Evening star., 1928-08-25

| Bulgaria Is celebrating her semt-cen-
| tennial birthday as an independent ma
| ton The celebration extends from
! August "a to %. and is centered In
7 Sofia. the capital. and at Preslav and
| Shipka. Doubtless minor local celebra-
| tions are scattered over the rest Of the
| country.
Yet it cannot be truly said that so
| years is the span of Bulgarian exist
ence, for the history Of the nation runs
! back to the SIavonic immigration. de-
stroying the Thracian inhabitants, IN
| the fourth century The fact Is only
! that 1t Is so years since Bulgaria, escap~
| ing from 500 years of Turkish domina-
| tion. awoke from a half millennium Of
! national aphasia and began to acquire
| seif-consciousness of her own forgotten
racial unity and identity, but ii is only
| 20 years since she became actually in
| dependent.
| We OF the Western world may hold a
prejudice against our former enemies
| in the World War but n broader knowl-
edge of what influences, and especially
what hereditary atmosphere, determined
and almost forced her alliance with the
central powers. as her only apparent
means Of national defense, puts dif-
/ ferent light upon her course,
| The Slavs drove out the Thracians in
/ the fourth and fifth centuries, and two
centuries later were themselves over
| turned by an invasion of Firms. coming
from the Russian Volga Valley, where
| still exist the ruins OF their ancient
capital, Bolgary, destroyed by Tanner
| lane in the fourteenth century.
! These Finnish invaders called them
selves "Bulgarians." from the name OF
! their native capital They succeeded
| in conqucring their predecessors, the
! Slavs; but, gradually adopting the Gus
! toms OF the SlaVs, were absorbed by ana
| became In fact part of the great
| SlaV powers.
| In 864 their prince. Boris, became
| Moslem and subject TO the Moslem
| patriarchate Of Constantinople, Two
| centuries later the BulgarianS doml"
mated the entire Balkan Peninsula from
! Macedonia to Albania IN the ninth
| century their prince, Simeon called
| himself the Tsar of all the BulgarianS
| and the Greeks, and the Bulgarian
! bishopric was created, but subordinate
| to the patriarch OF Constantinople.
while the Serbs and ByZantines PAID
tribute to the Bulgarian Isar,
AT the end OF the tenth century east
| ern Bulgaria became province OF tne
Byzantine Empire but western Bul-
garia remained independent. ana Il
third Bulgarian kingdom was set up III
1916 This kingdom houriahed unnl
the Turks defeated both SerVia and
her allies. the Bulgarians, in the battle
of Kosova in 1889 and four years later
seized the Bulgarian capital, IlrnoYa
IL was not until 1872 that the Bull
parians threw of the supremacy OF the
Greek patriarch though they still were
subjects of Turkey.
4
More than five centuries followed
! with Bulgaria a part OF the Iufkht
Empire IN Europe,
While the country today Is celebrat-
ing her fiftieth anniversary, IL might
with justification count her racial re-
awakening from Il century earlier. III
1862 Il monk, Payslos wrote a history
of the Bulgarluna aud feniinded tleii
of their racial unity apart from The
TURKS In 1895 the FIRST Bulgarian
school was established, and IN lBa4 a
Bulgarian newspaper was founded, The
national spirit was becoming aroused
but ii did not manifest itself III revolt
auainsL Turkey until 1879 and 1876
when two or three repoitA were severely
suppressed by Turkish arms, aided by
Mnslem Hugariana under MotlhiIiinedah
influences.
These outbreaks led to terrible at
tacks on Christians, Wlifh destroyed
many villages aud resulted III the mas"
sacfe of 10000 Christian bulEhrians
These atrocities aroused Europe ana
gave a pretense to Russia for declaring
war against Turkey. for RUSSIA had
long profeased q guardianship over AL
Chtstlnns III the Balkaua while brcp~
ing her eyes upon lhe possibility of
acquiring the coveted Turkish city III
Conatantinnnle,