Read Ebook: The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It Vol. 1 No. 58 December 16 1897 A Weekly Magazine for Boys and Girls by Various Bishop Julia Truitt Editor

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It is reported that the Emperor at first refused to accept the resignation, whereupon Badeni informed him that he would not undertake the responsibility of holding office longer, as he had been informed that the people were ready to rise.

The Emperor then accepted the resignation, and it soon became evident that the action had only just been taken in time.

Crowds had assembled outside the Reichsrath, waiting for it to open, and the attitude of the mob had become so threatening that the hussars had to draw their sabres and charge the crowd to keep it in check. Several people were killed and many wounded.

This roused the mob to fury, and matters were just developing into a serious riot when Burgomaster Luegers appeared on the scene.

Driving through the streets at full speed, forcing his horses through the crowds, he hurried from mob to mob, shouting the good news that Badeni had resigned.

The anger of the crowd at once melted away. The people who had assembled with rage in their hearts soon became quiet. The night, which might have been one of bloodshed and murder, was turned into a f?te, laughter and song succeeded the angry murmurs, and the danger was over.

The next day it was announced that Baron Gautsch von Frankenthurn, a man who is a great favorite with the people, had been appointed Prime Minister in the place of Badeni.

It is said that as soon as the new cabinet is formed, Baron Gautsch will endeavor to bring about a meeting between the heads of the two parties which are so violently opposed to each other on the language question, and see if he cannot arrive at some understanding with them.

It is also said that Baron Banffy, the Hungarian Prime Minister, insists that the Reichsrath must agree to the renewal of the Austro-Hungarian contract for one year, else Hungary will act independently of Austria, and a separation of the two monarchies may follow.

After the news of Badeni's resignation there were still angry demonstrations in Vienna, but after the police had released Dr. Wolff peace gradually settled down on the city.

Turkey does not seem to have taken Russia seriously about the old war debt.

In spite of her assurance that she had no intention of increasing her navy or enlarging her store of war materials, she has placed an order for one hundred and fifty large cannon with Krupp, the famous German gun-maker.

These cannons will cost a large sum of money, and the various European Powers are watching with much interest to see what Russia will have to say to it.

It is rumored that the Turks look upon Germany as their most powerful friend, and are willing to defy Russia or any other nation so long as Germany shows a disposition to stand by them.

This winter is likely to give us some more interesting chapters in European history.

The Sultan of Turkey has fresh worries. The Albanians are now rebelling against him.

Albania is on the western border of European Turkey; its shores are washed by the Adriatic Sea.

It is a mountainous country, inhabited by a war-like race of people, who are much given to robbery and brigandage.

The Albanians are a curious people. They claim to be descended from the Pelasgians, who were a people of Greece, supposed to be the most ancient race in Europe.

They arrived and settled in Europe centuries before men began to keep records of the events that occurred, and so their origin is unknown. It is supposed they came from Asia, and probably from India.

The Albanians base their claim to Pelasgian origin on their language, which differs from any known tongue, and cannot clearly be connected with any of the mother tongues. These mother tongues were the original languages from which the various modern languages are derived.

More than one thousand languages are spoken on the globe, and these are so different that each is unintelligible to the speakers of the other.

The study of these languages is an especial science. Students of this science, philologists, as they are called, have traced, classed, and grouped these thousand languages, until they have divided them into six main groups, or mother tongues.

The formations of the verbs, the plurals, and the declensions are the main guides to the identification of a language.

The study of philology is an intensely interesting one, and while it is very difficult, its pleasures are easily within the reach of every young scholar who is beginning the study of Latin, French, and German.

Our own English language is one of the most interesting with which to begin the study.

The ancient Britons were Celts, and spoke Celtic; when they were conquered by the Romans, Latin words crept into the tongue; and as Romans gave place to the Saxons, and the Saxons to the Danes, words from the German and Norse tongues were added to the language. Finally, came the Norman Conquest, and with it a flood of French words. The English we speak to-day is a mixture of Celtic, Latin, Saxon, Danish, and French.

As you learn your foreign languages you will be interested to find how many Latin words and forms you are using every day; and as for German and French, there are so many words in these languages resembling our own that you are constantly meeting old friends in the course of your new studies.

For instance:

ENGLISH. FRENCH. ENGLISH. GERMAN.

Papa Papa Father Vater Mamma Maman Mother Mutter Table Table Brother Bruder Chair Chaise Sister Schwester Boot Bottine Hat Hut

If the Albanians do indeed speak a tongue that cannot be closely connected with any of the known languages, it is more than probable that they are a remnant of some ancient and world-forgotten people.

Albania is under Turkish rule, but the Albanians do not seem a very pleasant people to govern.

If they are not satisfied with those who are set in authority over them, their fierce qualities rise to the surface, and they are apt to do violent things.

The last governor of Albania made himself so objectionable to the people, and they in turn made things so unpleasant for him, that he sought safety in flight.

A new governor was appointed, but he in turn found no greater favor with these mountaineers than his predecessor. Annoyed that they should have had two obnoxious officials sent to them one after the other, the Albanians have become restless and are threatening to revolt.

A Turkish commissioner has been sent to try and calm them, but further trouble is feared.

The Haitian matter, about which we told you last week, promises to arrive at a peaceful settlement.

At first, however, it assumed such a threatening aspect that it seemed as if serious trouble must follow.

The Haitian Government was very much disturbed when it was learned that a German warship was to be sent to bombard the capital city, Port-au-Prince, in case the indemnity, or damages, demanded for Herr Emil Lueders was not paid.

The Haitian Government immediately asked the United States to use its good offices, and endeavor to bring about a peaceful settlement with Germany.

Our Government began to make inquiries into the matter, and learned the Haitian side of the story.

It seems that Lueders is not a German citizen, after all. He is the son of a German father and a Haitian mother, was born on Haitian soil, and is, according to the laws of the country, a citizen of Haiti.

He had, therefore, no right to appeal to Germany for protection, and President Simon Sam will not listen to Germany's protest.

In addition to this, it seems that Lueders is a tiresome fellow, and that this is the second time he has been arrested for resisting and attacking officers in the performance of their duty.

The Haitian ministry looks upon this demand from Germany as a mere cloak to enable her to seize some territory, and establish a German colony in the West Indies.

With this belief in mind, Haiti has appealed to the United States to interfere and protect them, on the ground of the Monroe Doctrine.

We told you about this in the supplement following page 210. It says that the United States shall forcibly resist any attempt to extend the European political systems in America.

Our Government was in a slight quandary over this appeal from Haiti.

We have no quarrel with Germany, and we do not want to have one, but still it was clearly our duty to do what we could to assist a weaker sister republic.

After much consultation and thought, the heads of the Government decided that our ambassador in Berlin, Mr. White, should be instructed to ask what Germany's intentions were in the matter.

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