Risto Stefov - Articles, Translations & Collaborations

[Soldier of Macedon]

The fact that Jane fought alongside the Bulgarian army as a Macedonan volunteer is not uncommon, the Bulgars were selling dreams, some Macedonians bought them, some didn't, some wised up. Thousands of Macedonian volunteers also fought alongside Greek and Serbian armies.

You can't find a single document by him which is not in north Bulgarian dialect. Do you actually have any authentic source which implies that he didn't have Bulgarian consciousness?

What is the 'north Bulgarian' dialect? Are you referring to the far eastern dialect that has been Russianised from the late 1700's, and became your literary language about a century later? Jane used the language he was taught to write in during his Exarchate schooling. You may not find an official document or letter that Jane has written in a language other than literary Bulgarian, but you also wont find anything written in 'literary' Bulgarian until the Russian creation of the Bulgarian state.

In the Serbian paper Jane says that he doesn't need Bulgaria as he will make his own 'Bulgaria' in Macedonia. Exarchate influence may have been strong which fostered a 'Bulgarian' identity, but it wasn't enough to cover up all of the inconsistencies in the 'Dunav do Bialoto more' theory, it was inevitable that Macedonian intellectuals and patriots would eventually come together in the interest of a Macedonian state, a Macedonian nation, and eventually a Macedonian tongue, like all the other nations around them.

Do you honestly think that if that came to fruition they would still be using a far eastern Moesian dialect that has been smothered with Russianisms? Did these 'Bulgarians' from Macedonia claim people like Alexander and Justinian or Asparuk and Attila in their history?

[Risto the Great]

The fact that Jane fought alongside the Bulgarian army as a Macedonan volunteer is not uncommon, the Bulgars were selling dreams, some Macedonians bought them, some didn't, some wised up. Thousands of Macedonian volunteers also fought alongside Greek and Serbian armies.

Seriously, I think this says it all.
Dreams have been bought by Macedonians many times throughout our history.

[Pelister]

Ohh, you should read about the battles in the Demirhisar district. Unbelievable, and Epic.

Macedonians charging a Turkish line, and man to man pitched battles.

[makedonin]

Originally Posted by BulgarMAK
You can't find a single document by him which is not in north Bulgarian dialect. Do you actually have any authentic source which implies that he didn't have Bulgarian consciousness?

So the fact that he wrote in some Bulgarian literature language makes him having what? Ah yes Bulgarian consciousness.

And than I see Bulgars running around and denying anything written in Koine by Miladinovi and Shapkarev indicates that they had any Grkoman consciousness.

The Bulgar Hipocricy is endless.

Let me tell you something! The language is a tool. When not standardized, one uses other standardized languages, in order to express what he wants.

And as for the Nusich. The thing is, Sandanski said one sentence, which you, who don't really understand how the Serbs and in Particular some Macedonians of Eastern Macedonia express them self, interpret that he said he is Bulgarian.

The sentence is the following:

Nushich said: But you can't go to Bulgaria (Cause he is seen as criminal in Bulgaria, my add.)

Sandanski reply: I don't need Bulgaria, here is my Bulgaria.

I have seen numbers of Bulgars who jump around and point to this sentence as prove to his Bulgar conscious.

In Reality, this is what is said:

Nushich: You can't go to Bulgaria.

The sentence Snadanski said actually means this:
I don't need Bulgaria, I have my country here.

Even today, you will hear many of the Gastarbeiter who come from Germany and talk to the people down there, saying something like:

Come up there in Germany.

The usual reply is this:

I don't need Germany, here is my Germany. In Serbian:
Шта че ми Немачка, овде је моја Немачка.

In Stip dialect: Шо ќе ми е Германија, тука ми е Германија.

So, Bulgars run around make monkey's out of them interpreting this sentence, as if they finally found any evidence of the supposed Sandanski Bulgar consciousness.

In reality they had some nice chat.

[Daskalot]

Even today, you will hear many of the Gastarbeiter who come from Germany and talk to the people down there, saying something like:

Come up there in Germany.

The usual reply is this:

I don't need Germany, here is my Germany. In Serbian:
Шта че ми Немачка, овде је моја Немачка.

In Stip dialect: Шо ќе ми е Германија, тука ми е Германија.

So, Bulgars run around make monkey's out of them interpreting this sentence, as if they finally found any evidence of the supposed Sandanski Bulgar consciousness.

In reality they had some nice chat.

This is actually how we Macedonians emphaize our love to our country. In this way we are saying we do not need any other country than Macedonia. In a very poetic way.

B'lgars do not understand our way of speaking, not that surprizing, we are speaking Macedonian and they are speaking B'lgar.

Sichko v'red B'lgarche?

[Daskalot]

Come take a ride in Tito´s time Machine – Part 2 – A FREE MACEDONIA

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/116003

Come take a ride in Tito´s time Machine – Part 2 – A FREE MACEDONIA
Risto Stefov
August 25, 2009
If we "must" believe that Josip Broz Tito(May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980), the Yugoslav dictator, along with the Communists, "invented" the Macedonians then we must also believe that Tito possessed a "Time Machine" because in this series of articles we will show you that the Macedonians existed way before Tito´s time.

Now thanks to Kristina X for supplying us with the material for this episode, we will be boarding the Delorean at promptly 8 AM tomorrow morning but if I am going to make it unseen, I have to be there earlier and hope that no one sits in the back seat.

TrueMacedonian, anxious to see what happens next, arrived first and paced back and forth with a bit of nervousness while waiting for the others. Marty and Doc, escorting Tito who looked like he had a bit (actually a lot) of a hangover, arrived next and quickly boarded the Delorean. Thankfully no one sat in the back seat and as Tito fiddled with the time machine knobs, I slipped from the trunk through the hidden door into the back seat of the Delorean unseen. I hear Tito say, "We are going to Wednesday October 9th, 1901 to see a certain newspaper editor." Then the next day, Thursday October 10th, 1901, the following article, which I will quote in part, appeared in the Richmond Dispatcher;

"MISS STONE CASE – AGAIN

In several quarters it has been intimated that the abduction of Miss Stone, the American missionary, was a political as well as a financial proceeding. That is to say, the brigands acted in connection with or at the instigation of the Macedonian committee….

