United labor bulletin., 1913-07-12

S~S to let well enough alone and steer tn
middle path OF caution.
He happened to be born with royal blood in hi
veins: but that is of small account Every inch o
territory every subject he owns he has fought fol-
and 1t is to his credit that the domains handed 4
him by his predecessor, ffty-two years ago hav
been rather more than doubled in extent and popr
lation through the might of his sword and the agit
of his brain.
Nicholas Petrovich Niegoch. car of Montenegro
prince of the Zeta, voivode of Brda, and gospoda
OF Tchernagora Europes last feudal ruler, was bor
at Niegoch. the ancestral home of his house. O.
September 25, 1s41 He OF the wonderfu
line which has given rulers to Montenegro for NOR
than two hundred years and which was one OF tn
foremost families of the ancient principally fo
centuries before that The Petrovich dynasty ha
reigned in Montenegro since 1896 when the rule G
the hereditary vladkas. prince-bishops. was fl
augurated. But for hundreds of years before thi
date. even before the time of the first Black Prime
Stephen Chrnoievich. the Petrovich were hor
ored family, who boasted the rank of voivode G
lord.
All of the men OF this line have been men of gres
personal prowess. exceptional military abilit,
statesmanship and political cunning. and possese
of marked personal magnetism Living for tn
most part lives of strictest celibacy. quaint mi,
lures OF the warrior and the monk. they preside
over the destinies of their tiny nation with sens
of responsibility that you will not hnd eoualed b
the standard OF any ruling dynasty in Europe.
At the beginning OF its existence Montenegro wa
ruled by successive dynasties OF princes. OF whic
u last was the Chrnoievich. In 1916, howeve
the system of government was changed. and wha
were known elective vladikas were installed.
One ruler of the Petrovich succeeded by b
brothers Strangely enough. there
never any Jealousy among the nephews who were
passed over
For instance the father OF Gar Nicholas.
Mrko. known the Sword OF Montenegro
the most famous warrior the little land boast
and a stAlwart bulwark against the invasons OF
the Turks which threatened Montenegro until
.rfa.- -
Moslem aggression in Europeans twice passed
over for the throne. the second time in favor OF
HIS Yet he fought eherefully both for
his brother and his son and never showed trace
OF ill-feeling. although. has been said, he has
always been regarded the best leader the
Black Mountain men had.
To tell the story OF Gar Nicholas. the first OF
the Montenegrin rulers TO wear hngy crown.
means the telling of the story OF his country
throughout his reign.
II is not a story which can be lightly told.
either, for It involves description of several Of
the most stirring combats which have taken place
since the days of the Crusades.
In the first place. It is necessary to give
brief sketch of the land OF Montenegro or Tcher-
nagora-"the Black Mountain" TO call It by the
name It's inhabitants love best. Montenegro
colonized in the last decade OF the fourteenth
tury by noble families from Macedonia, Servia
and Bulgaria the pick of the old Slav arstocracy,
who fed from their upland castles in the Rho
dope hills after the battle of Kossovo In 1889.
power in the Balkan peninsula. and the great
BulgarSerb empire which had been numbered
hmong the mightiest In Europe went down to
everlasting defeat.
From that time on the story of Montenegro is
the story OF endless battles wars sieges raids.
forays and encounters with the Turks. varied
occasionally by combats with the Venetians. who
made several abortive attempts to scale the Inn
pregnable road known the "Montenegrn Lad
der. which runs from the Bocca di Cattora up
to Cettinje and. later combats with the French
and Austrians.
Time and again the Turkish sultans and their
vceroys. the Pashas OF Albania Bosnia and the
Herzegovina. endeavored to conquer the tiny
land. Fer four hundred and fifty years. army
after army led by the Janissaries and best gen.
erals Turkey could produce. attempted to conquer
Montenegro and failed During the first half of
the last century the warfare between the little
principalSy and Its great enemy almost un-
ceasing In the reign of Danio H.. uncle of
Nicholas number OF tremendous battles were
fought
Five years before the time came for Nicholas
TO ascend the throne. his destiny had been de-
termined upon. and his uncle a man of
considerable foresight and small Intellectual
attainments 1t determined that the heir
apparent should be given frst-class western
education In preparation for his assuming the
responsibilities OF leader OF his people
Accordingly. after a preparatory course In the
home OF his aunt in Trieste-where he mbibed
principally hatred of the Austrians, who were
becoming almost as dangerous enemies OF Monte
negro the Turks-he was shipped on to Paris.
where he studied at the Academy OF Lous-le
Grand and obtained some proficiency In French
Italian and German. besides Serb history and
other more usual branches of knowledge.
Even II Nicholas had not been king he would
have deserved commendation and distinctive
place In the history OF his country through his
literary endeavors. Besides volume of poetry.