New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-04
MISERY AND HEROISM IN
SERBIA
An English Historians Tribute to a
Brave and ong-Sufering People.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The generous help in money, in per-
sonal service and even in the sacrifice Of the
lives Of nurses and doctors which America is
making to relieve the misery of the Serbian
population seems to demand special word
Of gratitude from a friend of Serbia, espe-
cially one who, like myself, has recently come
from that unhappy country.
can assure Americans that even in Febru-
airy, when | was last there, the Serbians were
deeply grateful for American help in the hos
pitfalls, and DR.. Ryan, at Belgrade, was already
a household word with them. Since then
America has been pouring in more and more
men and money to fight the typhus and has
lost some OF her best lives in that terrible
struggle. The Serbians are all the more
grateful because America, neutral country,
with no commercial or other connections with
Serbia, is acting there out OF pure philan-
thropy 1t seemed natural that their allies,
the British, should come to their rescue with
hospitals and stores, doctors and nurses. As
one Of the British Serbian Relief Fund, on
whose behalf was travelling in Serbia, | can
testify to Serbian gratitude for our British
aid But for American aid, as coming from
the great, benefcent source of neutral phi
lanthropy, they were, think, still more
grateful. There are many most unhappy
parts Of Europe where the American name
will smell sweet when this war is over.
The Serbians are a people thoroughly de-
serving of aid. The attempt to represent
them as savages has broken down hopelessly
in face of the fact that in this war they have
committed no atrocities, that their prisoners
have nothing to complain of and that, as
can testify, the Austrian wounded are given
absolute equality of treatment side by side
with Serbians in the Serbian hospitals
whereas some of the Austro-Hungar
troops in the middle of August last near
Shabatz and Losnitza, murdered from two
thousand 10 three thousand Serbian civilians,
burning several hundred women and children
alive in their houses and committing the
most ghoulish atrocities on many others.
Those who have not seen the official report
on these atrocities can find equally good first
hand evidence on the subject in the article by
NJ. Ress, of the University of Lausanne, in
the Revue de Paris" April l, 1915. 1t was
the knowledge that these atrocities had been
committed by the Austrian troops in August
that caused the whole civilian population OF
the northwest provinces OF Serbia 10 fly be
fore the Austrian advance in November II
was solely on this account that over half
million women, children and old men arrived
as refugees in the central and southern dis
tricts of Serbia, so causing the frightful con-
gestion and the difficulties of housing, cloth
- l.. Hs.A ha
ravages Of the typhus to be so terrible. 1t
is impossible TO reinstate any large number
Of these refugees in their old homes at pres
ent because the northwest district was en-
tirely laid waste by the Austrians while they
occupied il prior TO their expulsion last De
cember. | have ridden through this country,
once the richest in Serbia; it is now desert.
The Serbians are deserving OF help, not
only because of what they have suffered at
the hands of cruel foe, but because they
have shown that they can fight for their free
dom. They are the most democratic society
in Europe. Every peasant owns his farm, and
there is no class Of landlords or of bureau
Gratis to make him afraid. Every one who has
seen the Serbian peasant at home likes him
for his hndliness and gayety and his emo
tional and poetical disposition. And every
one who has met him in battle in the last
three wears, whether Turk, Bulgar or Aus
trian, has had cause to respect his vslor. The
campaign Of last December, when two hun
dred thousand Serbian peasant soldiers
cleared the northwest provinces OF twice that
number of Austro- Hungarians and captured
all their artillery, has been the most moving
episode in this worldwide war as a triumph
Of the human spirit over material odds.
The suferings that the Serbian peasants
underwent during that invasion and are now