The New York herald., 1922-12-31
PEOPLE OF BALKANS
ARE TIRED OF WARS
Indifferent to Changes, Ask
to Be Let Alone and Dig
In at Home.
OLD AND NEW MEET
Fast Expresses Cross Fields
Titled by Rough Wooden
Plows.
SALONIKI REFUGEE CITY
Greek Frontiersmen Careless
as to What Goes On
In Athens.
sALONIKI REFUGEE CITY

Special Correspondence to THE New YORK
THERMoPYI.AE, en- route Athens, Dec.
6.-A golf course laid out In Mext-
can village would be regarded or
disregarded by the natives with much
the same indifference that the peo-
pies of the Balkans show toward the
railroads which cross their countries
Only the station master and hungry
looking restaurant keeper are at the
depots to receive trains. AT some
stops a shepherd in a long goats hair
cape holds back his flock until the
train passes. But his eye Is on his
sheep and supremely Indifferent to the
train.
These are the Balkans. During last
summer stations have been rebuilt and
bridges repaired Transcontinental
sleepine car trains now run regularly
between Paris and Constantinople and
between Prague and Athens. A night
and a day from Belgrade or Trieste
suffices to reach most points of west
Trieste TO Athens takes three nights
and three days by the fastest train
The local service stretches any"nere
from four days to six.
Were it not for diplomats who must
rot hack and forth to conferences. for
q few concession holders who come out
IN tha balkans TO look at their property
and i'm the summer for rich Constanti-
non,e and Athens families who flee 70
paris from the heat, fast trains wouid
not run In the Balkans and Few SLOW
ones.
The native Bosnians. Croats, Serbs,
Macedonians and Greeks are tired or the
kind of Journeys they have been making
during the wars of the last decade ana
aslx only to be let alone. and to be al
lowed to dig themselves In at nome
THE contrast between the Oriental Tx
press and the native population Is most
consnicuous In Macedonia. The Turks
and Serbs. like the Bosnians and Croats
further north, have put aside their uni
forms and gone back to their homespun
canes and bright colored vests ana
breches.
The natives prefer their "opanka"-
rough. basketlike sandals held on oy
hide and thongs-to shoes. At Uskuo
thew did not seem to notice the patent
leather. nlRn 1Ctleu pumps VI N JCNho
French girl who tripped over the mud
which they splashed through. The
driver of an OK team weighed down
with the rough wood yoke of 1000
years ago was entirely oblivious TO the
American army Cadillac acquired by a
Serbian officer standing alongside.
Communities seif-supporting.
Balkan communities arO becoming
self-sufficing again. Farmers wives
weave their own cloth at home. The
half wild black swine, CHARACTERISTIC OF
old Serbia. supply meat and hides. Inc
old wooden spike plow Is good enough
The peasant has no money and no taste
for newfangled inventions.
Local trains i'm Serbia. in contrast
with the through express. showed a
striking difference. although most OF the
cars on the locals are modern These
local trains are much like those In
Soviet Russia, cold and unlighted. They
stand for hours on the sidings until a
locomotive Is unearthed TO take them
on to the next station. Travellers roll
themselves up in their blankets and walt
patiently. The height of luxury In a
compartment is a candle.
Although the Serbian army Is not
officially mobilized there must be a good
part OF II under arms The railroad
stations give the appearance OF coun-
try at war. Troop trains are moving In
all directions. and more passengers are
I'm uniform than I'm civilian clothing. A
Serb shrugged his shoulders In answer
TO my question and replied:
"Who knows what may happen7 The
Fascist are running Italy. the Turks
pre back In Europe and then there Is
the Greek revolution and Saloniki. a
port not entirely settled to our salts
faction"
Greeks I'm Uniform.
Our train. however. kept approxi-
mately to schedule until we entered
Greece. Saloniki has become a city of
refugees and tired soldiers. For weeks
they clambered aboard the trains. climb
Ing on top when they could not get
inside. The first jam is over, but there
are still crowds of refugees sleeping In
the railroad stations. waiting to be dis
tributed among outlying villages.
" the Serbian army gives the impress
sion OF soldiers who have not taken OF
their uniforms. tho Greek soldiers we
encounter in the railroad stations for
the most part seem to be still wearing
theirs because they have nothing else
90 put on and no particular place to go.
They stand In groups looking curiously
after the train or sit on the ground along
the sunny wall Of the station, convinced
OF the futility OF effort.
The difference in language alone Is
enough to provoke conflicts between
Balkan peoples. When Serb says
"NaI'' he means no. but in Greek the
same word means yes. When an Al
banian mods his head he means no and
when he shakes Il he means yes.
The first question we asked on cross
ing the frontier into Greece was about
the Greek revolution. we are long
way from Athens and do not know the
latest news" a Greek business man ex-
planned. what does II matter who is
they ara