TTXE SUNDAY OREGOXTAX, PORTIiANT.
OCTOBEH 18, 1914
THE BATTLING AVERAGE OF
THE SERVIA8 JSQLDIER.
22C
1
H ;f -:J X
7 MtMi V
4
3 t
'1 $
J . -
I'll-.. . ,jL'", --
i
BTl
I General Tankovrtch'i Third Arrms
March Through Uskirb Irom Pris-
tina on the Way to Albania.
-1
VI
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King Peter Making His Triumphant Entry Into the Old Servian Capital, SkopIj
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BiT RICHARD G. CONOVER.
(HAT Is likely to be set down to
the fighting credit of the Servian
soldier in the great war ledger
Tecently opened in Europe? How has his
battling account balanced in the past?
For the measure of liberty, indepen
dence and nationality he enjoys has te
paid in full price with bravery, forti
tude and patriotic persistence? Can he
deliver the "fighting goods" to the rig
orous limit?
The answer to this must occasion sur
prise to many, for until recent years
the Servian soldier has remained mili
tarily obscure. Probably not one per
son In a thousand has a comprehensive
fighting man of Servla behaved on this
woeful day for Servian Independence.
During the early part of the year 1389
an Ottoman army that had invaded
Servla was routed in the fastnesses of
the Black Mountains by a body of Al
banians and Serbs. Sultan Amurath 1
was celebrating his marriage in Asia
Minor when the news reached him, and
he vowed vengeance. He rushed baclc
to Europe, collected a mighty army and
hurried toward the foe. The clash came
on the plain of Kossovo, a great level
spot shut in by a chain of mountains.
Lazar, the last of the Servian Tsars,
commanded besides bis own troops a
force of Albanians and Bosnlaka. One
- jr s-w, v
S-5 7(f
K
I Sophie- Jovanovitch, Vmose Father on Ht
Deathbed Mads Her Swear in Case of
War Against the Oppressing Turks She
Would Fight
A Magnificent Specimen (Seventy Years Of !
Age) of a Servian Comitadii Volunteer. J
1 1 & .
were smuggled Into the country despite
Turkish protest. Drilling and conscrip
tion began. Step by step this led to the
squeezing of Turkey out of the coun
try's fortresses. In 1867 Belgrade, which
had been besieged dozens of times, was
for the first time in centuries entirely
in Servian hands. A great outburst of
triumph and rejoicing went up when
the last Turkish soldier on guard
marched out.
During, the long centuries past when
Servla hasn't been otherwise busy she
has had a war on with Bulgaria. Back
anything, outdid his neighbor in gal
lant and effective combating.
An estimate of the sort of a fighter
the Servian soldier is likely to be may
be gathered from' his willingness to go
to battle. There is no record that con
scription is one-half so vigorous as
that of other nations carrying large
armies. Yet this little nation of
4,000,000 was able to equip, put la the
field and march to victory 250.000 ef
fetive troops during the 1U12-1813
war! And it is plainly a harder job
to assemble a large army in a small
and forth these neighbors have tugged country than a large army in a large
and pulled. They cannot seem to for- country, keeping the percentage of sol
get events of history that only tend to diery to population the same. In the
11
stir up animosities, and whenever for
eign trouble doesn t keep tnings num.
mlng they fall back on settling some
unsettled affront of from BOO to 1000
years ago. The Servian soldier has
cheerfully obeyed commands with re-
case of Servia she put in the field on
soldier to every 16 of her population.
I In a contrast made between the Ser
vian and the Bulgarian soldier it has
been said that the former gets all his
fighting spirit from . what has been
knowledge of his past performance. In of the Serb bards has thus written of
the minds of a great number he is
vaguely fixed as a fighting man of tlie
reaJy to revolt in a minute type. Sort of
semi-marauding, guerrilla preferring,
officer saucing fellow, chafing under
military discipline and longing to break
away Giaour fashion and settle things
after his individual method. Ready to
froth, simmer or settle with the rise or
fall of the Balkan barometer.
