MACEDONIA.
[To THE EDITOR OF TIIE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—May I say a few words in reference to your recent article favouring autonomy for Macedonia ? English sympathy for the " gentlemanly " Turk, so widely expressed in the news- papers of the past month, is even more than usually astounding when one has just returned from the Balkan Peninsula. It is not many days since I watched the Turkish soldiers in the streets of a large town appropriating their supplies from the open shop fronts. No one expected to be paid. The tattered Ottoman had nothing to pay with; but that was poor consola- tion for the Christian. We wax angry because the latter attempts to change his Government; but what should we have said of English Outlanders had they submitted to a similar regime? At Uskub three years ago my visit coin- cided with a characteristic incident, well attested by the foreign Consuls. A Macedonian girl had been kidnapped by a Turk. Her brother succeeded in helping her to escape, and one of the Consuls gave her refuge in the Con- sulate. The brother was shortly afterwards found murdered near the Turk's house; several Macedonians (but not the Turk) were arrested, and there matters ended, the Macedoni ens remaining in prison. Out of such experiences grow hatred and revolution. The Psalmist who sat by the waters of Babylon prayed for blessings on him who should even murder the oppressor's children, and we embody his impre- cations in Christian worship. Shall we blame the Christian peasant if outraged honour drives him, not to murder, but to organised resistance ? But, we are told, this movement is the work of agitators and scoundrels. There is no great movement without its black sheep, but I am convinced that sane and honourable Macedonians find insurrection inevit- able. Last year I met a schoolmaster from Adrianople. He was opposed to Sarafof and his policy of irregular outrage, but he was driven to support a general revolt as the only alternative to slow demoralisation. For the " helota " of Johannesburg we were justly indignant. What possesses us now that we condemn those who share our objection to bondage,—helots tenfold and Outlanders in their own land ?
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