zelos failed to move him. He stated to the Prime Minister with a good deal of vigor, that he did not approve of the steps that were being taken.

"Your Majesty," replied Venizelos, "the Crown Prince entirely agrees with me."

4

This he repeated three times. The King took the hint and finally yielded. When one's heir-apparent, who is also a general in the army, and one's Prime Minister are agreed, and the completeness and the significance of their agreement are brought home to one, it is the part of wisdom, even for a king, to consent to the course of action that is proposed.

اار

On October 13, 1912, Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria delivered their ultimatum to, Turkey. On October 14, 1912, the Greek Chamber of Deputies opened in ordinary session. Deputies chosen by Crete presented themselves and demanded recognition. Since his own advent to power, Venizelos, on at least one occasion, had been compelled to deny them admission. Now, all was changed. It was a day for which he had eagerly waited. It was the culmination of a hope for which he had risked his life many times. The hour had arrived. The deputies were admitted. Venizelos spoke of the declaration of war against Turkey and then turning, welcomed his old friends who, with him, had shared the hardships of the campaign when they together had faced the armies, first of Turkey and

later of the Great Powers of Europe, in the fastnesses of the mountains of Crete:

"In the name of the Greek people, I welcome the delegates of our Cretan brothers present within these walls."

We are told and well may believe that prolonged applause greeted this sentence, which gave recognition to the union of Crete and the mother-country; for when one remembers that European history was born in Crete, one can understand something of the irksomeness of the Asiatic control exercised over an island which in sentiment is more European than Europe.

The First Balkan War started immediately and progressed with startling rapidity. On October 21st, the Greek army came in contact with the Turkish forces. Nineteen days later, Salonika, with 25,000 Turkish troops, was captured by the Greek army. The success of the Balkan allies is still recent history. In December, Bulgaria signed an armistice with Turkey in her own behalf and in behalf of Serbia and Montenegro. Greece refused Turkey any armistice and the Greek fleet prevented the re-enforcement of the Turkish forces in the Balkans by water.

The representatives of the Balkan allies met the Turkish delegates in London but nothing came of the negotiations. The war was resumed in February,

and peace was signed in May. Meanwhile, on March 18, 1913, King George had been assassinated at Salonika and Constantine had come to the throne.

The treaty of peace with Turkey was signed May 30, 1913. On the night of June 29, 1913, shortly after midnight, the Bulgarians treacherously attacked their allies, the Serbs and Greeks, along a front of about seventy miles.

During the thirty days that had intervened since the signing of the peace treaty, Venizelos had tried to reconcile the dispute with Bulgaria. He accepted the offer of the Czar to act as arbiter between Greece and Bulgaria. But Bulgaria would have none of it. Nevertheless, she did not catch Serbia and Greece as much off their guard as she had anticipated. They held her at bay on her western front. And Venizelos, was able to bring Roumania into the war against Bulgaria. Roumania attacked the Bulgarian rear and forced Bulgaria to sue for peace. The second Balkan war lasted only six weeks. It ended with an extension of the Greek frontier in Eastern Macedonia.

We have alluded to the part the Greek navy played in the first Balkan war. The lesson of that

war was not lost on the Turk.

In the spring of

1914, Turkey was making plans to attack Greece. She purchased a Brazilian dreadnought that was being

constructed in England. She made arrangements for the purchase of a second dreadnought in England and of some submarines in France. But Venizelos, realizing the danger, took the necessary precautions to meet it. On the afternoon of June 22, 1914, the Greek Chargé d'Affaires in Washington arranged with President Wilson for the purchase from the United States of the battleships Idaho and Mississippi. As the Greek minister left the White House, the Turkish Ambassador called to protest against the sale. But he came too late. On July 8, 1914, the sale was consummated. Thanks to the act of America, Greece maintained her superiority over Turkey upon the seas. The casus belli of the general European war was therefore sought and found in a different field.

Venizelos was at Munich when he learned of the Austrian ultimatum to Serbia of July 22, 1914. He did not hesitate, but took his position at once and acted upon it. He telegraphed to the Foreign Minister at Athens:

"It is of supreme importance not to allow any doubt to exist as to the intentions of Greece. Greece cannot stand with arms folded in the presence of a possible attack on Serbia by Bulgaria. She could not tolerate such an attack."

Just before the first battle of the Marne, when the German invasion had penetrated deepest into

France, he sent word to the Cabinets of Paris, London and Petrograd that Greece would put her forces at their disposal when needed for operations in the Balkans..

He maintained 120,000 men under arms and furnished Serbia every facility that she desired for the transportation of supplies by way of Salonika and the Vardar railroad. For three years the Allies played fast and loose with Greece, while Constantine played fast and loose with the Allies.

Venizelos at last awoke to a full realization of the fact that the King was determined to follow out a policy of German absolutism in Greece. On September 25, 1916, with the Admiral Coundouriotis in command of the Greek fleet, he set sail for Crete. Immediately the island of Crete set up a provisional government with Venizelos at its head. After a short stay in Crete, Venizelos and Coundouriotis set sail for Salonika. There an army of Greek Volunteers which had joined the French forces received him as their acknowledged leader. A government headed by Venizelos, was established. The Allies gave this government some slight financial support but refused it political recognition. On November 24, 1916, this provisional government declared war upon Bulgaria and Germany. In so far as he could do it, Venizelos had redeemed the treaty pledge of Greece to Serbia.