OCR Text |
Show Out of Old Albania. Save In Epirus, where Greek culture holds the towns, and even the Mosleir Albanians of the hills write (when they can write at all) in Greek letters, no foreign influence has yet invaded the intimate life of this exclusive race. Individual Albanians have, indeed, given their talents to bring unity or order to the life of other peoples. Half the captains by land and sea of the Greek wars of independence were Albanians Al-banians from Epirus or the Isles. Crispi came from the Albanian colony col-ony in Sicily; the khedlvial family imposed Itself on Egypt; te last grand vizier of the old regime in Turkey Tur-key was a South Albanian magnate. But no native church, no native literature, litera-ture, no local field for statesmanship ..as yet exercised the talents of a race which is certainly not the least gifted of the Balkan peoples. Until recently sn Albanian educated was an Albanian lost |