tailieunhanh - THE BALKANS A HISTORY OF BULGARIA—SERBIA— GREECE—RUMANIA—TURKEY

The authors of this volume have not worked in conjunction. Widely separated, engaged on other duties, and pressed for time, we have had no opportunity for interchange of views. Each must be held responsible, therefore, for his own section alone. If there be any discrepancies in our writings (it is not unlikely in so disputed a field of history) we can only regret an unfortunate result of the circumstances. Owing to rapid change in the relations of our country to the several Balkan peoples, the tone of a section written earlier may differ from that of another written later. It. | THE BALKANS A HISTORY OF BULGARIA-SERBIA GREECE RUMANIA TURKEY THE BALKANS A HISTORY OF BULGARIA-SERBIA GREECE RUMANIA TURKEY BY NEVILL FORBES ARNOLD J. TOYNBEE D. MITRANY . HOGARTH PREFACE The authors of this volume have not worked in conjunction. Widely separated engaged on other duties and pressed for time we have had no opportunity for interchange of views. Each must be held responsible therefore for his own section alone. If there be any discrepancies in our writings it is not unlikely in so disputed a field of history we can only regret an unfortunate result of the circumstances. Owing to rapid change in the relations of our country to the several Balkan peoples the tone of a section written earlier may differ from that of another written later. It may be well to state that the sections on Serbia and Bulgaria were finished before the decisive Balkan developments of the past two months. Those on Greece and Rumania represent only a little later stage of the evolution. That on Turkey compiled between one mission abroad and another was the latest to be finished. If our sympathies are not all the same or given equally to friends and foes none of us would find it possible to indite a Hymn of Hate about any Balkan people. Every one of these peoples on whatever side he be fighting to-day has a past worthy of more than our respect and interwoven in some intimate way with our history. That any one of them is arrayed against us to-day is not to be laid entirely or chiefly at its own door. They are all fine peoples who have not obtained their proper places in the sun. The best of the Osmanli nation the Anatolian peasantry has yet to make its physical and moral qualities felt under civilized conditions. As for the rest the Serbs and the Bulgars who have enjoyed brief moments of barbaric glory in their past have still to find themselves in that future which shall be to the Slav. The Greeks who were old when we were not as yet are younger now than we. They are as .