The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-02-08
THE MONTENE rim
THE MOST PICTURESQUE PEOPLE
IN EUROPE.

The most interesting of the four
Allied States now so bravely fighting
for the faith and fatherland'' of their
oppressed Slav brethren are the Mon
tenegrins, the inhabitants of the noun
tain Businesses of the Balkans, who
have successfully for five centuries
defied the Turk, says writer in the
Dublin Leader. They never submitted
to his rule when great powers and
principalities went down before his
all-conquering domination. They to-
day are probably the most picturesque
people in Europe certainly the finest,
the most Independent and bravest.
They were the first to throw down the
gage of battle the other day to the
once great Turkish Empire, daring
much in the enterprise, but warriors
every man of them, they counted not
the cost and were not dismayed.
Fortune has favored them. They
have secured great and glorious vic
tories at much cost of life no doubt,
but show to the world an example of
the greatest and most superb courage.
Their little principality contains but
255, 900 habitants, and still with their
relatively little army they defied the
whole Turkish Empire, with it's mil
lions of armed men, and brought it
happily with their Allies aid to the
dust. To their long continued struggle
against the Turk is due the greatest
praise Theirs were splendid endur-
ance and a courage that never flinched
or faltered. A Serb people driven into
their mountains after the Inflated vic
tory of Mohammedanism over the
Servian Empire five hundred years
ago, at the battle of Kossovo, they
have remained there free, unfettered,
independent, heroes every man of
them, with a history to boast of; of
unflinching resistance to the Turk
that is one record of daring and
doughty deeds.
The Rough Rock Throne of Freedom.
Inhabitating a land not too richly
lowered by nature, every spot of its
borders is memorised by some gallant
struggle against the cruel invader who
never secured a foot hold there. Their
country has well been called 'the
rough rock throne of freedom" and
their people the finest on earth, ply
sically and morally. I met several of
them at the historic Slavic gathering
in Prague last June and July, and
can truly say that l was greatly i'm
pressed by their splendid stature and
general appearance. The men l met
were all at and over six feet high
with the eye of an eagle and the
1.-the easy gait of men who seemed to
have brought physical development
to it's highest pitch Of perfection
And their manners were those of per
feet gentlemen and their culture sur
prising.
A few days ago l had letter from
Count Voinovisky, the Private Secre
tary of the King, and in that epistle
he said to me:
Ills Majesty has charged me tc
send you his thanks for your beautiful
and noble letter of 21st October and
for the article in the journal by you
The Irish and the Montenegro people
J have a common standard of life-love
of liberty and of Christianity. Mr.
} Gladstone, the great champion of the
Balkan people, would have beer
glad to see both nations marching
on the same royal path and the Bal
kan Alliance fighting for the same
| ;Joo1e Of xyOI1r nnh1o oo11nfTSU
That my country should receive
such praise and appreciation made me
proud and pleased, and reading the
, history of that country and compar
ing it with ours, certainly was Otter
: struck with the many points of agree
ment between them in their long ant
sad story of struggle and suffering
But the resemblance does not stoI
there. In their manners and habit:
there are also striking resemblances
Both countries are essentially re
ligious. The Montenegro is Greel
Catholic and very devout one.
A Religious People.
am reading book at present b!
: Mr.. Wyon, tThe Balkans from With
in," written in 1904, and am tempted
to give few passages from its at
: tractive pages as descriptive of thu
: people of Montenegro, whom tn,
} writer learned, as every one wht
} visits or knows them does, to love AM
/ admire. Thus he mentions in on,
: case that he goes to visit rudely con
structed hut of uneven planks,
! typical summer abode to which tn,
} Montenegro, who then turns shep
herd, migrates with his family ant
docks for the hottest months.
MAY God protect you," says on
host, a giant of six feet six inches,
| splendid specimen of manhood in hi
? prime, lean, 1.-THE, without an ounce
: of superauous flesh, clad in a close
3 fitting white serge, bordered in curl
/ GUS patterns with black braid; on hi
head the universal little black and re,
: Montenegrin cap, and at the waist
: girdled by many colored sash, stick
the inevitable eighteen-inch revolver
) This is the greeting to every one, an,
d ! this is but sample physically of tn
g race. They are all giants, such as tn
/, writer described, and the mel
s met were exactly as he describe,
: them. The stranger asking his hos
Y IL he is well is answered, God ha
s given me good health. Thanks be t