Evening star., 1919-05-01
Dispose of Their Cowards.

| In the American experiences with
the Montenegrin men a tremendous
| respect for their courage was gath
cred. They are by no means well
| armed. according to modern military
! standards. but they are 100 per cent
brave. For centuries it has not been
possible for coward to live in Mon
tenegro. The least be could expect
was to be dressed up in woman's
clothing and made to work and live
| with the women-until he ran away.
Usually the nearest relative killed the
family disgrace, with no more COM
| junction than would be shown in
drowning a superhuous kitten. The
process has naturally resulted in the
production of a heroic race The
women are as brave as the men and
even more impassioned fighters When
, the Montenegrin goes to war he is not
| incumbered by baggage train. He
merely loads up his wife or sister or
| mother with few necessaries and
she trots along. They live on the
country.
Montenegro has preserved an inde-
| pendent existence because a small
! army of invaders would be defeated
and large one would starve to
death" said European general.
No Food for Invaders.
This is entirely true. The country,
| is all rock and cliff. A few bows and
crlpples could hold it's knife-like
passes by throwing rocks. the Monte
negrins say. 1t would be difficult to
import food il an army was present in
any force. An invader, too. would find
the entire Montenegrin people in arms
Every man able to bear arms is a SOL
dier and the ability Of the Montene-
| grin male to bear arms to an advanced
age is illustrated by the sixty-eipht-
year-old woman who could carry only
240 pounds on her back. Every woman
would play her part as dangerously as
| the male.
Some day the truth of the part the
| Montenegrin dynasty played in the
| war will be made known A good part
or Europe firmly believes that Car
Nlcholas sold out his country to the
Austrians. This may be true, but In
| Judging Nicholas it should be remem-
nered That the Montenegrin army has
| IN erect been one OF mercenaries for
generations. Its arms were sold to
| Russia in order that Montenegro
might live. Perhaps Car Nicholas
saw no wrong in selling to a higher
| bidder. His Is peasant family in
reality. He used to sit at the door of
| his two-story palace in Cettinje and
deal out patriarchal justice to his peo-
pie. Until this war he has held the
love and veneration of the people
| since that unexplained event early
| in the war Gar Nicholas has been
the guest" of the allied powers at
Paris. Some say he is prisoner
Certain it is that he would not have
been permitted to leave France. But
there is no indication that his people
| as whole have felt any resentment
| toward him. They have voted to Join
| Serbia and the Jugoslavs, but that is
because the pull of race has been su-
perior to the pride they have felt in
| their dynasty.
For the first time in centuries the
Jugoslavs have a chance to become in
dependent. For twenty years their
leaders have worked to overthrow the
artificial barriers Of church and of the
| regionalism set up by Austria, and
have preached tho unihcation Of the
Slav. This resulted In the revolution
of the Jugoslavs against domination
at the frst moment that revolution be-
| came possible.
| To this racial feeling ia due the sub
mergence OF unconquered Montenegro
| in the greater state aud The @nd "f =
/ pIctu sS',us n@atS