Superficial readers of Servian history
may doubt that her soldier has demon
strated true battling form. Tbey set
down the wars in which the little coun
try has engaged as just a bunch of lit
tle Balkan bickerings abetted by Rus
sian and Austrian diplomatists. This
opinion Is based upon the many ques
tionable happenings In Servia during
the Turk enemy the Servian soldier con
fronted: "Amurath had so many men that a
horseman could not ride-from one wing
of his army to another 4n a fortnight.
The plain of ICossovo was one mass of
steel, horse stood against horse, man
against man, the spears formed a thick
forest, the banners obscured the sun;
there was no space for a drop of water
to fall between them." - '
Excusing much of this computation
on the ground of -usual poetic license. It
is nevertheless generally recorded that
the Turks were in great force. All day,
despite the odds against him. Lazar's
Servian soldier bore the brunt of the
attack, and as evening approached it
looked like a drawn battle. But Vouk
AserviaruJldvancuiB.'
'i
"it
from Belgrade with shouts of "Dosan!"
The new King, or Tsar, as he was
interchangeably called, first headed an
army into Macedonia. He wanted an
spect to fighting Bulgaria, and Just as achieved in the past and which he
cheerfully has fought :.t the Bulgarian hopes to emulate, but perhaps never
soldier's side when a new war game equal, while the latter is envious of
made them allies. th deeds of his ancestors and hopes
The River Timok. then as now the to excel them beyond all cavil. There
boundary between the countries, has al- a great deal of .this suggestion that
ways been the principal theater of the may be set down as correct Insight
war. In the ninth century Vlastimir,
head of the Servian Confederacy, was
attacked by Presjam, ruler of the Bui-
the last 0 to 75 years, especially tne Brankovic, the Benedict Arnold of
revolting murder of King Alexander servla and execrated to this day,
and Queen Draga In their palace on the marched over to the enemy with the
night of June 10, 1903, and the ready entire right wing, composed in the main
acquiescence of the army in that atro- of a composite body of troops. At a
clous crime. But this estimate of the critical moment of the fatal day the
Servian soldier would be unjust. No joss ot these 12,000 men brought vic-
fighting man can be adequately judged tory to Amurath.
within the area of the influence of the Lazar.s horae went down as he gal-black-coated,
politician's machinations. loped about encouraging his men and
It is in the zone of the cannon roar, the ho expired under the DloWs of i0o
infantry volley, the bayonet charge, the Turkish soldiers. But as Amurath
forced march and the night attack that wallced over the battlefield to better
his mettle is proved. How has he Tjew trIumpn he was approached
stood when powder burned? bv a fanatically patriotic Serb named
It is chronicled that, man to man. In Milosh Obilic, who. making a false
the armed crash, the Servian soldier is obeisance to the conqueror, plunged a
without superior In spirit, determina- dagger into the Sultan's heart. The
Generaf Boja YankovHchv CorhmanSer
Servian Army, Victor ot Pristina,
Arduous Campaign Through Alb.
iBer of Third 1
Commanded). 1 '
bania.
as far as the Gulf of Volo and be
sieged the Emperor Adronicus III, of
the Greek empire, at Salonlca. Peace
was concluded after hard fighting by
the Servian soldier, with Dusan retain
ing the country he had conquered. By
the treaty of 1340 the Servian monarch
had Increased his possessions so that
his dominions reached from the Dan
ube to the Gulf of Corinth and from
the Adriatic to within a short dis
tance of Constantinople.
In addition to this huge tract of
country Bulgaria was under Servian
into Servian character.
A writer has it that the Servian
soldier cannot get away from that
awful Kossovo defeat in which his
ancestor fought so furiously to no
avail. He has been eternally chanting
these lines by a native bard, and no
matter what his triumphant future
may be he is likely to still keep up
the chant:
"There resteth to Servia a glory,
A glory that shall not grow old:
There remaineth to Servia a story.
