SERBIA.

Western Star, 21 December 1915, Page 3

SERBIA.

HER PEOPLE AND HISTORY. There is no Tittle repetition ini the two volumes, “Serbia: Her People, History ana Aspirations,” which is by way of being a sketchy account of the Serbian people up to the momentous occasion of their defeat of the Austrians on December 3, 1914. The historical retrospect in “Hero Tales and Legends’ is taken from the book on Serbia, and the chapter on national beliefs and customs is bodily transferred from the on© book to the other. At this moment, while Serbia, is ii the public eye, these sketches of development are interesting. Of the two boobs the “Hero Tales and Legends,’-’ reproducing as it does the folklore of the people, aids most to an understanding of the little inland country. In the preface to “Serbia: Her People, History and Aspirations” the author states that his retrospect of his country’s history was concluded just at the time that a deputation, of Jugoslavs arrived in London and published a manifesto to the British nation. In this manifesto they set forth that Aus-tria-Hungary and Germany have impos ed a fratricidal war upon the Southern Slav nations'. Bight million Southern Slavs are condemned to fight against their own brothers and liberators. The J ugo-Slav people cannot give expression to its wishes; its representative assemb lies are closed; many of its deputies are in prison or subjected to rigid surveillance lounger men who escaped are fighting in the Serbian and Montenegrin armies. This deputation then felt it its duty to acquaint the civilised world and paricularly the British nation with the true sentiments and aspirations of its people. The Serbs, Croats and Slovenes are all piraying for the victory of the Triple Entente, as from such victory the Jugo-Slav look for their own liberation. The Jugo-Slavs (which includes the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) inhabit the kingdoms of Serbia, Montenegro, the triune kingdom of Croatia-Slavoiua-Dal mataia, with Flume - and dis 5/n‘t, the provinces of Bosnia, Herzegovina and Carniola; considerable parts of Istr-i. Trieste, Gorizia-Gradisca, Carinthia end Styria and finally the Jugo-S'av district of Hungary proper. Of course the aspiration of these peoples is to unite their territories in a single independent state. The London deputation urged upon the attention of Great Britain that the object of their newly united state would bo to develop those virtues of a seafar ing population which the British nation would be the first to appreciate. Its ports would be open to trade in a way a yet unknown and its endeavour would be to furnish a commercial outlet to all the nations of the hinterland, ©specially to the Obechs and Magyars. Such a state would try to insure national unity by giving guarantees of religious equality and complete freedom of worship. Mr. Petrovich maintains that the Serbs, in spite of their trials and wanderings, have maintained their ethnographic features, national traditions and ideals and, above all, their language. Ever since they gathered about their national hero, Marko Kralyevitch, they have lived in the hope, indeed in the conviction, that the time would come when they would form a state fitted to withstand the Germanic Drang uach Osten. This national hero, Marko Kraylevitch, oldest sou of Vakashiu, died in the year 1394 at the age —so says tradition—of 103 years. His many valorous deeds won him the title of Le Oid of Serbia. Bike Barbarossa, many legends cling to his name, and he is said by the people to he not dead, but still sleeping in a vault under the black moon tains of his native place. They promise that the day shall oome when he will awaken, and, mounted on his steed Sharatz, sword in hand, he will gather the Serbians about his banner and lead them against the Turks! In November, 1912, the Serbian infantry say they plainly heheld him in their forefront as they stormed the heights of Pulip. The kingdom of Serbia lies just south of Austria-Hungary, the Danube forming the boundary line. It is bounded on the east by Rouruania and Bulgaria and on the south by Greece. The gjrcater part of the frontiers, however still remain to be determined, for the Macedonian territory acquired in 1913 inceased the kingdom’s area some 31,000 square miles without giving the outlet to the sea which the nation has been trying for over 50 years to acquire. Serbia has few large towns besides Belgrade the while city, which, lies in an amphitheatre of hills between ’the Danube and the Save. It numbers about 10, 000 inhabitants and is being rapidly transformed into a modern city with electric lighting, tramways, first class hotels and shops, Nish is known for its extensive railroad works; Kraguyevats is the - arsenal town; Chupriya, has important brewing works, and Pilot is famed for its carpet industry. The economic prosperity of the towns must ultimately depend entirely upon the development of the railway system. Thus far Serbia has only 875 miles of i railway open for traffic. The chief of these is the Belgrade-Nish-Pirot line', i which goes on to Sofia, and forms a . branch of the Great Orient trunk lino 1 connecting Paris with Constantinople 1 via Munich and Vienna. i The constitution in force in Serbia I to-day is that of 1903, in its main fea- ! tnres identical wit'll that of 1888, though it goes somewhat further in its guarantees of individual liberty. It prohibits the penalty of exile. The franchise is practically universal. In the Skupshtina or National Assembly the principle of proportional representation has received j | wider application than in any other mod era constitution. Judges are appointed lor life and are independent of the Gov 1 eminent. So also are the members of j the Council of State, which has importj ant political and administrative func- , | tions and draws up the list of candidates : I from which the Skupshtina appoints the , | Cour dea Oomptes. Within, recent years education! has made rapid strides. Besides the Uni- ■ versity of Belgrade, Serbia had in 1910 r ' 20 secondary schools attended by 8000 k pupils and ISOO olemsatary schools

