| Show END OF THE SICK MAN M N Turkeys brave attempt to adopt western civilization 1 ill is not ilot going ini to t save s save v her from being be nS ravaged on oil every side Ide i by her Christian neighbors The treaty of 01 Berlin BerUn signed by the great powers of 01 Europe hah ha been ruthlessly vio violated violated violated Bulgaria has declared her h r inde independence Independence has an annexed annexed annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina and to further complicate the situation the thel Inland land l of ot Crete has declared Itself a apart apart apart part of ot the kingdom of Greece Gree e The integrity In Integrity IntegrIty of ot the Ottoman empire was guaranteed gua by the powers and the Turkish government has Issued a cir ell circular circular cular calling g upon them to make good their obligations At St Si Petersburg Paris and London the foreign office officials are busy try tryIng trying Ing to avert an an armed conflict t and at atthe atthe atthe the same time allow aHo Turkey to be shorn of or her provinces Great Britain In the meantime looking out for a chance to get the better of Germany and strengthen her own position In tn the European concert and Bulgaria will not enter a confer conference conference conference ence unless the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Independence of Bulgaria be regarded as facts ac accomplished accomplished The powers signing the Berlin treaty treat have hale not recognized this partial dismemberment of ot the Ottoman empire but it Is difficult to see how hov they can do otherwise unless there is isan isan isan an appeal to arms A particularly partle disquieting feature Jn in inthe the Balkans is the th attitude of Serola That little country Is arm armIng armIng arming Ing and seems bent on going to war with on its own hook and with the conflagration Once nce started there is no telling where it would end endor endor endor or how many man countries become In Involved involved involved The action of ot Crete Involves Greece t and still further t adds to the uncertain uncertainty ty t The island of Crete has had a somewhat remarkable experience It is regarded by b some historians as the cradle cra cradle cradle dle of ot civilization brought to Europe by the Phoenicians and Egyptians In Inthe Inthe Inthe the time tim of Homer it had dense a dense pop population population population of the Hellenic race and contained con contained contained a number of ot flourishing cities The island was visited by St Paul who planted a church in it The apostle left Titus to set things in order in Crete of whose inhabitants he seemed to have entertained a poor opinion for he tells Titus that the Cretans are always al always always ways liars evil beasts slow bellies and cautions him to rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in inthe inthe inthe the faith The Venetians became masters of the Island In 1204 and the Turks wrested It from the Venetians in 1669 The Christian Inhabitants revolted In 1866 and demanded annexation to Greece The war excited much uch sympathy among the Christian nations but the Cretans were subdued In 1869 They were given a sort of ot constitution In 1891 which has been repeated several times since In ancient times the population of ot the Island is believed to have amounted to and at the time it was ac acquired acquired acquired by the Venetians The population In 1885 was estimated at of ot whom were dans and most of ot the others Christians belonging to the Greek church Most of the however are Greek by descent and Greek Is the I only language spoken In the island In view of all the circumstances It seems likely that Crete will attain her hearts desire and become an integral part of the kingdom of Greece And from present indications It also seems apparent that the partition of at the do domain domain domain main of ot the sultan suItan has actually begun For centuries in fact ever since the taking of Constantinople by Mohammed II the Turk has been heen allowed to live In Europe only because the territory could not be parceled out among the theother theother other nations so so that each would be satisfied with its share Russia has re repeatedly repeatedly been blocked by Great Britain nd France In her efforts to conquer the Turks and now in this twentieth century Immediately following the adoption of 01 a constitutional form of government the sick man of Europe Is approaching dissolution with the prospect of a fight tight among the Christian nations for the largest slice of ot the spoils d |
