), the chief city
of Croatia, Agram, in Slovenia, and Serajevo, the capital of Bosnia,
have long been known as education centers, possessing a culture and
educational facilities of which far larger cities would have reason to
be proud. But Belgrade, having been, as it were, on the frontier of
European civilization, has been compelled to concentrate its energies
and its resources on commerce and the national defense. The attitude of
the people of Agram toward the less sophisticated and cultured Serbs
might be compared to that of an educated Bostonian toward an Arizona
ranchman--a worthy, industrious fellow, no doubt, but rather lacking in
culture and refinement. The truth of the matter is that the Croats and
the Slovenes, though only too glad to escape the Allies' wrath by
claiming kinship with the Serbs and taking refuge under the banner of
Jugoslavia, at heart consider themselves immeasurably superior to their
southern kinsmen, whose political dictation, now that the storm has
passed, they are beginning to resent.

The first impression which the Serb makes upon a stranger is rarely a
favorable one. As an American diplomat, who is a sincere friend of
Serbia, remarked to me, "The Serb has neither manner nor manners. The
visitor always sees his worst side while his best side remains hidden.
He never puts his best foot forward."

A certain sullen defiance of public opinion is, it has sometimes seemed
to me, a characteristic of the Serb. He gives one the impression of
constantly carrying a chip on his shoulder and daring any one to knock
it off. He is always eager for an argument, but, like so many
argumentative persons, it is almost impossible to convince him that he
is in the wrong. The slightest opposition often drives him into an
almost childlike rage and if things go against him he is apt to charge
his opponent with insincerity or prejudice. He can see things only one
way, _his_ way and he resents criticism so violently that it is seldom
wise to argue with him.

Though the Serb, when afforded opportunities for education, usually
shows great brilliancy as a student and often climbs high in his chosen
profession, he all too frequently lacks the mental poise and the power
of restraining his passions which are the heritage of those peoples who
have been educated for generations.

In Serbia, as in the other Balkan states, it is the peasants who form
the most substantial and likeable element of the population. The Serbia