46 



The National Geographic Magazine 



tection of Austria, and has been the 

 scene of a remarkable transformation ■ 

 from one of the most unhappy and hope- 

 less places on earth to one of the most 

 peaceful and prosperous. It is the more 

 interesting because it happens to be 

 the first Turkish province that was ever 

 well governed. Nowhere else in Europe 

 has there been so rapid an increase in 

 population and wealth, and the pictur- 

 esque old towns are taking on an air of 

 activity. While subject to the Turks 

 Bosnia practically vanished from the 

 current of civilization until 1875, when, 

 exasperated by extortion, robbery, ra- 

 pine, murder, and religious persecution, 

 the people rose in rebellion. The pow- 

 ers of Europe placed them under the 

 protection of Austria, which has given 

 the most remarkable exhibition of ad- 

 ministrative reform known to modern 

 history, and has demonstrated the possi- 

 bility of governing alien races by justice 

 and benevolence. 



' ' Where the Turks are, there also are 

 the wolves, ' ' is a Bosnian proverb. An- 

 other says: "Where the hoof of the 

 Turkish horse strikes, the. crops will 

 come up very thin. ' ' Those proverbs 

 were illustrated in an unmistakable man- 

 ner in Bosnia, but one who visits that 

 country today can scarcely believe that 

 such conditions existed there only a 

 short time ago. There were no rail- 

 roads and few wagon roads. Brigandage 

 was a recognized profession. Robber}' 

 was as common as lying. Murder was 

 not considered a crime, and the number 

 killed by the soldiers or by each other 

 was not recorded. The British consul 

 reported to his government that the 

 average was ten thousand a year. Those 

 who were compelled to travel went in 

 large parties fully armed ; farmers dared 

 not build their cabins where they could 

 be seen from the highway, and women 

 never appeared in public alone, because 

 it was unsafe. Today human life is as 

 safe in Bosnia as it is in Illinois, and 

 travel is even safer there, because there 



has never been a train robbery in that 

 country. During the last ten years, out 

 of a population of nearly two millions, 

 the homicides have averaged only six a 

 year, and in 1900 there were only two. 

 There has been no case of highway rob- 

 bery since 1895, an d in 1900 but one 

 case of burglar}'. Other crimes are 

 equally rare. 



The people are peaceful and con- 

 tented. The cities are filled with new 

 and handsome houses, factories have 

 been built to utilize the water power, a 

 university, colleges, schools of engineer- 

 ing, agriculture, and manual training 

 have been established to qualify the peo- 

 ple to make the most intelligent use of 

 their opportunities. The population is 

 almost evenly divided between the Mos- 

 lem, Orthodox Greek, and Christian 

 churches, with a few thousand Protest- 

 ants and Jews. Members of the differ- 

 ent religions mingle on amicable terms 

 and show mutual respect and toleration. 

 The courts are wisely and justly admin- 

 istered ; j ustice is awarded to every citi- 

 zen regardless of his religion, wealth, 

 or social position; taxes are low and 

 honestly collected and economically dis- 

 bursed. The people have learned for 

 the first time that honest complaints 

 will be patiently listened to, and that 

 wrongs will be remedied. Although 

 the older peasants are still ignorant, 

 backward, and distrustful, the younger 

 generation show enterprise and ambi- 

 tion and are conducting their affairs with 

 intelligence and order. 



Enlightened Mohammedans have ob- 

 served the advantages of the social, ag- 

 ricultural, and administrative reforms, 

 and while no adult Moslem was ever 

 converted to Christianity, they are 

 adopting the customs and habits of the 

 western world. The lives of the women 

 are becoming enlarged. The wives and 

 daughters of the Turks still wear veils 

 in the streets, but are being released 

 from the degrading position they occupy 

 in all the lands of Islam. 