Aforetime, abductions have been traced to the Macedonian committee and while there is no positive proof that the organization was connected with the kidnappers of Miss Stone, it is possible such was the case…" (Richmond Dispatcher, Thursday October 10th, 1901)

Not exactly satisfied with how this story panned out, Tito selected February 23rd, 1903 on his dial and said, "We are now going to San Francisco to visit another certain newspaper editor." The next day, Tuesday February 24th, 1903, the following article, which I will quote in part, appeared in The San Francisco Call;

"THE CZAR AND THE KAISER

While reporting from various capitals in Europe concerning the Macedonian muddle continues to be contradictory and confusing, it is becoming more and more evident that the only unknown factors in this problem are the Czar and the Kaiser…

In the meantime while speculation halts at the problem of an alliance between the Kaiser and the Czar on the Macedonian problem, the force of circumstance is steadily tending towards a point where they will be compelled to play their hands out. The Macedonians and the Bulgarians appear resolved to put an end to diplomacy in the closet, and force an open recognition of their claims. The Sultan on the other hand, appears to be as ready for war, as any of them. He has a good army, well equipped, and is ready to fight without pay. He whipped the Greeks very easily and he believes he can whip the Bulgarians and the Macedonians with an equal facility. In that belief he is doubtless right, but the power that left Greece at his mercy will not be so indifferent toward Macedonia…" (The San Francisco Call, Tuesday February 24th, 1903)

Again unsatisfied with how this story panned out, Tito decided that we should remain in San Francisco but selected September 20th, 1903 as our next time destination. This time we will do it right he said, as he sipped a slug of rakia from his velvet pocket bottle, without offering any to TrueMacedonian, Doc or Marty. Crouched up in the back seat I too could have used a slug of rakia myself but as a stowaway I thought I had best keep to myself.

"We are here" Tito announced "so let´s pay a little visit to this certain editor at his home. You know, it´s Sunday today and he should be coming home from church any time now, so let´s surprise him." With those words everyone left the Delorean and gave me a chance to get out and stretch my legs.

A few hours later they were back, and as usual, Tito appeared to be drunk and very vocal. No one else was talkative so I figured their trek did not go well.

Then the next day, Monday, September 21st, 1903, the following article, which I will quote in part, appeared in The San Francisco Call;

"BESIEGED MELNIK´S GARRISON IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION

Handfuls of Turks continue to hold out against fifteen hundred Macedonian insurgents while reinforcements are hastening to prevent the capture of the town.

Famous retreat whence comes news of the progress of the siege of Melnik by Macedonians, and the German ambassador to the court of the Turkish Sultan…" (The San Francisco Call, Monday, September 21st, 1903)

While Tito and the others were out, I decided to do some "time traveling" on my own and upon landing in Cambridge Massachusetts on April 19, 1919, I "hypnotized" V. K. Sugareff to write the following;

Letters to the Editor

A FREE MACEDONIA

A Government Like Switzerland´s Being Urged Upon the Paris Conference

By V.K. Sugareff.

Cambridge, Mass., April 19, 1919.

To the Editor of The New York Times:

I beg your indulgence to insert a few remarks in the columns of your paper in connection with your editorial article of last Thursday´s Times on "A Macedonian solution."

Those of us, Macedonians, whose families have been scattered to the four winds as a result of the political unrest in the country are quite convinced that the Macedonian question has not been presented to the American public in the light of an untainted justice. Should Macedonia be subjected to another pre-war régime, it will be a bitter disappointment to hundreds of us who donned the khaki to defend the honor of the United States and her broad principles which the Allies ultimately adopted. May I not, then, present some gleanings which I have gathered at the feet of my professors here at Harvard, some of whom have gone to Paris to advise the President in these matters?

The fact that nothing has been said publicly at the Peace Conference concerning the future fate of Macedonia is in itself a confession of the almost insurmountable difficulties involved in the so-called "Macedonian Question." It is a question open to no dispute that an amicable solution of the Macedonian problem will be the only stable basis for a lasting peace in the Balkans. But how can the Macedonian question be settled so as to guarantee the future tranquility of the Balkans? Students of Balkan politics have suggested three methods for settling this all-important problem.

The first method is repartition of Macedonia on the basis of the Bulgaro-Serbian treaty of 1912. While it provides the basis for negotiation between Bulgaria and Serbia, yet this method does not promise a favorable solution of the problem, for it opens no avenues for negotiation between Bulgaria and Greece, and between Bulgaria and Albania, the boundaries of which will certainly have to be rectified. The question of Thrace is also excluded from this treaty, and many other technical points will make a solution according to this method well-nigh an impossible undertaking.


The second method provides that the principle of self-determination should be applied to Macedonia. This method is in accord with President Wilson´s program, but few will doubt that the result will be overwhelmingly in favor of Bulgaria. Besides, it would have to be conducted under the supervision of the European powers in order to insure the people against an outside pressure which will certainly be used by the contending parties. In other words, there should be created in Macedonia such liberal conditions as exist in the United States to insure a successful execution of a plebiscite. But any one who has lived in Macedonia knows that it will take years to establish such favorable conditions under which a plebiscite can be successfully conducted.

The third method, and the most acceptable to the Macedonians, is that Macedonia should be established as an independent State. The statement in The Times editorial article that in some quarters the Socialist Parties of the Balkan countries desire an independent Macedonia does not state the problem comprehensively. The European powers, the Balkan States, as well as the people themselves, have wanted to establish autonomy for Macedonia. Only a few precedents can be stated here. Had the organic law of 1866 been applied to Macedonia, as provided by Article 23 of the Berlin Treaty, Macedonia would have been an embryonic autonomous State. A European commission drew up in 1880 the so-called "Law of the Vilayets," which would have amounted to an autonomy for Macedonia had it been enforced. The Macedonian Revolutionary Committee, or otherwise known as the Central Committee, addressed to the Sultan Abdul Hamid in 1902 a memorandum in which the committee demanded autonomy for Macedonia, Albania, Old Serbia, and Adrianople. The Murzteg program of reforms, which was formulated by Austria and Russia, was in reality an official bluff to ameliorate the unbearable conditions in Macedonia, but it inspired the people with the hope of autonomy for Macedonia.

Before the outbreak of the Balkan wars Austria and Russia advised an administrative decentralization of European Turkey. This would have established a self-government for Macedonia. The original memorandum of the Bulgaro-Serbian alliance in 1912 contained the following paragraph: "The renewal of the treaty of 1904, mutatis mutandis, instead of reform we shall ask for autonomy; if that should prove impossible we should divide Macedonia." Finally, it was virtually agreed between Bulgaria and Greece "to secure the respect of the privileges deriving from treaties or otherwise considered to the Greek and Bulgarian nationalities" in Macedonia. The above statements fully show that an autonomy for Macedonia is really nothing new, which apparently seems to have evolved from the present European chaos. In fact, it was no less a prominent personage than W.E. Gladstone who uttered the famous dictum, Macedonia for the Macedonians, which has been the slogan of the Macedonian patriots.

