The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-02-25
PROPOSED UNION Of
TWO BALKAN NATIONS
Abdicnte in Favor Of His Grandson.
Heir to serbian Throne.

Washington n. c., Feb. 2s.--"The
refusal of King Nichols. of Montenegro,
to Abdicate in favor of his grandson.
Prince Alexander OF Serbia, In order
that the two Kingdoms may be united
under n single crown. calls to mind the
national divisions which mark racial
groups especially tn the Balkan states"
says bulletin Issued by the National
Geographic society from its headauar-
ters here. 1t then continues:
The Serbs and the Montenegrins
are Of the same blood. and are the de-
scendants of that people who, under
their grea national hero. stephen
Dushan. were the dominant force in
the Balkan peninsula more than see
years ago. when their Jurisdiction ran
from the upper Balkan mountains 20
the Mediterranean. The gradual decay
OF Serb power reached it's nadir with
the defeat of the Serbs at the famous
battle OF Kossovo; and the Serbs fled
in two columns. one to the northeast
and he other to tho southeast.
Set Up Nation In the Hills.
THE former. having crossed the line
of hills and spread into tbe territory
north of Ntsh and running to the Saave,
were unable to fend OFF the Mo5leW
pursuer. but the latter. taking 10 the
impenetrabie hills above the Lake OF
Scutari. act up their nation under Ivan
the Black and for 500 years maintained
themselves ms the only people OF the
Balkans who had never succumbed to
the Turkish conqueror. VANS line was
lost before long, and Nicholas. who
now comes again to public attention, is
of more lowly origin and sprung from
one of the Vladikirs. or prince bishops.
who ruled the land with com binatlon
OF church and state which has existed
where else in such feudal form
The Serbs lived in Turkish bondage
until about a century ago. when Kara
george tBiack George}. a swineherd.
led them in insurrection which result
ed In partial liberty With alternating
power between the Karageorgovitch
and the Obrenovitch families. Serbia
persisted under nominal suzerainty OF
the sultan untn the treaty OF Berlin re-
cast the boundary lines of Europe,
when an Obrenovitch prince was con-
frmed In Serb sovereignty; and the
Karage orCovitch descendants wer e
scattered ONE or them, Peter. the pre-
tender to the Serb crown. took refuge
In tho Montenegrin capital. where he
Nicholas eldest daughter.
After her death. he found himself I'M
able to live on terms of amity with
his her-in-law across the tiny square
at Cettigne. and he betook himself TO
Paris and later to Geneva. whence the
assassination of 1903 brought him back
to Belgrade and to throne.
Nicholas WON'T Abdfcate-
TT IL Peters son to whom Nicholas
RI Uf W., ic
refusal he will doubtless be sustained
by such of the hardy Montenegrin
mountaineers as have opportunity to
voice their opinions.
Though OF the same blood speak
ing the same tongue. and owning the
came religion, there could hardly be
pictured two peoples who present such
utterly different physical characterize
tics as the Serbs and the Montenegrins.
The latter are tall and lean, muscu-
lar. commanding, moving with infinite
natural grace. The former are slight
in statute. nervous In temperament. ap-
parentIy moro Gallo than Slav In all
their externals
1.-THE Monteneg grin is q warrior, deem
ing fighting to be the only At occupa-
tion for a man. The Serbs are farmers
and swineherds, industrious and thrifty
these descriptive terms applying. Of
course, in the main to the period before
tho first OF the Balkan wars. Each
was a product OF his environment. The
Serb. dwelling In productive land and
following peaceful pursuits. became.
with the centuries more docile and
tractabis; and his physique seemed to
change with his character. The Mon
tenegrin. on the other hand, living in
a land of rocky harshness and wrestling
meager livelihood from tiny patches
of reluctant mountain soil. retained
and developed the mind and manner Of
his primitive and struggling ancestors
II Is a striking instance OF the tnfiu-
ence of environment upon individuals
and upon q race"