A tale to be chanted and told;
tlon and endurance. He has been test
ed often and in many ways. Always
has he "stood the gaff." Servia's popu
lation Is half that of Belgium, with a
territory twice as large as that of Bel
gium for the Servian to love and to
defend. The plaudits of the world
have been accorded Belgium for Its re
cent valiant stand against the over
whelming German attack, and the
slayer is still hailed a hero in song
and story.
On October 26. 1912, or 523 years
after Turkey had annihilated its na-
fell upon the Turk at another spot,
hemming him in. The Servians ad
vanced step by step, slowly, until
within 60 yards of the Turkish
trenches. There a fierce hand-to-hand
fight took place until the Turk's
entire wing broke and fled. The
cavalry again played a valorous part in
the pursuit and capture of thousands
of fugitives in the neighborhood of leader in the glorious past. These four
Lake Presba and Fiorina. The Crown are Stephen Nemanja, the first out-and
Prince entered Monastlr from a sick out King: King Stephen
A SersTan rtetervfet from the Hflhu
3
outlet on the Aegean. He penetrated Karlan8. The Servian soldier won. Later.
Boris, the Bulgarian - national ' hero,
trTed to get revenge, but the Cervian
fighting man won again. In 917 Simeon,
the Bulgarian, kidnaped the Servian
ruler, Peter, and , had him murdered,
and the Servian people conquered.
Simeon also defeated a ruler, Zacharla,
whom he had set up over the Servians,
hut who had not done his bidding. Thus.
while the Bulgarian Empire was at its They are gone to their graves grim
zenith. Servia was almost blotted off and gory,
the map. Very shortly both countries The beautiful, brave and bold."
succumbed to the Greek Emperor, fol- When the Servian soldier is placed
...ocAsitful fteht of the Ser- in the fighting scales to welsh up his
control, so that he was master of the vlan BOidler under Ceslav against the battle value alongside his fellows.
Balkan Peninsula from sea to sea. And Bulgarians. This consumed the time up either enemy or ally, it would be well
it took the arm of the fighting Serb t(J tno famous Stephen Nemanja. to bear this in mind he must be some
to get it and hold it together. He took Tll 188. tll RBrviana ocunied an un- "scrapper" who can keep up the fire
inhabited tract of land along the Ti- and steam of revolt for 600' years,
mok, for the avowed purpose of till- That's a pretty long time to battle,
ing. A Bulgarian regiment drove them Try to match it and the most that his-,
out! The next year Servia and Bui- tory will yield is tale after tale of the
caria "went to it" again, with a Ser- peoples of the earth who submissively
and Incorporated Belgrade, theretofore vian reverse at Slivnitza. No territory blended with their conquerors or be-
a part of Hungary, in Servian territory, changed hands, however. In the year came conquerors themselves. The Ser-
Then he subjugated Bosnia. Seeing the 1912 the two countries fought the Turk vian did not blend; he was too busy
Greek empire tottering, he summoned side bv side and the Servian soldier, if fighting.
ms cnieftalns from every part of his
sides in the civil wars of the Greek
empire, coming out about even as to
victory and defeat.
Louis the Great, of Hungary, attacked
him about 1352. Dusan defeated him
realm. Then, heading an army of 80,000.
he started for Constantinople. Thrace
surnamed wltb- Adrianople fell before the Servian
numini ana ma aavance guard reached
HOBBIES OF GREAT MEN
the battle epened. A courier brought and most looked up to, despite the fact e outskirts or the great city on the 1
the news to blm there that General that he had his father strangled; George BosPhrus. But on the night of De- 11
-An enthusiastic cave
Cutllffe Hyn
hunter.
