Leading Articles in the Reviews. 



^57 



THE FRIENDLESS TURK. 



The "eternal question" of the Near East 

 absorbs the attention of many writers in this 

 month's Fortnightly, and while many phases of 

 the problem arc considered, it is quite evident 

 that no one can be found bold enough to suggest 

 a reversion to the status quo ante. 



" Politicus " surveys the whole field with a 

 happy impartiality and condenses the issue to a 

 consideration of the birth-rates of the countries 

 most immediately concerned in the ultimate 

 settlement of that portion of Europe which has 

 been labelled " Turkey " on the school maps of 

 th'^ past generation : — 



The excess of births over deaths is far higher among 

 the Slavs than among the Germans. In Germany the 

 growth of population is proportionately far greater 

 among the 3,000,000 Poles than among the Germans. In 

 Austria-Hungary it is far greater among the 25,000,000 

 Slavs than among the 12,000,000 German Austrians and 

 the Q, 000,000 Magyars of Hungary. The Slavs in the 

 Balkan Peninsula increase at as rapid a ratio as those 

 in Russia, in Germany, and in Austria-Hungary. In 

 two or three decades the Slavonic Balkan Confederation 

 should double its population. 



The Slav has been the under dog of Europe, 

 but there has been a great awakening : — 



Thus, the Balkan War has been a factor of the most 

 far-reaching importance to Slavdom in all countries. 

 It has given to the men of Slavonic race that fervent 

 hope and that confidence in themselves which hitherto 

 they have lacked. A new spirit has been created among 

 them, a spirit which is bornd to destroy their obedient 

 and long-suffering humility, perhaps their principal 

 characteristic, so well described by Tolstoy and 

 TurgeniefT, which sprang from their sense of inferiority. 

 Fired by the triumphs of the Balkan Slavs, they are 

 rapidly acquiring a strong pride of race. The humble 

 and oppressed Slavs of Southern Hungary have under- 

 stood the significance of the Bulgarian and Servian 

 victories, which they have celebrated with public pro- 

 cessions and loud rejoicings, to the great displeasure of 

 their masters and notwithstanding the prohibition of the 

 police. The moral factor is of the greatest importance 

 in diplomacy and in war. The success of the Allies 

 has greatlv increased the moral and material power of 

 the Slavonic nations. It has created a powerful Slav 

 State on the flank of Austria-Hungary and it has given 

 to the Slavs of all countries a new sense of power. 



"Politicus" traces the policy of Austria in 

 belittling the Servian nation and prophesies that 

 conditions will force the Balkan peoples into an 

 alliance with Russia. He suggests that : 



A collision between Austrfa-Hungary and the Balkan 

 States is evidently very possible. Russia cannot afford 

 to see the Balkan States crushed by Austria-Hungary, 

 for it would be a great danger to Russia to see Austria- 

 Hungarv dominating the Balkan Peninsula. On the 

 other hand, the Balkan States cannot afford to see 

 Russia crushed bv .Austria-Hungary, for Ru.ssia's defeat 

 by that State would enable Austria-Hungary to acquire 

 the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan States are a 

 necessary bulwark to Russia, and Russia is an equally 

 necessary bulwark to the Balkan States. It is therefore 

 perfectly clear that the law of self-preservation will 

 compel the Balkan States and Russia to support one 

 another, even if they do not enter into formal engage- 

 ments with that object in view. 



Developing his thesis, the writer foresees the 

 ultimate conflict between the Slavonic and 

 Germanic nations : — 



A great war between the Slavonic and Germanic 

 nations seems inevitable. The question only is whether 

 it will take place earlier or later. German and Austrian 

 statesmen may well ask themselves whether it be better 

 to fight that war now or some time hence, and very 

 possibly they may come to the conclusion that it will 

 be wiser to fight without delay. The Balkan States are 

 exhausted. Through lack of ammunition and of money 

 they are at the moment scarcely able to enter upon 

 another war. 



A KING WHO COUNTS. 



Miss Edith Sellers contributes a chatty 

 paper to the Fortiiightly on King Charles of 

 Roumania, a country which will shortly have its 

 share of the limelight. The writer makes an 

 interesting contrast between Roumania of a 

 generation ago and now. Then — 



The peasants hardly knew what it was to have enough 

 to eat, even when the harvest was good ; and they were 

 brought face to face with starvation at once, and died 

 off like flies, when the crops failed, so ruthlessly were 

 they exploited. For, come what would, the tribute must 

 be sent to Constantinople ; and the burden of providing 

 it was imposed on them. 



Her position to-day is that of a united nation : — 



Nor is it only the people of Roumania who have 

 changed ; their circumstances have changed as much as 

 they have : they hold quite a different position in the 

 world now from that which they held in 1866. Then 

 their ruler was a mere vassal prince, now he is an 

 independent sovereign ; not only has Roumania thrown 

 off the Turkish yoke, but she has established her right 

 to manage her own affairs without let or hindrance from 

 the Great Powers. Nay, more, thanks to her splendid 

 army, she herself is become, if not a Great Power, at 

 any rate a Power with whom the Great Powers must 

 reckon, whose alliance they court. So strong is she now 

 that she can even afford to stand aloof with folded 

 hands while fighting is going on all around her; for she 

 knows that, when the fighting is over, even though she 

 may never have struck a blow, no one will dare deny 

 her her fair share of the spoil. 



The moving spirit of this wonderful reforma- 

 tion has been the King, who has steered the 

 vessel of State through troubled waters. Miss 

 Sellers certainly contrives to give an impression 

 that King Charles is among the supermen who 

 can master Fate and have little room for the 

 sentiments of the average human. Of his 

 marriage she says : — 



So overwhelmed with work and with worries was he 

 that, although he must marry, he had no time in which 

 to choose a wife for himself, but must leave the task 

 of choosing one to the Crown Prince Frederic. He 

 could not have left it in better hands, as the result 

 shows; for, although it was a case of wedding in haste — 

 he was betrothed to Princess Elisabeth of Wied the 

 day he first saw her — there has been no repenting at 

 leisure. 



Roumania's troubles would seem to be behind 



