The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-03-30
The Crescent IN
Southeastern Europe


countries whose past rivalries pre-
served to her what she has in Eur
ope today" says a statement Just Is
sued by the National Geographic So
ciety, ut is interesting to 60 back
and follow her down through the
centuries that mark the waxing and
the waning of the Crescent in South
eastern Europe.
an 1870 the map Of Europe was
vastly different from what 1t is to
day. Practically all of what is now
Greece and European Turkey was
then the Eastern Roman Empire.
| Constantinoule was its capital, and
and the Bosphorus as much &c rr"-
key has been recently. Russia at
that time did not approach nearer
than $50 miles Of the Black Sea.
Across in Asia, south of the cas-.
tern half Of the Black Sea, was the
Sultanate of Iconium, and east OF
the Mediterranean and in eastern
Africa were the dominions Of Sala.
dan.
"As the years went by the forces
of the Crescent gradually extended
themselves through Asia Minor, and
before the passing of many genera.
tions they were laundering at the
gates Of Europe across the Bosphor-
us and the Dardanelles. In vain did
Emperor John vi, appeal to Europe
to help stay the tide, and in 1453 The
:loud that had doomed up across the
horizon OF the East for several cen.
turtles, descended upon Constantine
pie and southeastern Europe.
with foothold in Europe, the
Turks realized that they could main.
tain 1t only by process CT evpan-
sion. And European politics at that
time, just as in all the centuries that
have succeeded until now, prevented
Christian Europe from uniting against
Mohammedan Turkey.
But the several countries OF Flu.
rope were too busy with their own
particular affairs and too Jealous Of
one another to unite in checking the
Ottoman invasion. The result was
that by the middle of the sixteenth
century Turkey included all of the
Balkan peninsula, Greece, Moldavia,
Pennsylvania, Bosnia, Herzegovina,
and that part Of Hungary east of a
line drawn north and south half way
between Budapest and Vienna.
"As the generations passed, how.
ever, Turkish power in Europe began
to wane. In her stocktaking after
the treaties of Utrecht and Rastadt,
Turkey found her European domin
ions shrunken considerably as com
pared with what they were in the
middle of the sixteenth century.
Hungary had pushed back the invad
err several hundred miles to the east
and south, and Russia had crowded
him out Of one Of his footholds on
the Black Sea. Where formerly the
Turk controlled the entire region
round the Black Sea, Russia had now
driven him out Of the land Of the
Georgians and had gotten a short
stretch Of the coast Of the Black
Sea. -
But Turkey was still left in pos
session Of the mouth of every river
entering that sea, including the Don
the Dnieper. the Dniester and the
Danube. She had lost Greece, but
at the same time had q sort of rec
ompense in Crete and Cyprus.
TN the century that followed man,
things happened. BY 1910 Russis
hal lost control of the Georgian coas
OF the Black Sea, but she secured II
exchange the section of the coast oc
/ cupied by the mouths of the Don
the Dnieper and the Dniester. In the
, next five years there was still anoth
er story to tell-Russia had forced
, her way around the Black Sea Il
i the mouth of the Danube on tn,
| west and almost to its fartherest ex
, tremity on the east.
, "And then came the century tina
| has passed since the remaking of tn,
: map of Europe after Napoleon hat
, sent it to the scrap pile. Everything
} went fairly well with the Turk unit
} the middle Seventies. When Servii
J and Montenegro revolted agains
> Turkish rule Russia, then in a secre
! alliance with Austria for the division
> OF the spoils. encouraged the revolt
! After many negotiations between
, the powers, Russia finally went tc
!, war with Turkey. with the under
3 standing that II she won Austria was
! to get Herzegovina and Bosnia II
, return for her acquiescence in the
= move. Russia won and negotiated q
peace with Turkey which was dis