William Le Queux Revolver shoot-
plaudits were deserved, but the fact is might try to stipulate at the close of
that the 4,000,000 of Servia have been
battling: as- bravely as the 7.400,000 of
Belgium in defense of their liberties,
and. fully as often. And note this:
Centuries before the little bantam of
the west of Europe was more than the
fief of a Duke Servia's soldier was
fighting for his own nation.
This is where the record of the Ser
vian soldier draws first interest. He.
OW that Lord Justice Vaughan
Williams has retired, he will
tlonality. a Servian army commanded -ri ,. ,.., , , V. cember 18. 135S. he was HelzArt with have more time to indulge in
y n,rr.rriCe Alexander en- altnougn ln many places along the the hero of modern Servian history. 'olen,t e " village of Diavoli. his favorite taobbf .1 """l, lnf.
tered TJskub, the country's ancient th ,vm,, ,, v,, ,- , 40 miles from ConstantinoDle. and ex- ond-hand dealers shops for all sorts or Jack London Kite flyin-.
possession amid through Bnow four ,eet deep, with a that has kept ServTa in turmoil for Dired la " ot hi. faithful chiefs, articles that you would not even look e F Benson-Skatlnr.
fenerations. " miervai or x years or sub- , ,
, . . . , mission to the Turk. Kara George arose "It ,s almost a craze with him. and Motoring is Hall Caine's chief relaxa
The sion r Stephen Nemanja t ServUa BOZietoZ?oT" "early every day after court work was tion; music is one of Mis, Marie Corel
marks the beginning of Servian med- ,bortlv Z' over you would see him searching the u's hobbles; Richard Marsh declares he
laeval power and prestige. Historians ..:1L','. . i .hn"
capital,
frantic
and took
Joy of the
he Servian soldiers, thermometer registering 14 degrees
Regardless of what peace treaties below zero.
this last war between the Turk and
Servia, the name of the capital was at
once changed to Skoplje, its mediaeval
title, and preparations made to add it
to the Servian kingdom for all time.
This occupation of two years ago
was not achieved without hard bat
tling by the fighting man of Servla.
His advance into Old Servia was
fiercety contested by the Arnauts or
was the defender of an actual empire Moslem Albanians planted there by the
more than 1000 years ago. And it was Turks. It culminated ln the three day
an empire of consequence. In his palm- battle of Kumanovo. After the Turkish
lest day the Serb in uniform did not artillery had been silenced four des-
hesitate to attack three kingdoms at perate Servian assaults were made
once, and before his mighty arm the before two of the most important
soldiers of Hungary, Bulgaria and of earthworks of the enemy were taken,
the Greek empire bit the dust in com- Later, taking advantage of" a brilliant
bined rout. .moonlight, the Turks advanced in a
The fighting glory of the Servian sol- counter attack so successful that the
dler, strange to say, is most treasured staff of the Crown Prince advised him
In this war within, five weeks the
Servian army had overrun Macedonia
and the Sandjak and had penetrated
south to Saloniki and west to Alessio.
In these five weeks the sword conquests
of five centuries were lost to the sword.
The historian of the Balkan war of
1912-13 may tell of brave deeds with
much more positlveness than the an
cient Servian bard. There is the case
of the remarkable Sophie Jovanovitch,
nia to Servia after fighting. In 1185 Servl- n led a successful revolu
he sent word to the Greek Emperor "on although not a complete one. He
that he would pay tribute no longer. whiPPed the Janissaires and then de
War followed and the Servian soldier mnded that only native Servians gar
whipped the soldier of the Eastern '",80n f,er?l&D fortresses. This refused.
