The Washington times., 1915-10-22

l40 miles long east ana west, ana
sixty miles wide, area, 1854 miles.
Its present population is about
100000, of whom perhaps fourth
are Mohammedans, and nearly all
the rest Greeks.
Cyprus as the prize Of a great
twentieth century war will recognize
itself, If it will look into the tradi-
tions which 1t loves so we'll, Of its
early glory as a pivot in the Alex
andrian wars. For when the great
Alexander had fairly started on his
conquest Of the then known world,
Cyprus, after some wavering, de-
cided in his favor, and became his
ally. 1t had previously been under
Assyriam, Agyptian, Persian, and
other nominations. After Alexan-
der it reverted again to Egypt, and
Rome still later added it to her en-
pire, finding it in time a tempestu-
Gus province because here the early
Christians were determined not to
be suppressed. The Jews tried to re-
store their kingdom in Cyprus, and
there was a great struggle before
they were put down. When the
Eastern Empire of Rome was ere
ated with Byzantium as its capital,
Cyprus passed under this domina-
ton; and in the time of the cru
sades it was restored by the western
invaders to a large part of its an
cient glory and sentimental inter
est. In the age of Venetian domi-
nance Venice held Cyprus for a
time, and then it passed to the Turk,
after he had overthrown the Byzan-
tine empire.
1t is a curious fact that British
rule, or something close akin to it,
has given Cyprus its two periods of
greatest prosperity in historic times.
The crusades brought the island
under the western influence; the
feudal system was extended to it.
Bad as was that system in the light
of our knowledge, it was yet Occi-
dental rather than Oriental, and
Cyprus was restored to a consider
able place in the world; its cities
grew, its commerce became import.
ant, its people were prosperous and
cultured, a mingling of eastern and
western, had notable development.
The Turk turned back the hands of
the clock; but long afterward, in
1878, the Briton came again, took
over the administration of the
island from the Turk, and proceeded
to do for it much the same service
that has been done for Egypt un-
der British rule. The nominal
sovereignty remained in the Sultan,
but the British were the real
masters.
When the present war opened
England cast off the Turkish
suzerainty and announced the def.
mite annexation of Cyprus: which
really meant very little, for British
control had been almost complete
Ethnically and additionally, the
people belong to Greece; Greece, re-
habilitated in the struggles of
last century, has ardently longed for
the restoration of the island; and
now England, in her hour Of need
proposes to restore it to Greece in
consideration of Greek support in
the war against the Turk.
1t is hard to believe that Greece
can refuse. All the traditions, sen.
timents, interests, history of both
Greece and Cyprus command that
the proposal be accepted. But the
world is moving in strange ways. 1t
is yet to be seen whether Greece
will seize the opportunity now plain.
ly presented to her, of becoming the
dominating power in the Levant
Perhaps she will; perhaps she will
under the influence of a Teutonic
Knight of Potsdam, throw away the
opportunity. The suggestion tempts
one to go back to the beginnings Of
those wonderful old orders of no.
bility that were created in the cen.
turies of the crusades. and philos.
ophizc about their varying influence:
and significances in the world. 1t is
once more the Knights of Malta
against the Teutonic clan. Which
shall win?
AEI DINO GEApGIA ANEkIIE