I'hoto by Theroii J. Damon 

 CHRISTIANS OF SCUTARI, ALBANIA 



The red hood and embroidered cape of the upper-class women (one at the right) are most 

 gorgeous. The lower garment is a pair of voluminous bloomers 



whose ancestors, a hundred thousand 

 strong, emigrated when the Turks over- 

 ran Albania. The Albanians of Italy to 

 this day conserve their racial distinctive- 

 ness. The unwillingness or inability of 

 the Albanians to modify their individu- 

 ality has found its reflex tragedy in the 

 continued existence of the Albanian tri- 

 bal system and the perpetual intertribal 

 feuds. As a result, Albania has not been 

 able to present a united front against a 

 common enemy. 



Only one great, unifying national hero 

 has ever arisen for the Albanians — 

 Skanderberg. He died in 1467, after 

 winning 21 pitched battles from the 

 Turk. His death left Albania without a 

 leader, and the brave Albanians, who 

 Tcnew no loyalty or law beyond that of 

 the family and clan, fell under the might 

 of ]\Iohammed the Second, conqueror of 

 Constantinople. Mohammed could crush, 



but not subdue, the Albanians ; nor have 

 the successive sultans been able to ac- 

 complish that great desire. The best they 

 could do was to humor them, and to the 

 last day of Abdul Hamid's tyranny the 

 Albanians were treated as a peculiar peo- 

 ple. Hamid bought their loyalty by levy- 

 ing upon them no taxes, by refraining 

 from military conscription among them, 

 and by taking the pick of these fierce 

 mountaineers for his closest and most 

 trusted body-guard. The details of the 

 manner in which he pampered them are 

 among the lore of Yildiz Kiosk. 



the: young TURKS WtRt RUTHLESS 



When, after 1908, the Young Turks 

 had acquired their constitution and were 

 facing the overwhelming task of putting 

 the Ottoman house in order, the treat- 

 ment of Albania was one of the crucial 

 problems. It should have been most 



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