vended by 140,000 ■pupils. Serbia’s chief exports are maize, wheat, barley, oats and rye, plums, swine and cattle. Few countries hold greater accumulations of gold, silver, copper, iron and zinc. It is a land of promise, and it is not to b© wondered at that envious eyes hare fastened upon it. No country has had to fight harder to maintain its freedom. The efficiency of the army has been greatly increased since 190 S. Under a system of obligatory service it consists to-day of am active army organised in three bans and a Poslednya odbrana, or last lino of defence. The recruit begins his service at any time between 18 and 21, and serves 18 months in the infantry or two years in the cavalry and artillery. After this he belongs for eight years to the reserve of the first ban. He is afterwards attached for six years to the second ban, and for eight years to tho third. The last line of defence consists of able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 21 and 45 and 50. In the Balkan war Of 1912 the army numbered about 350,000 men; in 1914 its strength wak between 400,000 and 500,000. The author, himself a Serb, tlrnks highly of the Serbian character. He says the Serb is immoderately proud; has great self-confidencfc and love of country. “Death rather thanl slavery’ is His National Device. Mr. Petrovitch quotes what an American Red Cross doctor said of the Serbs to Basil Clarke, the war correspondent: “My word, Clarke, but 1 tell you these men are great, I feel that, small beside them that I could hide myself. Pain! Suffering! You’ve not -seen bravery till you’ve seen these mien suffer! I’ll take off a hand, an arm, a leg —without anaesthetics, mind you—and will the fellow budge? Not an eyelid. If you hear him say ‘Oh dear!’ that’s as much as you’ll hear, and not often that much And die ? They’ll die without a sound —unless it is to thank yon if they can before they go. Where this race of soldiers sprang from I don’t pretend to know, but I tell you right now, they are God’s own men!”

The historic portion of the book is divided into IS chapters: The “Rise to Greatness,” in the 13th and 14th cen turies; the “Years of Bondage,” during the Ottoman inroads in the late 14th and early 15th centuries: “The Year 1804,” when the Janissaries entered Serbia and organised a military govern meat of terror and initiated a rule of unexampled tyranny and plunder. In 1804 the Serbs sent a deputation to Petrograd and received a cautiously worded but favorable reply in which Russia promised to support the requests that Serbia intended to prefer at Con stantinople. The following chapters deal with such national heroes as Milosh Obrenovitch, Alexander Karageorgovatch, Michael and Milan Alexander, the Bosnian and Macedonian questions, the Balkan wars, the “Brewing of the Storm,” and “Punitive Expeditions.’ Serbian history is mainly interesting as it connects with the inter-weaving history of other European countries and as it plays its part in the present tremendous debacle. The second half of this book, on natio mil superstitious and beliefs, is the same as the first half of “Hero Tale and Legends of the Serbians.” Those hero tales are not more, if anything are less interesting than the fairy tales and folk lore of other countries. They are not related here with any literary charm oif grace, and the bare outlines serve only to remind one of other nation’ tales of magic carpets, dragons, adven turer-e and princesses. The bock, how ever is beautifully illustrated and hand .somely got out, and just at this time, when the world is becoming more and more aware of its smaller European countries and the part they play in the whole, it will serve excellently as a gift book.