THE IMPORTANCE OF ASIA MINOR FOR RUSSIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 956, 16 May 1889, Page 9

THE IMPORTANCE OF ASIA MINOR FOR RUSSIA.

The following extract is from ah article tfarislated from tlie Russian of A. V. Eliseef, in Colburn's United, Service Magazine ; — ' Gradually, \yery gradually, Asia Minor, is becoming .civilised ; we, of course, ;do not term civilisation that outside < form which we find in - Turkish "youths trying to imitate European ways,, who merely change ttieir clothes but, leave behind an impenetrable barbarism more revolting- than in the time of the Janizaries, t The Greeks from the coasts. of the Mediterranean carry far into Asia Minor their science, and their ideas, of - freedom ; from the East come the hard-working Armenians, who penetrate deeper and deeper into Anatolia;' whilst clinging to their, nationality an,d religion. Then, too, American missi6n'ariep'have already covered Armenia, Kurdistan, and'' Anatolia with a network of schools, ' educating thus l ■ thousands , of Armenians, in whom, not without founda-. tion, many, -see- . a .guarantee of .the country's, regeneration. The,, central colleges •in Kharp^t, Aintab, , Diarbekir, ,the .medical, school at Aintab, and the great missionary establishments for the children, of both sexes in the basin of the Van, all these are jets of light by which , sooner or later; Anatolia will be illuminated. Civilisation and culture are adyanoing still more rapidly in Syria, and 'Palestine, where | hundreds of missionary establishments and schools are to be counted. Beyrout already appears to be a new Cairo , and Bagdad for the fellaheen of Syria, for they reoeive, there a , high-class education at the • many schools and colleges. , , But in, addition to. these three foremost nations of Asia Minor carrying the light of European culture into the remotest corners of the land, and that, too, in the most, natural,, way, Europe herself is,., drawing nearer to the cradle of her civilisation, not only, from commercialibut also from political motives. The vessels of the leading l Euro- , pean powers visit the ports of Anatolia, con tending thus with | each other on the arena of peaceful conquests and commerce., Scores of trading companies have penetrated^to. the very heart of ,the. country,, awakeniojg into ■activity its enormous., productive powers. AU. sorts of projects for railroads across Asia Minor, have been formed already, and, also for ■ connecting the Bosphorus w.ith the shores of the Indian Ocean, and for the oon.structiomof canals or the deepening of; rivers. The only difficulty is in ; deciding- as i to" the . direction of these roads, w.hiph, before long, are to' unite the^ Caucasus^, Syria,, and the, Bosphorus with .India. The thorough economic conquest of the country is regarded as a , simpJ,e question of time,, .and the c *Kegie ; Impeiiale Ottoraane," which has; the mono- ' poly of all Turkey's tobacco^ has ,tak,en the : first serious step >in that direction. , Plans : have, been formed' for, establishing German. !, colonies in Anatolia, similar to those now *>"x." x . iistingm Palestine and Syria, Ttai^eiii',nexation of Asia Minor to, ®mr A ean cv it U re ! and , European , ittteiesta % , n6t arid . j for the honour at ccorD plishing this, both ! £ ree^ 'fJJ Fenians 'are, vainly striving. Ptoua pi *:aeir' Vitality, they little think that they "'chisy themselves will be trodden underiootby that same' Europe whose' civilisation will feoon extinguish the spark of nationalism still Burning in the Armenian, Greek, and Arab, arid will transform them into "international peoples thoroughly adapted to live and thrive in such ah internatiqnal country.. The Levantines — a temporary product of internationalism and a dying out East— will soon outlive their time, making way for civilised, natives, who "will then raise their heads ! higher j but this future has nothing to offer ! to the Kurd, the Ottoman, or 'the Bedouin of the desert. The fatal "go " will drive them away from the' spots they have occupied for centuries ; but as there is no place where they can take refuge from the plague of European' culture, before' which the Moslem, does not bend, a sure extirpation will clear the place for new peoples to . come from ,the West to Syria, Armenia, Anatolia, and the Chaldea. Already, like a huge sword of Damocles, there hangs over Turkey in Asia from the far north that Russia, who, having no theatre of action in Europe, will 'strike with all her might "from' the Asiatic side. The sources of' the Tigris and Euphrates are no longer reriiote from &ie Caucasian frontier; twice' have the Russians occupied Erzeroum, thrioe have our" columns marched towards Vaa, None understand the threatened danger from ' this ma'ttfer • better • than the Turks themselves ; and, , as a sorb, of; palliative against it, "they have ceased to construct proper roads' near the f frontier, , so as 'not to make the, way easier for 1 the Russian soldier' who- is f preparing, according to their ideas, to 'march on Constantinople. Germany, too, striving to get into her hands all the economic forces of the country, looks on Asia Minor with greedy eyes, and already insists on the appointment .of Germans as Vice-Governors of Anatolia. The French, the Italian's, and the Americans act in a more straightforward manner, sending hundreds of workers, often disinterested,, for the general good' of: the country. England,

guarding the land route to her precious India, watches all these nations, with a jealous eye % Though' she has obtained possession of Egypt anci Cyprus, "she is still uneasy about Asia 'Minor, ahditl&only the Russian posts, which £ ,hate peiJetrat^d so far into Central: Asis, that Dreveift heFfrote having^recburse^as of yore, w decisive measures in' the East. ian'd-yhich'-attradts all the Eurbpeari'peoples', 'and stands at the' junction 6f tfieprmcipal routes' leading'from' tljo'Old^orldjto'that sleepig beautyilttdfe"

(the object of the most 'heterogeneous desires, and still capable of awakening to a neyh existence), must f shortly J become the theatre of great; events which will raise^and vivify (it : once - more.' *i. One 'day, perhaps; the visions of the dignified Turk, as to Constantinople becoming. a free town and Asia Minor a free country, will, be .realised ; perhaps at no distant date, there will be regular, steamboat, communication along' the Euphrates, and a. railway will pass through the land of the (Wild Kurds— worshippers of the, devil— of, the Jesids a.nd free children of the desert. Thus, for a, time, will be terminated the 1000-year evolution of the country. , t ; We Russians, however, must take care that in this great evolution we do not play the lowest role, letting slip from our, hands what rushes into our embraces. ■ , , t