Slav v. German

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 59, 30 July 1914, Page 6

Slav v. German

WILAT THE WAR MEANS. A TITAN/C STRUGGLE BEGINS. THE RISK OF SLAV NATIONALITY. Three years ago the statesmen and newspapers of Europe began to discus the rise of a new power. They realised that the "call of the race" was stirring the blood of some 100,000,000 Slavs, who were content no longer to be divided from each other by artificial frontiers and ruled by foreign oppressors. Russia is the greatest of Slav states. Servia and Bulgaria have only recently, as the historian counts time, wrung their freedom from Turkey. Bohemia and Moravia are united to Austria; Croatia belongs to Hungary; Poland is distributed between Russia, Austria and Prussia; and other Slavonic peoples arc scattered throughout Kurope, amounting to more than 100,000,000 all told. More than 0.000,000 Slavs live in the southern portion of Austria-Hungary, and look with friendly eyes across the border to their blood brothers in Servia. THE CALL TO WAR. "There is an extraordinary historical romance in this revival of the Slavonic spirit. -Before history began this group of old, old tribes belonging to the Aryan family were settled all over the eastern part of Europe from the Elbe to Kamschatka, and from the Frozen Seat to Salonika. Gradually, up to the seventh century, thoy becaoue divided into various groups and nations—Russians, Bulgarians. Serbs, Croats, Poles, Silesians, Pemcraniums. Czechs, or Bohemians, Moravians, Slovaks, and others. It is only lately that these widely-scattered Slavs have remembered the glory of their past and their common stock. But of late, louder and louder, there has come to them the call of the race, singing to them from that old world when they tilled the soil of Europe and tended their Hocks and herds and served their great chiefs, in mighty «nd independent tribes, and speaking to them from later history when their people were still unoppressed by alien Powers. To-day, Austria standing for the Germanic power in Kurope, is at war with Servia, a Slav state. Russia is likely to come to the support of Servia, since oven if Russian rulers are unwilling to face the hazards of battle, the pressure of the people behind them will be almost irresistible. Then Germany will as-

.-.!■' Austria nd the scon; wiV lie laid fur .the long delayed, but :i|) /iientiy in evitable struggle'between tlie (icrmanic and Slav forces in Eastern Europe. What the issue of such a titanic effort will be no man can 'foresee. The certain fact, is that the first clash of battli! on the Servian frontier will send a thrill of wliite-hot patriotism throughout every section of the sundered Slav peoples. Already Austria, a nation compounded strangely and un-.tably of diverse and warring will be sending northward Slav re;,-incuts which cannot be trusted to carry arras against those whom they regard as kinsmen. THE REVIVLYG SLAV SPIRIT. A new power is being organised in Europe, and increasing year by year with a epiiet but profound enthusiasm, ft is a power (writes the Daily Chronicle! representative) which is not limited by any definite boundaries of kingdom or state, but is gathered up from many great countries of Europe, with outpost's in the Western and Eastern world. It is the union of the whole Slavonic race, which is now slit up into many geographical and political divisions, and under the sway of many rulers, who have nolhiug >n common with th,: Slavonic blood and ideals. This movement possesses already an immense influence in Europe, revealed hy strong undrccurrents of emotion, reacting upon social, commercial and artistic life.

It is having a secret but powerful effect upon the political conditions and problems of Europe, and Germany and Austria-Hungary are face to face with a spirit of racial antagonism which is challenging their industrial supremacy and their sovereign authority in a very severe way. All students of modern Europe must reckon now with this great uprising of an old race which for centuries has been downtrodden and oppressed. THE SOKOLS. Most remarkable of all demonstrations of this Slavonic, revival is shown by the organisation known as the Sofcols. In that vast society is at once the glory and power of this spiritual awakening of the ancient race. The word soko* means falcon, the home bird of Bohemia, famous for its intelligence and perseverance. It has been chosen as the name for an organisation of athletes embracing the whole of the Slavonicworld. By adopting systematic exercises as its apparent purpose,' it vV as •hie to disarm tahe official hostility of Germany and Austria and repudiate all charges that might be levelled against it as a political society. Vet these harmless and beautiful exercises for physical drill, which were displayed recently at Prague by thousands of young men and women of the Slavonic race from all parts of Europe •nil even from the United States, contain a deeper Meaning. When this great army of young Slavs- marched into the stadium at Prague, when in perfect niel-, ody of movement tliev went through their evolutions, when in their Garibahn shirts and red caps they massed outsid ■ the old Town Hall in one great multitude of rich color, as vivid as blodo, and when to the sounds of their bands their voices were raised in the national anthem of Bohemia and the religious hymns of the Hussite wars, there"wa, here not only the demonstration of a great athletic society gathered from many nations, but the overwhelming emotion of a, race proud of its nast confident of its future, and passionate in its enthusiasm, for intellectual liberty and racial influence. *' AX OBJECT LESSOX KOli KUROPIC. It was a tremendous object lesson to Prussia and Austria of the power of these peoples, whose independence has often been subdued, but whose spirit lias not been crushed, and now leaps forward to new conquests, with increasing strength and a closer union. It is too soon yet to say what will be the gaol of this Soko] Soiety and of this Slavonic revival generally. It is already a menace to German'trade, for the' Slavs of Bohemia and other countries are producing their own industries and refusing to buy Genuaii goods. In the Austrian Diet the Czechs are a continual factor of disturbance in their refusal tc submit their racial aspirations to Austrian domination, and as already said, they have conquered the schools for their own language, literature and ideals. Germany look,, askance at this great stirring of the Slav in Europe and the movement demands the thoughtful study of all students of modern history who are watching the pull of rase against race, and the ceaseless war which is being waged in the arena in Europe.