The Washington herald., 1915-01-04

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patrons of the Current History Class and
many visitors, listened, with interest, TO
Miss Janet Richards usual weekly talk
on the most important public questions
of the hour, last Monday morning in
the large auditorium at Woodward &
LOthrops
The speaker began with a review of
some of the antecedent causes of the
European war, dating back for more
than a decade, in which," as she eX-
pressed 1t. ''lurked conditions of such
menace as to make war Gin the light of
subsequent disclosures) seemingly in
evitable."
Reminding her hearers Of the familiar
phrase-"the Balkans constitute the pow
der magazine of Europe"-repcated in a
thousand literary and political utter
ances in the past twenty years, Miss
Richards stated that the real seeds of
future discOrd were sOwn at the famous
Berlin Conference of 1873 that confer
enCe of dangerous compromises which,
because of the mutual jealouses of the
powers represented, failed to go far
enough in the settlement of the Turkish
question, which was the true parent of
the sO-called Balkan question:
Russia Lost outlet.
And also, by robbng Russia of the
fruits of her victory over Turkey of the
previous year US7O and by the tearing
up at the Berlin Conference June, 1879
of the Treaty of San StefanO (March.
1879, Russia lost her coveted outlet to
the Mediterranean, and Turkey had re-
stored to her the provinces of Albania |
and Macedonia her mal-administratiOn
of which led directly to the Balkan
Turkish war of 1912.
This reversal of the terms Of the
Treaty of San, StefanO, and the subse-
quent annexation by Austria in 1905 of
the Slav provinces of Bosnia and Herze-
gOvina became a source of such internal
bitterness to Russia as to have con-
tributed largely to the present European
In looking over my old clippings of
1905" said Miss Richards, lat the time of
the formal annexation by Austria Of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1 find that the
protests of both Turkey and Russia were
SO strong, and the general discomfort so
acute. as to have seriously threatened the
peace of Europe at that time. Perhaps
it was due to Russia's unpreparedness,
the long-predicted European war did not
then occur.
War Was IncOnceiVabIe.
Still. no one really believed. even
then. that modern diplomacy (Which we
had begun to regard as too Clear-headed
and sane as to tolerate such madness)
would permit the powers to become en-
broiled in the atrocity of war.
Hence our still greater incredulity in
the recent crisis that so unthinkable
could really befall humanity"
From the latest developments in the
European situation Miss Richards turn
ed to the Orient and answered a ques-
tiOn, which. she said. had come to her
from several sources: why did Japan
enter the war;"
''The answer to this question" the
speaker stated. "can be fully found in
a most interesting and enlightened article
in a recent number of the outlook, writ
ten by a distinguished Washington woman,
Miss Eliza Scidmore, who is regarded as
a high authority on affairs Japanese
From this article, entitled 'Japan's
Platonic War with Germany" Miss
Richards read several interesting pas
sages to show that as the result OF ia
pans commercial alliance with Great |
Britain Centered into after the Chinese |
Boxer uprising OF 1900 it became obliga- |
tory for Japan to respond, when re- |
quested by Great Britain; ito protect |
British commerce in the Eastern seas"
Japs Regarded Etiquette.
This official request was made by Eng |
land early last August. and by August /
Is Japan, with characteristic Oriental |
pomp and ceremony, responded, observ- |
ing with great punctiliousness all the |
rules and regulations laid down by The |
Hague Convention of 1907, what Miss
Scidmore> calls the etiquette of war"
Miss Richards briefly brought up to |
late the difficulties inhering in the Mex |
can situation, which, as she put 1t, |
seems no nearer a solution than two |
rears ago, except as all things human
ire that much nearer an end"
OF the alleged Philippine instruction
he speaker ventured the opinion thai
he mere offer of independence "at some
uture date'' seemed to have fired the
imagination of the little
,rown brothers and set them to plan
ing conspiracies and connecting mischief.
Calls Poem VftriOlic.
Apropos OF the Christmas greeting to
america of EngIand's first sea lord.
'ir John Fisher. Miss Richards read his
equest that all Americans read William
poem on American neutrality. !
IF this vitriolic poem" said the speaker,
reflects the feeling OF the average Eng
lshman towards Americans because of
ur neutrality. then II Is clear that our