The Ordway new era., 1922-08-25

appeared Even the character of the
1t not been for the priests and the
brigands 1t Is probable that the thread
of Bulgarian national life would have
been definitely sundered. But in their
mountain Businesses this strange COM
blnation of the monk and the ma
rauder kept alive the national feeling.
Like Robin Hood, they are always rep
resented as the protectors of the poor
and the weak, and in addition as the
friend of all Christians and the ruth
less scourge of the Ottoman oppressor.
Thousands of legends and songs have
grown out of their exploits; and had
they made war against the common
foe only instead, as they too often
did, among themselves. their fame
would rest upon a far firmer founda-
tion.
Nevertheless, among all the agen-
cies which contributed In the end to
the winning of Bulgarian independ-
ence, the brigands were by far the
most continuously active; and the long
centuries of Turkish misrule were con-
stantly broken by series of abortive
revolts, which were suppressed with
increasing cruelty, until the brutal
massacre in 1875 inspired Mr.. Glad
stone to the famous Midlothian cam
paign, gave to the czar a convenient
handle against the sultan. and brought
on the Russo-Turkish war.
Their Rapid Development.
That war was ended by the treaty
of San Stefano, which essayed to es-
tablish big Bulgaria; but, thanks to
Disraeli, British influence brought
about the congress of Berlin. and
1t was a little Bulgaria which finally
secured a place at the worlds council
table.
A lowly place 1t was, but with splen-
did courage the Bulgarians set out to
make it better, and the story of Bull
garian development in single genera
ton finds few parallels among mod
ern nations. Except for the humiliat-
ing war with her one-time allies in
the Balkans and her subsequent sui
cidal espousal of pan-Germanism, Bull
garia's advance has been constant and
o.
remarkable.
The country possesses great wheat
fields, extensive forests, rich mines
all of which have been made to re-
spond to that patient industry for
which the Bulgarian peasant Is the
model for all his Balkan neighbors.
A unique product-and the most profit
able-is the altar of roses, the worlds
supply of which comes from southern
Bulgaria, and which has enriched the
landed peasants of that quarter be-
yond their widest dreams.
Nation Of Farmers.
Agriculture has always held first
place in the life of the Bulgarlans.
Turkish domination for half mill
lennium made farming still more gen
eral among the Bulgars, for practi-
cally no other calling was left open
to them. BY wedding out the upper
classes, too, the Turks made Bulgarian
agriculture more and more peasant
activity. And now. by legislation. the
Bulgarians themselves are emphasiz-
ing farming on small scale. A ma
tional law limits the estate that an
individual may hold to maximum Of
about IA acres, and most of the hold
ings are much smaller. Another law
aims to abolish leisure class by re-
uuiring all adults between certain ages
to work.
There is a temptation to consider
Bulgaria, touching Greece as 1t does.
a southern country. But Its latitude Is
that of Iowa. Its area.
incidentally, is some 1900 square
miles less than that Of Iowa. The
port, varna, on the Black
sea. is farther north than Boston. and
its, harbor Is often frozen in winter. /!
The southern portion Of the country.
becomes very hot In summer.