The Washington times., 1914-12-04
POPULATION EQUAL TO BAY STATES.

invasion of Bosnia ceased. Little by
little II became clear that Austria was
collecting huge army, stiffened, it was
frequently reported, by German regi-
ments, and beating down Servian re-
$ stance, crushing her way through the
frontier districts on the Servian side OF
the Drina. Slowly. surely, with some
thing of the manner Of the glacier this
Austrian advance moved. not south from
the Danube. but east from the Drina,
until It reached the line Of the Orient
kalIW ay, which goes south from Bel
grade to Constantlnople and Salonlca-
Once this line was reached Be grade
was indefensible. Its garrison was COM
PEELED to retreat to escape capture. and
as 1t fell back II opened the highway
OF conquest, the Morava valley, along
which the Osmanli Sultats advanced
untI their banners stood before the
In later centuries. the Turk has s owly
retired until now his Slav enemies have
In turn reached the Chataldja lines in
their advance.
To-Day, Belgrade is in Austrian hands
and N!sh, the temporary Serb capital, is
on their road. II they can continue
their advance for a few weeks more
they viii have opened the road to SIAM
bouL In addition they will have cut
through the heart OF Servia, for the
Morava valley is the granary and the
fdirest portion OF Serb territory.
After four months of feh ting Il can
nc longer be doubted that Servian re-
sources in artillery, In ammunition are
even In the Turkish war the Servian
women stood In the firing line Old
men and children marched to the call
in the second Balkan war. Such Serbs
as are left Will fight. are fighting, but
their number lessons daily and each
conflict makes gaps which cannot be
hlled for the last line has long been
in the field
Destruction Ahead.
Not defeat but destruction now
threatens the Serb nation. They have
ventured to challenge the Austrian en-
pire. In Belgrade they openly planned
Tor a greater Servia to be erected on
the ruins of Austria's Adriatic prov
lhces. Europe Is at war because Aus
ira saw N that challenge the peril of
q sinteSration. Now, wheh at last her
armies have como at the Servian, her
very necessities demand that she crush
Servia, so that for many years to come
there Will be peace along her southern
frontiers; Servia has no Louvain, no
Turkish rule have destroyed even the
surviving monuments of Rome and the
Byzantine empire. But her fields, her
villages. her farms-these are now at
the, mercy of the invader.
FIVE centuries ago there was a Ser
Danube TO the Aegean. from the Adri-
attic to the Black Sea On the field OF
hossovo II went down before the Os-
manly Turks. Only in the Businesses
or the Black Mountain did the Serbs
Keep n shadow of independence. for the
rest OF Servia suffered four centuries OF
slavery, of suffering
Yet in all this time Servians keep alive
the memory OF greater days, dreamed
and dared with the confident hope that
In the future the empire of Dushan
would be restored. In song and legend.
or which the race has innumerable
treasures, the day of Servian deliver
ance was told. Unless England, Russia,
France can now intervene powerfully
I seems inevitable that the Serbs will
again 20 down in defeat. As they have
fought gallantly, as they have paid to
the uttermost the price patriotism de-
mands, the world will not deny them
sympathy. admiration. So far Paris,
London, Petrogr5d are safe, but in
some small degree Brussels and Bel
grade have paid the price. France
seems saved. but Belgium and Servia
lost.