In regard to the referred editorial´s statement that an independent Macedonia will provide a half solution which will make continuing trouble for the Allies, I beg to say that an independent Macedonia will be the surest basis for a lasting peace in the Balkans. Hitherto all the Balkan States have fought for the acquisition of Macedonia. The Bucharest treaty, which established the status quo ante bellum in the Balkans failed to bring a solution. King Carol of Rumania described it as "nothing more than a drumhead truce." The Carnegie Commission, which investigated the causes and the conduct of the Balkan wars, characterized it as the "illegitimate pretensions of victorious nationalities." Mr. Asquith, the English statesman, said: "The Bucharest treaty is founded on the ruins of violated contracts. It stands on the flimsy substructure of torn-up scraps of paper." It is evident from the above statements and the fact that Bulgaria joined the Central Powers to recover Macedonia that the best solution of the Balkan problem is to give an autonomy to Macedonia with the same form of government as that of Switzerland. The cantons, however, should be smaller in order to insure self-government for the various nationalities. An autonomous Macedonia will become a buffer State between Greece and Bulgaria and will provide a nucleus for a Balkan confederation – a confederation which will guarantee the future economic and intellectual development of the Balkans and which will be a barrier against anti-Balkan influences in the future.

The independent Macedonia would have to be supervised for a time in order to be a success. The League of Nations should delegate a member from its own number with mandatory powers. Any of the European powers would be acceptable, but America would be the preferred member. The Macedonians have had enough experience with the European powers, whose main object has been to exploit their country. The United States has proved her disinterestedness in such matters in the Philippine Islands, Cuba, and Porto Rico. Besides, thousands of the Macedonians have resided in the United States for some time and know what it means to be under the control of the American Government. An American Governor General who knows Eastern affairs intimately – a man like Mr. Henry Morgenthau, as some one has suggested – would go far to insure the success of the Macedonian State.

An autonomy for Macedonia under American mandate will not be thrusting upon the people against their will something which they have not expressed desire for. They are in favor of some such a plan which will guarantee them the most elementary political rights. There has been formed recently in Switzerland a general council of the Macedonian societies, which has handed to the Premiers of the Entente Powers a memorandum in which the committee requested the following considerations – (1) Macedonia should be occupied by a combined army of American, English, French, and Italian troops; (2) All Macedonian refugees regardless of their faith or nationality should be allowed to return to their homes unmolested, and should be allowed to participate in the organization and management of their country´s State affairs; (3) The local administration ;of Macedonia should be entrusted to the hands of the native inhabitants under the control of the army of occupation.

The Macedonians in the United States have held two congresses. The first congress, which was held in Chicago, Ill., in 1913 unanimously adopted a resolution to demand religious and educational rights. The second congress was held last December, also in Chicago, Ill. The delegates adopted President Wilson´s fourteen points by a unanimous rising vote. What the Macedonians of Switzerland and America – the only two countries where they can express their desires without any restraint – have said, is what they will continue to say and fight for, should their demands be not granted.

V.K. Sugareff.

To be continued.

Other articles by Risto Stefov:

http://www.maknews.com/html/articles.html#stefov

http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3446

Many thanks to TrueMacedonian from http://www.maknews.com/forum for his contribution to this article.

You can contact the author at [email protected]

Tito the creator of all things Macedonian......
Thank you Stefov and thank you very much TrueMacedonian!

[Risto the Great]

Sugareff hoping for help from the League of Nations. Who were far more interested in the regulation of opium trade.

Fast forward 100 years later and we have the EU doing something similar. We Macedonians must do it for ourselves.

Clearly the TTM (Tito Time Machine) is a reality for some sections of the GPL (Greek Propaganda League).

[Pelister]

The "Peace" of the 1919 "Peace Conference" was to be secured by the deliberate ommission of the Macedonians.

The Macedonians were targeted for elimination and extermination at this Conference - "Peace" was certainly the objective but the goal was to secure it through the disappearance of the Macedonians.

See Finney, "An Evil for All Concerned ..."

[Daskalot]

Come take a ride in Tito’s time Machine – Part 3 – Show of Patriotism

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/116560

Come take a ride in Tito’s time Machine – Part 3 – Show of Patriotism


By Risto Stefov
[email protected]

August 30, 2009


If we “must” believe that Josip Broz Tito (May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980), the Yugoslav dictator, along with the Communists, “invented” the Macedonians then we must also believe that Tito possessed a “Time Machine” because in this series of articles we will show you that the Macedonians existed way before Tito’s time.



Thanks again to Kristina X for supplying us with the material for this episode, we will be boarding the Delorean at 8 AM promptly tomorrow morning but again if I am going to board unseen, I have to be there before everyone else shows up. Wish me luck!



Tito, definitely unhappy with last episode’s progress, ordered everyone to be ready to do their best in San Francisco . How does he do it? I mean convince people to become Macedonians or to write about Macedonians, an identity which, according to “all knowing” Greeks, does not exist. I know he does it because I have seen the evidence for myself.



As usual TrueMacedonian arrived first, followed by Tito, Doc and Marty. “Today we are going to September 13th, 1905 to pay a visit to a certain newspaper,” said Tito as he fiddled with the time dials. Without saying another word, he pushed the activation button and whoosh we were there in seconds.



“Here we are,” announced Tito “let’s go and do it right his time.”



The next day, Thursday, September 14th, 1905 , the following article appeared in The San Francisco Call;



“PLOTS DISCOVERED TO KILL MONARCHS



Assassinations Planned of Peter of Servia and Ferdinand of Bulgaria .



Vienna , Sept. 13. – According to telegrams received from Belgrade , a plot has been discovered there and at Sofia to foment a general outbreak in the Balkans with a view of compelling the interference of the powers in the hope that Macedonian autonomy would be proclaimed. The alleged plot, the telegrams say, included an intention to assassinate King Peter of Servia, and Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria . Those engaged in the plot in Sofia have been imprisoned.



It is added that the recent attempt to assassinate the Sultan of Turkey in the courtyard of the mosque in Constantinople is supposed to have been the work of the same organization.” (The San Francisco Call, Thursday, September 14th, 1905)



No sooner had Tito picked up the newspaper than I could hear him yelling and swearing in Serbo-Croatian, a language unfamiliar to me, but based on the volume of his voice, I could tell things did not go right. The next thing I heard was, “We are going to New York to September 6th, 1908 .”



I counted three breaths before we were there. September 6th, 1908 was a Sunday, so why go back in time to a Sunday? What fiendish plans could Tito be concocting this time?



Well I found my answer in the Monday September 7th, 1908 issue of the New York Daily Tribute which in part read;



“OTTOMANS CELEBRATE



Letter from President.



Rejoice over promulgation of Constitution in Turkey .



Every seat and every foot of standing room in Carnegie Hall was occupied last night by a wildly enthusiastic audience of Ottoman subjects and sympathizers who met in mass meetings to celebrate the promulgation of the constitution in Turkey . The meeting was in joint auspices of the Young Turks, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and the Hunchakist Society, and every form of revolutionist from that part of the world represented by those people who were present, and a few more from Russia . There were Turks, Armenians, Macedonians, Syrians, Bulgarians, Albanians and a few Greeks, while the Russian element consisted of Jewish Zionists and the revolutionists. The latter fastened their bright red standard on the gallery hall while the flags of the other elements were draped on the wall behind the stage, where also were hung a number of signs in different languages - some in English with inscriptions like these: “ Liberty , Equality, Fraternity.” Hurrah for the Young Turks and Armenian Revolutionary Federation.”

