Panslavist hope. That is why these ridiculous little Balkan States are so angry with Catholic missionaries, why they sometimes become active persecutors, and why one hears such absurd statements as that the question of the Catholic schools is one of "life or death for Bulgaria." The life or death of these Balkan States depends, not on the Catholic nuns who teach in these schools, but on Russia. Really, of course, the comparison between Russia and Austria that these people make (Orthodox = Russia, Catholic = Austria) is quite absurd. On the one hand, the cause of Russia is that of Orthodoxy now. Every Russian is, or should be, Orthodox.[1] All the Orthodox will apparently soon be Russian, the Orthodox missionaries are all Russians paid and sent by the Holy Synod, that is practically a department of the government of Petersburg. There is nothing like this in the case of Austria. The Catholic Church is no more committed to the Dual Monarchy than to any other State, and Austria is not in the least committed to the Catholic cause. It is a tolerant and civilized State in which people of any religion, Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox or Mohammedans, live in entire freedom and content. Doubtless Austria-Hungary has interests in the Balkans,[2] but it does not make a ray of difference to the statesmen at Vienna whether the Balkan peoples are Catholic or Orthodox or Mohammedan. So the Catholic missions have nothing to do with Austria and do not receive any help from Vienna. The missionaries are chiefly Frenchmen or Italians sent out by the Roman Propaganda. From every point of view a comparison between Russia and Austria is absurd. Russia means a barbarous and intolerant tyranny, and no sane man would be at the mercy of its Government if he could possibly help it. Austria is a constitutional country of which the citizens
- ↑ Of course, there are the Raskolniks, &c., but the point is that Russia's idea is one vast Russian Orthodox Church and nothing else.
- ↑ If Austria were to annex or occupy Albania, Macedonia, and Thrace, the various nations that devour these lands with their quarrels would, at any rate, have the advantage of a tolerant and civilized Government which would protect all their religions and languages equally while preventing them from persecuting one another. It is difficult to conceive any other solution of the eternal Nearer Eastern question that would answer so well. Bosnia and Hercegovina show that even the Turk is enormously better off under Austria than under the Sultan.
