The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-09
President srhurmsn On the Bnlka N
Wars of I0I2-Ia.

Two lectures delivered at Princeton
last spring by President JACOB GOULD
ScHuRMAN OF Cornell University and
now issued in book form by the Prince
ton University Press. The Balkan Wars,
l912-1a13. suffer the disadvantages Incl
dent to n topic 30 far from It's final
phase as the fate of the troubled Bal
kans. The war with Turkey In 1912
and the conflict between the allies last
year were episode in a movement that
may not reach completion short of
general war in Europe. Mr.. Schur-
mans survey Ia almost wholly praterite.
and to-day interest in the Balkan drama
Is in the deferred tense; but his book,
slight though II he. has whatever value
may attach TO a fairly clear and concise
resume of the events OF two stormy
years still pretty much fixed in the
popular understanding in the inevitably
hurried and more or less uncoordinated
manner Of nome ntary newspaper mar
rative and comment.
The war Of 1912 was matter Of the
expulsion OF the Turk from Europe.
and that Is now n closed chapter. But
the war OF 1918 was the old rivalry Of
the Balkan countries, with all its com
piication Of European interests, pushed
to a sharper and more bitter issue by
the operations Of the previous year.
posing problems of territorial adjust
ment with ancient ambitions trembling
in the balance; access to the Adriatic
and to the .41gean. long deferred COM
mercial, military and political hopes
galvanized to a frenzy OF new energy.
That the Turk had no European i'm
mortality was an ancient certainty: the
question of expulsion was of time and
agency, and that the part of agent fell
| to the Balkan States themselves was
! historic Justice. Macedonia bred the
storm. II the Treaty of Berlin bad not
undone the Treaty OF San S,efano
Macedonia would have been part of a
! Greater Bulgaria Whether that would
| have made an end of the trouble or not,
who shall say? Jealous rivalries would
not have left Balkan breasts, nor
would economic war have Jagged.
Austria would still have yearned
and burned for that southwark
| outlet, would still save hated
Servia just as much; and Servia would
still have been torn between expansive
impulses to the two marine gateways
to the arena of international COM
merce. But Macedonia suffered on
FNhSNI Ia anu iNtSolo piahi'ht pei maps
only pretended to plan, reform; they
could not, at any rate did not, execute
it. In 1908 their entente ended and
England took Russia's place in 1t. Then
In Turkey, constitutional reform: hope
for Macedonia. Vain hope: III auto
cratic Sultans had punished the Mace
domains with whips the Young Turks
hayed them with scorpions"
When Bulgaria, Servia, Montenegro
and Greece declared war against Tur.
key in October, 1912, II might have
seemed and did seem to many that the
alliance was first step toward the
| Balkan Confederation" that has ga
often been the subject OF prophecy col
ored by wish, But :he alliance did no.
denature the mutual suspicion, dis
trust and hostility OF its members. As
the event proved the very terms OF
agreement. as between Servia and
Bulgaria in particular. contained the
elements of violent dissenson. Wher
tho common enemy had been disposed
Of the allies turned upon each othe,
in fercer, more deadly combat. Mr.
Schuman, discussing somewhat In de
tail the diplomatic vicissttudss o
Greece, remarks: How near Greco
was to an alliance with Turkey tn