Roman Empire. After he humbled all ho defied the Sultan, who sent three
the riotous chieftains under him and successive armies against him. only to
gave his realm a good military sweep- "aa eacn time. At Mlschar
antique shops." is a clumsy but enthusiastic student ox
The -quotation, recently published in whatever makes for the fine art of
a London dally paper, gives an insight doing nothing"; Chance Newton, the
into the odd ways in which celebrated well-known dramatic critic, "tries to
Englishmen pass their spare time; and catch fish" in his spare time,
although the sight of Lord Justice "Working" is. so Seymour Hicks says,
Vaughan Williams stalking along Fleet nis hobby, and the study of criminology
street with an old fender under his arm. i, H. B. Irvlng's. Weedon Grossmlth
as he did a short time ago, was unex- and sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson
pected, it was, in a way. no more curl- both like amusing themselves by palnt-
....... . . . ... . . Ausrust 4 Iflnfi T'ofa ..
who xougnt ln three pitched battles ot ing up, jNemanja turned, it over to nis ' , . - j vv &u . " . . . , R1rh. Hon- . ,, . , , ,
, , , m me , . ' all-day battle acalnst th Turk oua than the sight or tne mguu aaa ing pictures, while the hobjhies of Mme.
the war, claiming no favors or consid- son in 1195 and retired to the monas- a, n,t th Turk. er ,. Rllrn hoxln , h..rt,
and chronicled best where it circles
about his greatest defeat. Imagine a
nation taking a new birth of freedom
from a defeat that led to centuries of
eft'acement and annihilation. Can you
conceive of any other nation always
harking back to a beating it got in
order to prove what a mighty lighter
it is? That is what the Servian soldier
does when he reverently and at the
same time boastfully tells you of the
to give the order to retire. He
answered that he would give the situa
tion ten minutes' grace. Before that
time had elapsed the guns of an ad
vancing corps were heard, and he bat
tle was decided in Servia's favor. The
third day of battle the Servian cavalry
,u ,1Bt Servian soldiers in the army of Mace
asamai ..xci,, pmS me gun- lnT.slo. T h A camnaitrn was
ners away from point after point of ot 24 hours old word camo tnat
vantage and entering Kumanovo neck
great battle of Kossovo, fought June and neck with the infantry.
15, 1389, as a consequence of which his Again at the pitched battle of Mona-
country became a province of Turkey stir in this last Turk-Servian or gen-
for more than 500 years. N eral Balkan war the Servian soldier
There is an entire literature about proved himself a tried man- of valor.
this terrific battle of Kossovo and this The Turks were strongly Intrenched
may surprise many who have been or on twin hill peaks, 30Q0 feet high,
will be surprised to learn of the prowess Through raging water courses, ice cold
of the Servian soldier. A distinct litera- to his knees, the Servian fighting man
ture in the possession of a country the advanced in ' the face of a deadly
size and sort of Servia seems unlikely, shrapnel. On up the heights he went,
yet it exists and has been an lnspira- driving the enemy from position to
eratlon or mercy because 6e was a tery of Chllander, where he died as the .!. usuiing.
woman. She can indeed be classed monk" Simeon five years later. He was now called the supreme chief,
with the Servian soldier. On his death- He had taken Servia out of vassal- But after nine years more of fighting
bed the father compelled her to swear hood, founded a dynasty and rooted the tno revolution' collapsed, principally
that in the- event of a war against the glory of his country so hardily that it through Jealousies of the chief men.
Turkish oppresssors of her nation she bloomed for nearly 200 years. There is Kra George retired Into Austria, He
would take arms and fight as a man a Stephen Nemanja regiment in the naa established a legislature during the
would. She received the permission Servian army, and its members are nine years, and because of this is hailed
of King Peter to become a member of called upon like Napoleon's Old Guard a" the modern restorer of Servian na-
the battling body called Comitadlge. to perform what seems to be the im- "onality.
