
that the latter. too. 10 made up Of .
large number Of peasants. These. though
protesting different faith. have not for
many centuries been either more civilized
or more barbarous than the Christians.
and for centuries in all except their re-
hgion they have resembled the latter
pretty closely. just a.. for that matter.
the lower classes Of people are very
however. ideas and tendencies
have been growing divergent between
the Christians and Mussulmen. because
the Mussulman peasants. immured in
their religion, are much less subject than
the Christians to the influence Of the
Ideas Of Europe and America.
But II from rural classes We rise to
the upper classes We shall see that Islam
In represented In Macedonia by q class
Of big Mussulman landed proprietors. or
beys. in whom again II found. though IN
a decadent and hybrid form. that refine
ment and basis of civilization conceived
by Islam as q matter OF bekdty and de-
for rich land owners. Side by
side with these beya Islam II represented
BY high officials Of the government, who.
here as everywhere else. arc the natural
1epositories OF certain principles Of cul-
ture and civilization, judicial, political,
Ind military. though divergent from
ours. 1t would therefore not be inappro-
pirate to say that the Musgulman In
Macedonia represents IL anything a
partly aged and decayed.
which has had origins diverse from ours
and which sets itself another supreme
him. No doubt Islam under the domina-
ion of the Turks is greatly decayed. just
Is it Is decayed in Persia and Northern
Africa. The splendor with which 1t
showed in the earlier midages under the
Arabs. when from Bagdad. Alexandra,
Fee, and Cordova II illuminated not only |
part Of Asia and Africa, but even Eu- |
rope, sunk in the darkness of most pro- |
'ound barbarism, Is now nothing but q |
Instant memory. Only modern historians |
low know how much the modern civiliza- |
ion Of Europe owes to the Arabs. But |
hough decayed from its ancient splen- |
ior. Islam still possesses civilization |
which has its own moral. religious. po- |
itical, philosophical, and aesthetic prin- |
,iples.
Struggle Of Two Civilizations.
The Christians. on the other hand. for |
y HON the Balkan states are threatening |
o take up arms. represent a civilization !
which Is scarcely now in process Of !