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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



WHY AUSTRIA INTERVENES 



The position of Austria-Hungary, sup- 

 ported by Germany in her interference on 

 behalf of the Albanians, is one of serious 

 politics as well as of thwarted ambitions. 

 The evident intention of the victorious 

 Balkan States was to divide Albania — an 

 important territory, though peopled only 

 by a primitive mountain race and more 

 or less sparsely settled. But the accom- 

 plishment of this plan would unite the 

 Montenegrins and the Servians, on the 

 south of Austria, within whose borders 

 are many Slavs. 



Austria-Hungary desires to keep any 

 confederacy of the Southern Slavs feeble, 

 because though these Southern Slavs in- 

 tend to maintain their independence, they 

 are, nevertheless, in sympathy with Rus- 

 sia, the great Slav nation, whose religion, 

 like their own, is Orthodox — that is to 

 say, of the same form as the Greek. 



The great balance of racial power in 

 Europe being Germanic and Slav, the 

 Germanic Powers must prevent a strong 

 Slav confederacy south of them as long 

 as their northern frontier is permanently 

 open to a Russian menace. Further- 

 more, by maintaining an intact Albania, 

 which Austria will support and assist for 

 political purposes, she may prepare for 

 the future alDsorption by herself of this 

 section, at least, of Turkey in Europe. 



IS Rumania's claim just? 



It is because Rumania is not Slavic, 

 yet lies geographically between Russia 

 and the Southern Slavs, that she naturally 

 adheres in sympathy to the Germanic 

 Alliance. Rumania's claim for territorial 

 compensation from Bulgaria is based on 

 the fact that many settlements of Ru- 

 manians, not emigrants from Rumania, 

 but remnants evidently of ancient Roman 

 invasions of the Balkan Peninsula, will 

 be annexed by Bulgaria with her share 

 of the conquered territory of Macedonia 

 and the Adrianople vilayet. 



With the new order of things that must 

 come soon after the several countries are 

 able to mark out their new border lines 

 and extend their respective governments, 

 the various scattered settlements of Bul- 

 gars, Serbs, Albanians, Greeks, and per- 

 haps even Rumanians (or, as they are 

 known in Macedonia, Vlachs) will natu- 



rally, to some extent, shift themselves be- 

 hind the respective border lines of the 

 races with which they are to become 

 assimilated. 



The Tziganes, or gypsies — of whom 

 there are very many — will be content to 

 live anywhere, and there will be no diffi- 

 culty of politics or national ambitions 

 arising from their presence. 



Likewise, there will be no difficulties 

 save those that exist already in Balkan 

 countries, with the Spanish Jews, who, 

 as I have said, took refuge in Turkey in 

 great numbers during the period of per- 

 secution in Spain. 



THE TURK EORCED BACK TO ASIA 



As for the Turk, he will trek back in 

 great numbers to Asia, selling out his 

 lands for what he can get or allowing 

 them to be taken from him, for there is 

 much vindictive feeling among the Chris- 

 tians. He will dispense with the ques- 

 tion of compensation — being a fatalist — 

 as the will of Allah. 



He will make his way back to Asia 

 as he came away, centuries ago, little 

 changed by his association with the peo- 

 ple of Europe — whom he has kept as he 

 found them, in a medieval condition, 

 with all the barbarity of medieval Eu- 

 rope, with all its picturesqueness, its 

 color, squalor, and unthinking faith. 



The Turk is to be seen already moving- 

 toward the Bosphorus. Many thousands 

 went away, fleeing before their retreating^ 

 army, leading their double teams of buf- 

 faloes or oxen, behind which creeped the 

 lumbering, four-wheeled arabas, laden 

 with the remnants of their possessions,, 

 and with their veiled women in black and 

 their children gaily clad in striking con- 

 trast. 



Will the Turk change now, and pro- 

 gress and reform? That is a question 

 which I should answer in the negative. 

 He is a Moslem, and the soul of the true 

 Moslem is indifferent to progress. 



But for the enlarged Balkan States it 

 seems safe to predict rapid development 

 along modern lines, for we have seen how 

 all of them under great difficulties have 

 already fulfilled partially, at least, their 

 aspirations to adopt the civilizing insti- 

 tutions of Europe and to advance in edu- 

 cation, morals, and material welfare. 



