Evening star., 1932-02-21
KINGS EXEMPLARY LIFE
INSPIRES JUCOSLAVIA
National Unity Replaces Feud Among
Three Elements of Kingdom
Born of Great War.

greSsed. Alexander was called to take
his place at the steering wheel OF the
Serbian state On June "a, 1914, he
was officially proclaimed Prince-Regert
of Serbia. His brave and noble action
during the crisis that precipitated the
World War will never be forgotten,
not only by his own people but also
bv all those who remember those tragic
days. AS soon as the war broke out
he took personal command of the Ser
bian Army and participated in all the
major battles that took place in the
first two years of the war When the
Serbian Army retreated to the Adriatic
and almost the entire kingdom was
overrun by the enemy Alexander was
offered chance to leave the country
on an Italian warship.
Remains With Soldiers.
Notwithstanding the fact that he
was suffering from an acute attack of
malaria he declined the offer and pre-
ferred to remain with his soldiers. BY
means of a most hazardous march
through the mountains of the Adriatic
Coast. he managed to save the remains
OF the Serbian army from annihilation
Then when his handful of Serbians was
transported to the island of Corfu and,
with the help of the allies, the reor-
ganlZatlon of the Serbian army was
started. Alexander. accompanied by his
prime minister. Paste, visited Paris and
London. Both in France and in Eng
land he was magnificently received and
acclaimed by the population. not only
as the head of an allied state fighting
for common cause, but also and
mainly as brave man.
During this journey. Alexander def
| lnltely identified his dynasty with the
cause of unification of the Southern
Slavs. He declared his intention tc
work for this unity, when on April s.
1916. he received a deputation of his
British admirers. led by such dis
tinguiShed men as the Archbishop oi
Canterbury. Lord Mayor of London
Lord Miner and Sir Edward Carson.
Returning to his army. Alexander led
1t to victory during the successful ad-
vance of the Autumn of 1918. When
the armistice was signed a national
council of Southern Slavs convened In
zagreb. the capital of Croatia. And on
December l of the same year dele
gates of this council formally recog-
nized him as prince regent of the
Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The first
step toward the unifcation of the
Southern S1avs was accomplished. But
it was to take 13 long and dreary years
before that unification became reality
The three elements of the Jugoslav
kingdom, though belonging to the same
racial stock, represent considerable ma
tional and cultural difference The ole
Serbs, the most sturdy stock of the
Southern Slavs, are less refined. les.
influenced
their brethren of Croatia and Slovenia
However, they naturally took the lead
in the formation of the new tri-partite
kingdom, trying to make the old Sert
element the dominating factor in the
| life of the new state because they
deemed it their right won by four years
| of war.
Serb Attitude Resented.
| Such an assumption irritated thu
Croatians and the Slovenes. who. since
1878, constantly and gradually became
westernized under the influence ant
rule of Austria Hungary and who wert
unwilling to submit to the domination
of the less cultured Serbian element
The Croatians especially resented th'
attitude of the old Serbs. Thus righ
at the beginning there grew up seem
ingly insurmountabie barriers dividing
the three elements of the new Jugosla'
state. The very name of that state
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slo
venes," indicated the lack of nationa
unity. Trouble brewed and it was no
surprising to find that foreign influence
exerted themselves among the extrem
lists of the new kingdom.
On June 20, 1921. an attempt wa
made on the life Of Alexander. which
CONTINUED on Fourth Page.)