Bulgaria, The Peasant State 



773 



sionaries have become so closely allied 

 with the Bulgarians, for in no other Bal- 

 kan country, except perhaps Rumania, 

 is there the same liberty of thought. The 

 Servian government prohibits by law all 

 proselytizing to Protestantism. The 

 Greeks — though they welcomed the aid 

 and sympathy of the missionaries in the 

 Greek war of independence — have since 

 enacted laws which make the teaching of 

 "sacred lessons" in the schools compul- 

 sory, lessons of a character which the 

 missionaries refuse to disseminate. The 

 Sultan would not tolerate the mission- 

 aries in his dominions if they attempted 

 to convert Mohammedans, while the few 

 Turks who have deserted Mohammedan- 

 ism have mysteriously disappeared ; and 

 it has been found almost impossible to 

 convert Jews. 



"So the missionaries are left only the 

 Bulgarians on whom to work. Their 

 schools and churches are open to other 

 nationalities in both Bulgaria and Mace- 

 donia ; but for the double reason that 

 they are institutions of Protestants and 

 of Bulgarians very few of the other races 

 ever seek admission. 



"There are few Jews in Bulgaria as 

 compared with the number in the border 

 State of Rumania ; the Jews cannot 

 thrive on the close-fisted Bulgars. The 

 Jews who live among them are fairer in 

 business transactions than their co-relig- 

 ionists anywhere else in the Balkans. 



"The Mohammedan in Bulgaria is bet- 

 ter off than his brother in Turkey, who, 

 except that he holds the position of the 

 man with the gun, suffers under the 

 Ottoman rule almost or quite as much as 

 does the Christian. Nevertheless, there 

 is a continuous exodus from Bulgaria of 

 Turks and Pomaks (Bulgarians con- 

 verted to Mohammedanism) to the land 

 where the Mohammedan rules. And 

 when these Turks pack their goods and 

 chattels and start to trek, they do not 

 stop until they have passed beyond the 

 Bosphorus. They seem to think — as 

 many men have thought for many 

 years — that the day of Turkish power in 

 Europe will soon be past. 



"Bulgarians of intelligence and educa- 



tion put little faith in the promises of the 

 present Russian government. But Rus- 

 sia holds a fast grip on the masses of the 

 people ; the peasants are grateful for 

 their deliverance. 



"But the model of the Bulgarians is by 

 no means the great Slav country. They 

 can boast of having attained in a quarter 

 of a century a liberty which the Russians 

 have not yet secured. The institutions 

 of Bulgaria are liberal in principle, and 

 often in practice ; the constitution is 

 democratic. The suffrage is extended to 

 every male adult, as a result whereof 

 seven Turks represent the Mohammedan 

 districts of the Danube and Turkish bor- 

 der in the Sobranje, and sit among the 

 other deputies without removing their 

 fezzes." 



Mr H. De Windt, author of "Through 

 Savage Europe," was likewise impressed 

 by the enterprise of the Bulgarians : 



"This country (Bulgaria) will not 

 stand still ; not a year, nay, not even a 

 month, passes that important reforms 

 and improvements do not occur in her 

 government and the efficiency of her for- 

 midable army. It was suggested to me 

 while traveling through Rumania that 

 an alliance may one day take place be- 

 tween the latter country and Bulgaria ; 

 and in this case even a great power, in 

 the event of hostilities, would surely find 

 her hands full. 



"A glance at the statistics of Bulgaria 

 will show how far she surpasses neigh- 

 boring countries in energy and enter- 

 prise. What with factories, cultivated 

 land, horse and cattle breeding, mines, 

 exploited forests, public works, and com- 

 pulsory education, the budget is already 

 in proportion to the progress of the coun- 

 try. Greece and Servia no doubt have 

 budgets nearly equal to that of Bulgaria, 

 but their public debts are far greater, 

 with smaller territories and populations, 

 and consequently less wealth. The pub- 

 lic debt here amounts to 78 francs per 

 head ; that of Russia is more than double 

 this amount. In 1880 the exports and 

 imports of Bulgaria amounted to only 

 32 millions (francs) ; in 1904 they had 

 risen to 390 millions (francs) !" 