The speeches also were in general tongues, English, Turkish, Armenian and Arabic.” (New York Daily Tribute, Monday September 7th, 1908)



Tito looked happy as he and the others approached the Deloreon, chatting away about their accomplishments. They then quickly boarded the time machine and set the time dials for December, the same year. I overheard Tito say, “We are going to December 30th, 1908 .” I guess Tito was in a festive mood and wanted to celebrate the New Year with a certain editor of the Winchester News.



The next day the following article appeared which I will quote in part;



“1909 Four Celebrations of New Year’s Day



New Year is celebrated in this country at least on four different dates in addition to the regular New Year’s celebration on January 1st.



With the Greeks, Russians, Servians, Bulgarians and Macedonians, all of whom adhere to the Greek Catholic Church, New Years is one of the most pleasant if not the pleasantest festival of the year.



The Macedonians, Servians and Bulgarians celebrate the New Year, perhaps less elaborately, also on the same day as their Greek and Russian coreligionists.” (The Winchester News, December 31st, 1908)



Drunk as usual, the boys carried Tito on their shoulders straining to put him in the Delorean. True Macedonian and Marty held him by the arms while Doc tried to lift his feet. “Boy he is heavy,” I overheard Doc say as Tito began to mumble something about going to 1913. “TrueMacedonian, set the dial to August 15th, 1913 , we are going to Fort Wayne Indiana ,” Tito commanded before he passed out. Being the most senior person in the expedition, Doc then pushed the activation button and swoosh we were in Fort Wayne in a flash. “We are here,” said Doc as he opened a liquor bottle and put it under Tito’s nose. “With Tito it works like a smelling salt,” Doc explained “I should know after all I am his doctor.” “What are you waiting for, let’s go, get a move on,” commanded Tito as he jumped up after smelling the booze. What mission could we be going to in 1913, I wondered?



The mission became apparent when the following article appeared in the The Fort Wayne Daily News on Tuesday, August 19th, 1913 ;



“The Macedonians Show Patriotism For Country



All over the world they are sore over Balkan Affair



Want War Continued



Macedonians of United States Pass Resolutions Condemning Recent Balkan Treaty



A new phase to the Balkan situation came to light today, through a local source, when it was learned that the Macedonians all over the world deeply resent the action which will be the result of the recent Balkan treaty. The Macedonians of America are leading a world-wide movement among the people of that race to rebel against the carrying out of the treaty, inasmuch as it means the elimination of Macedonia as a country and a world power. Under the treaty, Macedonia is now recognized except as a large amount of territory to be divided among the recent contestants. A large part of the country would fall under Grecian rule, and it is asserted that the Macedonians would even change their religion to escape from the rule of Greece .



A set of resolutions have been prepared by a secret committee of Macedonians, representing that race in America, and similar resolutions have been passed by every Macedonian community throughout the world, according to an assertion from one of the Macedonians who is high up in the affairs of the local colony. A copy of the resolutions was received by the local colony today.



“The idea of adopting a new religion is spreading very rapidly among the Macedonians,” said this man this morning. “The civilized world may be astonished to see that the entire Macedonian nation has thrown off the spiritual fetters by which the Greeks have held them for so many centuries.”



The Resolutions



The set of resolutions were given to the News for publication, as it is said that they will be unanimously accepted by the members of the Macedonian colony of this city, as they have been by hundreds of other colonies in this and other countries. The resolutions demonstrate extreme patriotism, and represent a world-wide movement.

They are as follows:



“As the representative of the Macedonian government, and having the authority to submit to the Macedonian government and the parliament a problem, in the solution of which your government ought to take part, we, the Macedonians of the United States of America, in our demonstrations and meetings, organized by the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization in the United States of America, on the 16th day of August, 1913, adopted and submit to your government the following resolution-protest:



“Whereas, The Balkan-Turkish war was declared and fought in the name of the freedom of Macedonia and the Christians in Turkey of Europe, in which war we, the Macedonians, fought most vigorously and with our help Turkey was defeated;



“Whereas, The end of this Balkan-Turkish war was not the freedom of Macedonia, but most generous division of our country and people between Servia and Greece, and our nation was compelled to submit to the Servian and the Greek governments, a government more tyrannical than the Turkish government; and



“Whereas, The Servian and the Greek governments now kill our fathers and our brothers, despoil the virtue and honor of our sisters, mothers and wives, and molest our children, all of which inhuman acts aim at the entire destruction of our national existence in Macedonia, and



“Whereas, The present unjust division of our country was caused by the European diplomacy, and if the same exists in future there will always be internal revolutions and disturbances which will keep all the Balkan states in readiness for war and might throw all the European powers in disastrous clash;



“Whereas, The peace in the Balkans is only the freedom based on the principle: ‘ Macedonia for the Macedonians.’



“We, the Macedonians in the United States of America , with all the vigor in us, protest against the unjust division of Macedonia and the tyranny of the Servian and Greek governments in Macedonia ;



“We appeal to the European powers to declare the conference in Bucharest , Roumainia, between the representatives of the Balkan states unjust, and to demand autonomy of Macedonia ;



“We declare to all the nations of the world, that if the freedom of Macedonia is not granted soon, we will continue our struggle and fight for the freedom of our country, and we will all die or become free. We cry: ‘Give us freedom or give us death.’”

“The Committee for the Macedonians in U.S.A. ”” (The Fort Wayne Daily News, Tuesday, August 19th, 1913).



After reading the article I felt like calling out “bravo” to Tito and his team but I felt it was best I kept quiet because tomorrow we would be venturing to new frontiers and causing more mischief for the Modern Greeks. “See you tomorrow 8 AM sharp,” exclaimed Tito and with those words everyone parted leaving me free to again slip out of the trunk un-noticed. Ah, but wait a minute I thought, why don’t I do some adventuring of my own? And with that thought I rolled the time dials to a random date and pressed the activation button. There I met a young author named Gustave Le Bon and convinced him to write the following about the Modern Greeks;



“In 1851, at the time of her enfranchisement, Greece possessed about one million inhabitants, of who a quarter were Albanians or Wallachians. The population was a residue of invaders of all peoples, and notably of Slavs. For centuries the Greeks properly so called had disappeared from Greece . From the time of the Roman conquest, Greece was regarded by every adventurer as a nursery of slaves, which everyone might have recourse to with impunity. Slave-traders brought as many as ten thousand Greek slaves to Rome at a single venture. Later on the Goths, Heruli, Bulgarians, Wallachians and so forth continued to invade the country and lead its inhabitants into slavery. Greece was repopulated a little only by the invasion of the Slavs. The language subsisted mainly because it was spoken throughout all the Byzantine East. The present population consists almost entirely of Slavs, the ancient Greek type immortalized in sculpture having totally disappeared.” (“The Psychology of Socialism”, by Gustave Le Bon, page 206).