Her particular function was to throw possible when others fail. - They have At this Juncture Milosh Obrenovio
uumus, a nuainw ui cub milieu always "made good." orten they have -"' miu.raumwj. ne was nailed su- ho indulges la cricket, skating, row-
about in her belt. eone into batUe shouting the name Preme chief in 1815, and soon headed a ,n as wel, as boxing
The war also brought into notice the of the mediaeval King, as at Mount guerrilla warfare that caused havoc with w. t-.. ki'u .i.. h
military notice of Europe General Rujaa ln the last war. where they took the Turk. The Sultan made terms and , ',. of no particular hobbies but
J?I7TJe strongly intrenched Turk, com- a sort of legislature was allowed. Thus Zl tor ' Wnta w-TtaowJ!
pletely off their feet by the vigor of .unaer juuosn a semi-independence had So ls sir Edward Grey's ability as a
their assault. been gained. Kara George was asked piayer of real tennis and fly fisher;
Dusan. the mightiest Servian Tsar of back by leaders who did not fancy Mi- but there are not many persons who
history, ascended tne tnrone in 1336, iush. no returned una was assassinated jcnow that one of Lord Charles Beres
orable John Burns boxing.
The present leader of the Liberal
party in the House of Commons is far
more conventional in his personal re
sources. Mr. Asqulth's hobbles are lit
erature, golf and bridge.
Mr. Balfour mixes golf and tennis
with the study of theology, while Mr.
Bonar Law's main recreation ls golf.
Mr. Lloyd-George ls another golfer,
but the tastes of Mr. John Burns ln
the matter of games are most diverse
Sarah Bernhardt and Miss Olga Nether-
sole are remarkable.
Although born in 1845, the first
named gives sculpture1, painting, fish
ing, boating and tennis as her forms of
recreation; and Miss Nethersole's list
includes' the study of tuberculosis,
botany and criminology and dog fancy
ing. Two uncommon hobbies are those of
Dr. Grace, the great cricketer, and Dr.
Joslah Oldfleld. The former goes in
for beagling, the latter for planting
trees.
Xo Place Like li
ne had gained the head of the defile in
the Tenesdohl Pass after a stubborn
resistance. This was the key to the
objective point Prishtina. That place
was entered almost immediately. The
strategical plan for the Invasion of
Macedonia had been mapped out al
most ten years before. As it was put
on paper, so General Yankovitch carried
it through to a dot. And he had never
seen active service before!
There are four great fighting charac
ters of Cervia by whom the Serb sol-
(Llpplncott's.)
Fred Bromley was an artist of the
impressionist school. He had Just
given the last touches to a purple and
after the strangling of- his father ln through the connivance, it is said, of ford'B great diversions is turning and b,ue canvas when his young wife came
prison. His surname, Dusan, means his rival. From this dates the great carpentering into tno studio.
"the throttler" in Servian, and although Servian family feud between the de- a class English novelists would "This is the landscape I wanted you
he occupies a proud place ln Serb his- scendanta of Kara George and the appear to follow more queer pastimes to suggest a title for, dear." said he.
tory. they always associate the name house of Obrenovio, which ls still on. than any other professional men. Here standing aside and proudly surveying
with him. Under him the Servian sol- The Servian soldier has fought equally th unusual wava in which hl work.
wny not can it nome : saia biio.
dier was destined to reach the high
water mark of his martial effective
ness. During centuries of woe for
Servia his name has been the incent
ive to struggle on to another national-
well under both. In 1839 the second
founder of modern Servia was forced to
flee and his son, Milan, reigned.
In 1860, under the rule of Michael
Obrenovic III. the modern military or
ganization of the Servian army was ef-
tlon for patriotism many generations, position until ho secured a dominating dier may be judKed. for the man in the Ity. When King Milan declared war on
The bards have loved to tell how the point. The right wing, by a detour, ranks fully partook of the spirit of his Bulgaria ln 1885 his soldiers set out fected. Two hundred thousand rifles bacilli.
well-known writers amuse themselves:
Henry Newbolt Birds' nesting.
Charles Garvlce Amateur farming.
Thomas Hardy Studying old church
and dance music.
S. Portal Hyatt Fighting- tubercle
after a reflective look.
"'Home'? Why?"
"Because there is no place like it."
she replied, meekly, as becomes a wife
who is entirely without the finer feel
ings ot imagination.