Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-09
sLAv, NOT MONG0LIAN.
The Bulgarian Minister Replies as
to Race Origin.

To the Editor of The Star:
One does not need to waste many words
or much time in replying to Mr.. Grgure-
Vich's structures on the nationality of the
modern Bulgarians. Slavic ''idealism'
and poetic imagination" or Bulgarian
concrete realism" are beside the ques-
ton, which is one of historical ethnologi-
cal and pathological facts and cannot be
aHected by newspaper ebullitions. I'M
der the present circumstances, of "hearty
and brotherly love" between Hungarians
and Bulgarians. or the absence of it be-
tween Russians and Bulgarians. OF real
Importance and weight is the testimony
OF prominent Serbian, Croatian and other
Slav learned men. not to mention any
| foreigners, who have seriously studied
and written upon the subject The opin-
ions of men like l1ikloshitch, Jagich, Da-
ntchitch, Ratchki. Jrechek and many 9TH
eTs. who are widely known in the domain
Of Slavic history, ethnology and philology
as competent authorities. are of greater
value than the petulant pratings of penny
a-line newspaper writer's. Any encyclo-
pedia may be proftably consulted as to
what they have thought and written on
| the nationality of the Bulgarians
1t Is a well known fact that Russia has
always claimed the right of protecting
the inhabitants OF Serbia Montenegro
Bosnia, Herzegovina and Bulgaria on the
ground that they are her Slavic kinsmen
or brethren. TO this idea both Serbia
and Bulgaria owe the interest that Rus
STA took in their fate and political ernan-
cipation. 1t is preposterous to suppose
that the Russian government. the Russian
people and press were so deluded or ig-
norant that they helped to found, at the
cost Of Russian blood and treasure, free
Bulgarian state Of Mongolans or Hun
garians. and not Slavs.
loan Raitch. a Serbian historian, in his
work published in 1880. History OF the
Various Slavic Nations, Especially the Bull
q. ri nS tam nd Sart,i
+ considers the Bulgarians as Slays like the
Serbians and Croats. but asserts that the
old Bulgarian literature served as the pro-
totype or model of the Serbian and Russian
/ literatures. and was freely and widely tran
scribed by the Russian and Serbian writ
ers as written in a language perfectly
intelligible to them. The croatian, DR.
Ivan Hole. in his Sketches of General
slavic States" includes under that name
bulgaria. Serbia and Montenegro. In
the introduction of this work, published
in 1900, at Zagreb. the capital of Croatia.
by the South Slavic Academy of Sciences
the author says: ~In this book are de-
scribed Bulgaria. Serbia and Montenegro.
self-soverned states in which our nearest
kinsmen dwell More than any one
else, we Croatians. as the nearest kinsmen
Of the Serbians and Bulgarans, follow with
the greatest sympathy every progress Of
theirs" Mr.. Mihailovitch. the Serbian
minister to the United States. In an inter
vie" on tHe udy Vi ms arrival this
country. is reported (New York Times,
January 10. 1910 to have said "Bul-
garia stabbed us In the back. We did
not suppose Bulgaria. whose people are
our own kinsmen. would treacherouslv
turn against us" II the Bulgarians are
recognized nearest and "own kins-
men" of Croatians and Serbans, it fol-
lows that either they are Slavs, belong
ing to the Caucasian race. or that the
Serbians and Croatians are Mongolians
The name Bulgarian Is generally ar
cepted to have been that OF a warlike.
non-Slavic tribe, which subjugated the
Slavic tribes in the Balkan peninsula in
the ninth century and became amalea-
mated with them SO thoroughly that II
left only it's name to these Slavs. Neither
the old nor the modern Bulgarian Ian
guage is Monaghan language or has anv
non Slavic traces in 1t. The Buigarians
Of today are the descendants of the slavs
and not of the original Bulgarians Who
conquered them. To say that the Bull
garians of today are not Slavs is inst 40
absurd as to claim that the French .re
Germans, or the Russians scandinavians
because they bear respectively the ma mo.
Of Franks or Russ. denominating Tenton
tribes. 5. PANARETOFF