Tired from my adventure I returned the Delorean to its original time and place and I too retired until the next morning.



To be continued.



Other articles by Risto Stefov:

http://www.maknews.com/html/articles.html#stefov

http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3446

Many thanks to TrueMacedonian from http://www.maknews.com/forum for his contribution to this article.

Risto you are a Thank you!
TM

[Dimko-piperkata]

go on RISTO with this style

[Daskalot]

Come take a ride in Tito´s time Machine – Part 4 – Greek betrays Delchev

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/117860

Come take a ride in Tito´s time Machine – Part 4 – Greek betrays Delchev

Risto Stefov

September 06, 2009


If we "must" believe that Josip Broz Tito (May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980), the Yugoslav dictator, along with the Communists, "invented" the Macedonians then we must also believe that Tito possessed a "Time Machine" because in this series of articles we will show you that the Macedonians existed way before Tito´s time.

Thanks again to Kristina X for supplying us with the material for this episode, we will be boarding the Delorean at 8 AM promptly tomorrow morning but again if I am going to board unseen, I have to be there before everyone else shows up. Wish me luck!

The next morning I arrived at the spot where the Delorean was hidden just minutes before 8 AM and snuck into it unseen, so I thought! Unbeknownst to me however, TrueMacedonian had arrived before me and from the edge of the woodlands, saw me sneaking into the car´s trunk.

The next thing I knew the trunk door flew open and TrueMacedonian was staring down at me as I crouched trying to hide. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" commanded TrueMacedonian in a stern and authoritative voice. I said, "Allow me to get out of the trunk and I will explain everything to you." Thinking that my goose was cooked I decided to tell TrueMacedonian everything.

As I spoke TrueMacedonian listened intently and must have realized at some point the predicament we were both in so when I was done talking he quietly said, "Your secret is safe with me but the others will soon be here and may not be so forgiving so please get back in the trunk and we will pretend we never saw each other."

That was good enough for me so I popped back into the trunk and closed the latch behind me. "One question," I muttered. "How does he do it, I mean how does Tito convince people to become Macedonian and to write about Macedonians?" "It´s the women," he said. "But keep quiet now, Tito and the others are coming."

What could TrueMacedonian have possibly meant by "the women"; a statement that would keep me preoccupied for the rest of the day and overnight. In the meantime, as the rest of the team arrived and boarded the Delorean I overhead Tito bark his next orders. While fiddling with the time control knobs Tito said, "We are going to Galveston, Texas, to Sunday July 28th, 1895. Prepare to meet with the Galveston News Daily editor. Also bring plenty of rakija."

"Are we going to his home?" I overhead TrueMacedonian ask. "Yes, we are going to his home," barked Tito. "Where else do you suppose we would be meeting him on a Sunday?"

Tito was in one of those moods, perhaps he was recovering from a hangover from the night before and what better way to recover from a hangover than with more rakija! Drinking too much rakija would definitely give a person a hangover. After all Tito was a socialite and booze in those days was the poison of choice.

The team´s mission became apparent to me the next day when the Galveston Daily News printed the following story;

"MACEDONIAN SUCCESS

London, July 29. – The correspondent of the Chronicle at Constantinople says:

The Macedonians, after a sharp conflict with the Turkish troops, have captured the town of Mendik, southwest of Nevrokop. The victors burned the telegraph station and the Turkish headquarters.

The Vienna correspondent of the Chronicle says;

According to the statement of the Roumanian minister at Constantinople many of the insurgents arrested in Macedonia were found to be Russian officers. The Porte intends to send the documents found in their possession to the powers as proof that the Macedonian uprising is due to Russian agents and energy.

The Chronicle also has an editorial on the above information which regards affairs in the Balkan land as menacing the peace of Europe.

´We see no way out of the trouble´ the editorial says, ´except by summoning another congress, failing in which we may expect atrocities in Macedonia and Albania."

THE GALVESTON DAILY NEWS, MONDAY JULY 29, 1895".

As I waited for the team to return, I could hear Tito from a mile away yelling at the top of his lungs. I could not make out what he was saying but he was mad! Something may have gone wrong; perhaps it was too much rakija or perhaps it was the mention of the Russian officers in the article. Could The Galveston Daily News have double crossed Tito and used the above piece for its own purposes? I guess I will never know for sure.

Everyone was quiet when they boarded the Delorean. I guess they had to be if they didn´t want to be berated by Tito. "We are going to Brooklyn, to April 22nd, 1897," barked Tito as he quickly set the time travel dials and pushed the activation button.

We were there in seconds and everyone left the time machine in silence. I had no idea what the next mission was going to be until I read the next day´s paper which in part read;

"Every friend of Greece will hope that not only the Bulgarians but the Macedonians and the Albanians, will also demand a redress of their grievances and threaten to mobilize their troops unless the Sultan consents to their wishes.

The friends of Greece would not be sorry if the Sultan should refuse to do what the Bulgarians and Macedonians and Albanians want and if there should be a vigorous attack upon the Turkish intruding army from the rear." (The Brooklyn Daily Eagle – Friday, April 23rd, 1897)

Bravo to Tito and his team, they managed to squeeze the words "Macedonian" into the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on Friday April 23rd, 1897 when Tito was only five years old. What an accomplishment! Do you still believe Tito "created" the Macedonians?


Tito was in a happier mood as the team returned to the Delorean to go on the next mission. "Next we are going to Washington, Monday August 24th, 1903," I overheard Tito say in a quiet mellow voice. This was unusual for Tito but it was better than listening to him bark and whine.

The team´s next mission was revealed in the Washington Times article the next day which in part read;

"An alliance [between Turkey and Greece] such as this would prove more effective than anything else in checking the designs which Russia is credited with having on Constantinople, and would prove of such inestimable advantage to the 8,000,000 Greeks living in the Ottoman Empire, giving them a preferred position over Bulgars, Serbs, Roumanians, Macedonians and Armenians that they may be relied upon to use all their influence to promote the successful conclusion of the negotiations." (The Washington Times, Tuesday, August 25th, 1903)

This was indeed a quick mission and the team in no time was back for another one. I overhead Tito say, "We are going to New York, May 25th, 1903."

Now what was unusual about that date? I could not put my finger on it until I read the next day´s news in the May 26th, 1903 New York Times article which read;

"MACEDONIAN CHIEF´S DEATH

A Greek Spy Betrayed Deltcheff´s Whereabouts to the Turks.

London Times - New York Times

Special Telegram.

LONDON, May 26. – Detailed report of the death of Deltcheff, the famous Macedonian chief, says the Sofia correspondent of the Times, shown that he accompanied a band under Voivoda and Kirtchovski, together with the poet Tavaroff, and entered the village of Banitza, near Seres, where his presence was betrayed to the Turks by a Greek spy.

A large force surrounded the village, and all the members of the revolutionary band were killed after a long resistance. It is stated that the inhabitants of the village, to which the Turks set fire, were also killed.

