The Washington herald., 1913-03-09
FOREIGN GOSSIP.

century before the conquered Constan-
tinople. II was among their first. Eu-
| ropean acquisitions. Invited to Europe
by the Christians to take part in their
quarrels, they crossed the Dardanelles
and seized the castel of Tzympe. In
1858 came a terrific earthquake, which
| shattered the cities Of Trace. The walls
of CaIlipolis crumbled and fell, the in
habitants deserted the place. and the
Turks marched In over the ruins and
there they remained. in spite Of the res
monstrance OF the Emperor. Cantacu-
genus. The Sultan Orkhan replied that
Providence had opened the city to his
soldiers, and he dared not be guilty Of
the impiety of disregarding such a man
\ Hesitation of the Divine will.
Assuming that the victorious Balkan
nations do not fall out over the spoils
of their war with Turkey, they will pre-
sent a problem that will somewhat puz-
zle the European diplomatists. Peace
| finds these states in a condition they
never enjoyed before. now that they
have achieved such significant victories.
Their military organizations, which all
| Europe was disposed to regard as mere
experiments, have worked out well.
Their armies have proven themselves to
| be composed of real soldiers, defeating
the brave Turks As much by good lead
Nations that have proved their abil-
| ity and readiness to mobilize and put
| into the field hundreds of thousands OF
men, most OF them well trained, are
not to be treated henceforth as they
| have been heretofore. They would not
| stand for II. Their sensibilities must
be respected. They must be handled
with care. as combined. they can mus
ter half a million soldiers in battle.
In defeating Turkey they have. so
to say. upset the familiar European
concert" or equilibrium. which must
be readjusted to suit both, the triple
alliance and the triple entente. That
Germany. at least. is fully alive to the
significance OF the allies, triumph is TO
be inferred from the energy with
which the Kaiser's government Is pre-
pairing a programme of military expan-
sion calculated to increase the first line
OF the active army to $500 men. No
doubt this is caused by Germanys
treaty obligation to Austria, which Is
the only one of the three signatures to the
"Dreibund" actually land prominently
interested In any Balkan question.
Italy, the third member. and especially
Austria herself. also will have to enlarge
their contributory strength to the alli-
ance. which in effect cannot be but hos
tile TO any Balkan expansion policy as
long as Austria remains one Of the sig
natOrics.
On the other hand. France and Russia,
and unfortunately England. are the pro-
tectors of the Balkan nations. Russia
is the great and good friend of all
Slavic race. their protector while
France has a vast financial interest in
seeing them remain stable and solvent.
Its government also is perfecting a plan
for the increase OF its army, wherein
may be seen realization that the Bal
kan allies have upset the military eaui-
librium OF Europe. that German read
justment compels France to do likewise.
As the Great Britains' share in this
new state OF affairs. It must be confessed
that once more Russian diplomacy has
been too intricate for her statesmen.
who naively went into the trap prepared
for them by 'Russia's and Frances
pious desire for peace and the mainte-
nance of the European concert by Great
ing triple entente in order to forestall
any high-handed proceeding on the part
Of the triple alliance (dreibund). just
as in Persia, as in Afghanistan. and the
Hindu Koosh plateau. the Bear has ef-
fectually muzzled the Roaring Lion" The
Balkan nations. all subservient to Rus
sia, reach to the Euxine and the Mar
mosa Sea. and the shadow-like remnant
Of European Turkey. by the combined
grace Of her Russo-phile victors. nom
inally retains tho key to the outlet from
the Euxine to the Aegean and the Le-
want. What. then. has become of the
loud and centuries-old boast of England
that she has Russia bottled up in a
maritime Cul-de-saC without an outlet,
and that she alone is mistress of the
SueZ Canal short route to her Indian
and Australasian possessions"
Britain may we'll wish now that the
late King Edward, sitting on the bal
cony of the Hotel de rEurope in Carls-
bad. and over a congenial cigar listening
to the Establishments OF Clemenceau,
that arch-hater OF Germany. would have
had the good sense to leave his country's
foreign policy in more capable hands
than his own. and sent the willy French
man about his business.
Legislators in the British House of
Lords now at work on a betting bill recall
that grave statesmen in the House OF
Commons also have been known to re-
lieve the tedium of debate by sportive
bets made across the floor of the House.
1t was in the month of FEBRUARY. 17F.
that Sir Robert Walpole. having been
accused of certain high misdemeanors,
made an emotional quotation from Hor-
ace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus, the
Roman poet). to which Pulteney replied
that the right honorable gentleman's
logic and Latin were equally inaccurate"
Walpole defended his quotation. backing
il with the wager of a guinea. The
clerk was sent for, and decided against
Walpole. who threw the guinea at Pull
teney.
The curious may to this day see this
golden guinea in the Medal Room Of the
British Museum, with this note in the
handwriting of Pulteney: This guinea
/ desire may be kept as an heirloom. II
was won of Sir Robert Walpole. in the
House of Commons. he asserting the verse
In Horace to be multi pallecere culpae,'
whereas I laid the wager CT a guinea
that 1t was 'nulla pallescere culpa.' He
sent for the book. and being convinced
that he had lost gave me this guinea. 1
told him that I could take the money
without any blush on my side, but be-
lieved that il was the only money he
ever gave in that House, where the
giver and receiver ought not equally to
blush. This guinea. hope. will prove to
my posterity the use of knowing Latin,
and encourage them in their learning II"
The most arrogantly named of Lon
don clubs is THE Club founded close
on 80 years ago. Goldsmith, Burke.
johnson and Sir Joshua Reynolds being
among the eight original members. Gar
rick and Boswell Joined In 1773. and
Gibson and Fox in IVA. Since 17s0 THE
Club has comprised thirty-five members.
five below the maximum allowed by the
rules. Politics play no part in the cleo
ton of the members, all of whom are
eminent men Gladstone and Salisbury