Deltcheff was thirty-two years old. He was a schoolmaster, and practically created the present Macedonian organization, which has ramifications in all parts of the country.

The Vienna correspondent of the times says persecutions and arrests continue in the vilayete of Andreanople. Numbers of priests and schoolteachers have been taken into custody. Arms have been found in six villages. The male population has fled, and agricultural work is at standstill." (The New York Times, May 26th, 1903).

My heart dropped when I read the sad news that our most revered hero Gotse Delchev had died. Even though this was history, reading the news from a genuine, just published newspaper seemed to me like it happened yesterday and I could not imagine how the Macedonian people of his time, who depended on his wisdom and guidance, must have felt. What a tragedy!

Just as I was engrossed in reading the article, I heard rustling in the distance. The team was returning. No one said a word as the time Machine swished its way back to the future. Quietly everyone disappeared and retired for the night. I was left alone in a sad mood and the Delorean was all mine.

Sad as I was, I decided to take another random mission of my own. This time I went to Canada, November 1902 where I met an impressionable young man named John, A. Ewan and convinced him to place the following passage in the Canadian Magazine of Politics, Science, Art and Literature;

"One thing that has to be remembered is that neither Macedonians nor Bulgarians are Greeks. They are mainly Slavs and will put up a stiff fight in the hilly country which will be the scene of operations if an uprising takes place." (The Canadian Magazine of Politics, Science, Art and Literature", Vol. XX, November 1902 to April 1903 inclusive, by John, A. Ewan, page 479)

Still smarting from the sad news of Delchev´s death, especially since it was caused by a Greek spy, I decided to do so more "adventuring" and spun the time dial wildly. I ended up going to Beirut, Syria to March 16th, 1844. There I met a man, a General no less, called Jochmus and convinced him to write a letter to Colonel Churchill which in part read;

"I have already told you that I cannot partake in your enthusiastic views in favour of the Greeks. The idea of seeing them one day at Constantinople is preposterous, and there is nothing in the nation which warrants such a supposition.

The modern Greeks possess none of the qualities that make nations great. Their existence is due to the battle of Navarino, for in the autumn of 1827 Greece was unquestionably conquered by the arms of the Grand Visir Reshid Mehmed and by Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt and again the "untoward event" of Navarino could only occur at a time when Phil-Hellenism was a sort of social disease, caused by hallucinations and by the illusion of finding in the present mongrel inhabitants of the Morea and Attica the descendents of the ancient Hellenes." ("The Syrian War and the Decline of the Ottoman Empire 1840 – 1848", by Baron Augustus Jochmus, Vol. 1, pages 99 and 100)

Somewhat satisfied with my last two solo missions, I returned the Delorean to its original place and time and retired for the evening but still wondered what TrueMacedonian meant by "the women".

To be continued.

Other articles by Risto Stefov:

http://www.maknews.com/html/articles.html#stefov

http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3446

Many thanks to TrueMacedonian from http://www.maknews.com/forum for his contribution to this article.

You can contact the author at [email protected]

Nice collection of valuable quotes!

[Daskalot]

Come take a ride in Tito´s time Machine – Part 5 – Mischief is my middle name

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/118859

Come take a ride in Tito´s time Machine – Part 5 – Mischief is my middle name

Risto Stefov

September 15, 2009


If we "must" believe that Josip Broz Tito (May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980), the Yugoslav dictator, along with the Communists, "invented" the Macedonians then we must also believe that Tito possessed a "Time Machine" because in this series of articles we will show you that the Macedonians existed way before Tito´s time.

The next morning I showed up an hour earlier in hopes of meeting TrueMacedonian at the secret place where the Dolorean was parked and to ask him the burning question that kept me up half the night. What did he mean by "the women"?

To my surprise TrueMacedonian was already there when I showed up and he too was anxious to discover what the deal was with me. How did I discover the secret place where the Delorean was hidden and how did I know about Tito´s missions?

As we greeted each other I wasted no time and asked my questions first. "What did you mean when you said ´it was the women´ in regards to Tito´s missions?"

TrueMacedonian was completely surprised by my question and after a long and loud laugh said, "Don´t you know Tito is a womanizer? He has girlfriends all over the world and all through a span of over 100 years. Do you think he goes around the world and to various dates in time just to turn people into Macedonians and to convince them to write about the Macedonians? No! He goes to see his girlfriends and he gets them to do him ´favours´, if you know what I mean? He seduces the young ladies and they in turn seduce the ´lonely´ editors, reporters and authors. And then when Tito needs favours he calls on the girls to collect. That´s how he does it!"

Now why didn´t I think of that, I thought to myself, as TrueMacedonian continued to tell me about Tito´s crafty methods and how he uses his charm to seduce young ladies, particularly those in high society.

"And what´s your role in this?" I asked TrueMacedonian. "We are his ´props´ sort of," he said. "We are there to do what is necessary to make Tito look good and comfortable, except for Doc of course. Doc is his personal doctor who makes sure Tito does not ´snuff´ himself overindulging."

It was now TrueMacedonian´s turn to question my involvement in all this. Fortunately for me he only had a couple of questions. The first he asked was, "How did you discover the Delorean?"

I told him an engineer friend of mine tipped me off in 1985 when the Delorean was outfitted with its engine. I got inside the trunk to have a look at the electronics but then Tito and the others arrived to pick it up. I did not believe time travel was possible and thought the whole thing was a hoax until I saw a young Tito with my own eyes.

The second question TrueMacedonian asked was, "Why did you stay with the team and follow it on its missions?" Well that was easy; I was there for the adventure. "Believing" the Greek claims that Tito actually "created" the Macedonians, I was curious to find out how he did it.

Who would have thought that crafty Tito would use young "female socialites" to do his bidding?

I had one more question for TrueMacedonian. "How did the Greeks find out Tito ´created´ the Macedonians? Did they know about his time travels?" I asked.

TrueMacedonian had no answer! "Only the Greeks know for sure," he said as he pushed me down to duck for cover when Tito and the others were coming.

Lying comfortably in the Delorean´s trunk I overheard Tito say "dobro utro" to TrueMacedonian as he boarded the time machine and set its dials for another mission.

"We are going to …. (unintelligible), to September 22nd, 1911 to see the editor of the Evening Post," he commanded as he pushed the activation button. I did not hear where we were going so I had no idea where to look the next day as I went through most of the "popular" daily newspapers for September 23rd, 1911. Fortunately I found the following article in the Evening Post;

"THE PROBLEM OF TURKEY

INEXPLICABLE MODE OF ACTION"

I skimmed through the article quickly until I read the sentence;

"The three might be added [to] the murders of Bulgarians, Macedonians, Greeks and Serbs who have been done to death with the old religious fury which is as prevalent as ever."

(Evening Post, Issue 73, September 23rd, 1911, page 10)

Ah, that crafty Tito not only did he add the word "Macedonians" to the article but he added it together with the words "Bulgarians", "Greeks" and "Serbs" in order to distinguish them as a unique ethnic identity. What a clever move!

Upon the team´s return from today´s first mission Tito seemed to be in a good mood when he said, "We are going to October 11, 1907 to visit with another Evening Post editor".

How many Evening Posts could there be in this world, especially in 1907, I wondered as I feverishly flipped the pages of one Evening Post after another? It had to be the same paper as the previews mission, I thought to myself, and sure enough it was. The story read in part as follows;


"The Balkans

The state of affairs in the Balkans is not by any means reassuring, although the same might have been remarked any time within the last ten years, or even longer. Today´s cable messages tell us that the Creusot works have at the present time a contract for the delivery during 1908 for material and ammunition for Servia, and that the same firm has also been entrusted with the manufacture of materials for new artillery for Greece. For some time now the Serbs, the Greeks, the Bulgars and the Macedonians have been annoying each other more than any occasion during a comparatively short period, and, as usual, it is very hard to form a just conclusion as to which is the most to blame."

(Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, issue 90, October 12, 1907, page 4)

Again, how clever of Tito to convince the editor to add the word "Macedonians" amidst the words "Greeks", "Bulgars" and "Serbs". Very nicely done team!

Again upon their return everyone was in a good mood, not very talkative but none the less in a good mood.

"I feel good," Tito commanded "so I think this time we should take a field mission. What do you think?" "Yes, yes, yes," was the reply. "Okay then, we are going to Rome, Italy to visit a certain reporter who owes me a few favours. I am setting the time dials to September 26, 1915.

I couldn´t help but wonder "what kind of favours" Tito did for this poor reporter and now he was going to "blackmail" him to write about the Macedonians.

I had no idea the article would appear in an American newspaper and only found it by accident.

"Special cable to the New York Times.

Rome, Sept. 27. – Another great conflagration in the Balkans is unavoidable. Many Balkan exiles living in Italy, especially Greeks, Macedonians, and Bulgarians are speeding home via Brindissi and Messina. Another sign of the gravity of the situation is the fresh severity of the censorship in the Balkan countries practically allowing only the transmission of official news." (The New York Times, September 27, 1915)

No sooner was the team back than they quickly left for their next mission. It was getting late and Tito insisted on doing one more mission before retiring for the day. "We are going to the West Coast to Tuesday August 25th, 1903," he said as he quickly set the time dials and pushed the activation button.

I had to look all through the West Coast newspapers the next day before I found the following article, which in part read;

"THE BALKAN INSURRECTION

It is therefore quite understandable that religious fanaticism and intolerance, combined with racial and political prejudices, could cause Turks, Macedonians, Greeks, Albanians and other races comprising the population of the Balkans to turn and rend each other if their passions are not kept in check by a government wise enough and strong enough to hold them." (West Coast Times, Wednesday, August 26, 1903, page 2)

The team was back in no time and as its members retired for the night, I was left alone with the Delorean. If only they knew the kind of mischief I would be getting into! Mischief was my middle name as I again took sole possession of the time machine. I spun the time dial wildly and went where it took me. This time I had no idea where and when I landed but no matter, wherever this was it was good because I ran into a young author named David Turnock and convinced him to write the following;

"It was overwhelmingly ´Greek´, a label that covers not only ethnic Greeks but Hellenized Orthodox people such as Armenians, Bulgarians, Macedonians and Vlachs as well. Even Serbs who initially resisted any identification with Greek culture were being converted at the turn of the century: they had effectively established a universal state within the empire, as a result of vigorous reaction to growth of banditry which eliminated Muslim elements both Turkish and Albanian. But as Greek was the language of commerce throughout the Balkans, some Serbs began to adjust, at least until a cultural reaction set in during the 1820s. Thus many of the ´Greeks´ who carted textile materials to the coast were Slavs and Vlachs and in addition there were many Armenians taking the road to Germany and Russia." ("The Making of Eastern Europe from the Earliest times to 1815", by David Turnock, page 292)

Satisfied with my deeds for the day, I returned the Delorean to its original time and space and retired for the evening.

To be continued.

Other articles by Risto Stefov:

http://www.maknews.com/html/articles.html#stefov

http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3446

Many thanks to TrueMacedonian from http://www.maknews.com/forum for his contribution to this article.

You can contact the author at [email protected]

Another home run!!

[Risto the Great]

These are fun to read and the message is loud and clear!

[TrueMacedonian]

LOL Risto cracks me up with these articles.

[Daskalot]

Come take a ride in Tito’s time Machine – Part 6 – In the Balkans

Come take a ride in Tito’s time Machine – Part 6 – In the Balkans

By Risto Stefov

September 20, 2009


If we “must” believe that Josip Broz Tito (May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980), the Yugoslav dictator, along with the Communists, “invented” the Macedonians then we must also believe that Tito possessed a “Time Machine” because in this series of articles we will show you that the Macedonians existed way before Tito’s time.

The next morning I again showed up an hour earlier in hopes of seeing TrueMacedonian before the others arrived. The Delorean’s hood was cold as it had cooled off from my previous day’s adventure.

As usual TrueMacedonian was the first to arrive but followed closely by Tito, Doc and Marty so we had very little time for discussion. After saying “dobro utro”, TrueMacedonian advised me to quickly get into the trunk because the others were not far behind. I had one request for TrueMacedonian. I asked him to do me a favour and make sure Tito disclosed the time and location of his missions so that I would be able to follow their progress. Without proper information I found it difficult to follow their progress in the newspapers. Yesterday for example, I had to look all through the west coast newspapers to find out what they had done.

But before TrueMacedonian had a chance to reply I heard him tap twice on the Delorean’s hood, letting me know that the others were there and that I should keep quiet.

Tito was not in a very good mood this morning. I could tell this by his abrupt entry into the Delorean, without greeting TrueMacedonian as he proceeded to fiddle with the time knobs setting the next destination. What a grouch I thought. No that’s too nice for him, he is more like an ogre, no wonder he has earned the title dictator!

“We are going to Iowa , to January 25, 1911 ,” I overheard him say in a stern and brutish voice. Okay we are going to Iowa , to January 25, 1911 . But where in Iowa ?

The next day I was lucky to run into this article on only my fourth try;

“FEW BOHEMIANS ARE COMING OVER

FIND GOOD CHANCES IN NATIVE HEALTH SAYS REV. ZILKA.”

As I skimmed through the article my eye caught the following paragraph;

“Rev. Zilka stated that the future immigrants to the United States will be coming from Russia and the Balkan states. They will be mostly Russians, Servians, Kroatians, Macedonians, Slovaks and Greeks.” (The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Thursday, January 26, 1911, page 12)

What a clever move on Tito’s part, placing the word “Macedonians” in the same line as “Greeks”. I began to think of Tito as less of an ogre and more of a grouch. Bravo Tito and the team.

No sooner had the team returned, with a happier Tito I may add, than they were off again this time to Winnipeg , to Sunday, February 9, 1913 .

The next day I found a story in the Winnipeg Free press which in part read;

“Turkish Navy Seen in Severe Action”

Further down the article I found the following;

“The government has decided to expel all Greek journalists and is also causing the arrests of all Greeks, Bulgarians and Macedonians, who will probably be sent out of the country.” (Winnipeg Free Press, Monday, February 10, 1913)

This was the time of the 2nd Balkan War just before Macedonia was partitioned by Greece , Serbia and Bulgaria . Not much of a story but the important thing is Tito managed to stick the word “Macedonians” among the words “Greeks” and “Bulgarians” to distinguish them as different ethnicities. Again bravo to Tito and the team.

“It’s time for a new mission,” I heard Tito say in the distance as the team was approaching the Delorean. “We are going to Chillicoth , Missouri , April 24, 1925 ,” I heard Tito say as the time machine swished its way to the next destination. Where is Chillicoth, I wondered, and why 1925? I got my answer the next day when I skimmed through the following article which in part read;

“ EUROPE LEARNS NOTHING FROM THE WORLD WAR”

“To the Southeast, in the Balkans, the familiar signs of unrest are not lacking. Belgrade , has resorted to dictatorship. Jugoslavia and Bulgaria watch one other across their frontiers, wondering which will leave the first brick. The Macedonians continue their policy of provoking first the Serbs and then the Bulgarians in the hope that some day, while the two are quarreling, Macedonia will run off with the coveted bone of independence.” (The Daily Constitution, Chillicothe, Missouri, Wednesday, April 25th, 1925)

I noticed the word “ Yugoslavia ” was intentionally misspelled as “Jugoslavia”. I assumed it must have been TrueMacedonian’s doing.

Sure enough my assumption was correct as I overhead TrueMacedonian say “Jugoslavia” a few times when the team returned to the Delorean.

“I know it’s late but I want to do one more mission today,” I heard Tito exclaim. “We are going to Salt Lake City , Utah , to February 5th, 1903 and after that we are all going home.”

That was good enough for me. I was able to locate their activity the next day when I read the following article;

“IN THE BALKANS

It looks stormy in the direction of the Balkan states. Both Turkey and Roumania are purchasing large quantities of arms and ammunition, and Turkish troops are being massed along the Macedonian frontier. Austria-Hungary is said to have arranged for the mobilization of an eastern army corps, and the explanation that this is done in the interest of army maneuvers is not believed to be correct.

The Macedonians claim that they have influential friends in Europe , who would come out for their cause if they had gained a victory or two over the Turks, and hence their plans for an early rising.

It is also claimed that Russia and Austria have agreed on a scheme for the amelioration of the condition of the oppressed people of Macedonia , Albania and Armenia . But as this plan involves practically autonomy, at least for the Macedonians and Albanians, it is believed that the Sultan will refuse to accede to any proposition of that kind.

Those who have studied the situation believe that if the diplomats are unable to coerce Turkey and to prevent the contemplated rising in Macedonia , a great storm is likely to break out before long. The situation is interesting enough, for few doubt that such a storm must come before the millennial peace and calm can rest upon the surface of the earth.” (Deseret Evening News, Great Salt Lake City, Utah, February 6th, 1903, Last Edition)

The team was back in no time, returned to the usual place and time and departed for a well deserved rest. I was alone again and happened to stumble onto a half empty bottle of rakija, as I was making my way out of the Delorean’s trunk. Should I take a gulp or not, I asked myself? Unaware of my actions my fingers automatically removed the cap from the bottle and I began to gulp the liquid down. I must have been very thirsty from the long trek cooped up in the trunk. It felt good to drink it down except for the burning sensation I felt afterwards, bringing me to the reality that I had just polished half a Mickey of rakija. Oh well, it’s time for mischief again.

I got back into the Delorean and spun the time dial wildly. Let the time machine take me wherever it wants, I thought to myself. Swish I was there wherever “there” was. I was too “tipsy” to remember so I will not try. I do remember however that I met a nice fellow by the name of Ioannis Kouvourlis and said a lot of things to him about how the modern Greeks were created.

As a result of my doing, he wrote the following article which in part read;

“From precocious essayist to national historiographer

The context of the ‘1846 Lecture’ can help us to understand the problems regarding the writing of an all-encompassing Greek national history that Paparrigopoulos would not overcome until at least 1853, the year of the publication of his first, one volume ‘History of the Hellenic Nation’. For in his earlier works Paparrigopoulos had essentially distinguished between the history of the Byzantine state and the history of medieval Greece; he has then considered ancient Macedonians as a more or less distinct nation – because as he wrote in his ‘Textbook of General History’ in 1849, ‘the Macedonian nation accomplished in the general history [of civilization] a different mission from that of the Hellenic nation’ (Paparrigopoulos 1849-53, 1.193); and, inevitably, he had tended to focus on the history of the ancient and modern Greeks.

So, a somewhat ‘teleological’, yet quite understandable, question here would be: what was still needed for the formation of a general explanatory scheme that holds together the edifice of Paparrigopoulos’s all-encompassing five-volume ‘History of the Hellenic Nation’? In my opinion the answer is: two main sources of inspiration, Droysen and Zambelios, as well as a more refined understanding and use of the theoretical principles of German historicism by Paparrigopoulos himself.

Johann Gustav Droysen (1808 – 1884), to whom Paparrigopoulos (1849 – 53, 1.206) referred for the first time in his ‘Textbook’ of 1849 but without being able to take advantage of the contribution of the great German historicist, offered him weighty arguments regarding the Greek identity of the ancient Macedonians and the spread of Hellenic civilization eastwards. He also offered him one of the key concepts of the newly born national historical school: the concept of ‘Hellenism’. Although Droysen himself restricted its use to the Hellenistic world, he and his disciples, such as Otto Abel (1824 – 1854), understood ‘Hellenism’ in then sense of a ‘Hellenic genius’, which had a historical trajectory of its own. In fact, what Paparrigopoulos and other Greek national historians such as Zambelios had to do after having read Droysen is to generalize the use of the concept so as to apply to the whole of Greek history and, at another level, to identify it with the concept of a ‘Greek nation’. The final result of this double intellectual process was the production of a series of terms and concepts well known to all contemporary Hellenists: ‘Ancient Hellenism’, ‘Macedonian Hellenism’, ‘Byzantine Hellenism’, ‘Modern Hellenism’ and so forth.” (“The Making of Modern Greece”, edited by Roderic Beaton and David Ricks, Center for Hellenic Studies, King’s College, London, pages 59 and 60)

I don’t remember how I got back that night but early the next morning I was awakened by TrueMacedonian while I sat sleeping in front of the Delorean’s controls.

To be continued.

Other articles by Risto Stefov:

http://www.maknews.com/html/articles.html#stefov

http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3446

Many thanks to TrueMacedonian from http://www.maknews.com/forum for his contribution to this article.

Thank you Risto for another great article!