The late invasion of Turkey could hardly have taken place, if it had not
been in King Otho’s power to launch these irregular bands against his
neighbour’s frontier; for, with all his folly and imprudence, he would
not have ventured to march regular troops openly against the Sultan
without a declaration of war. On the other hand, it was fortunate for
Europe that the utter worthlessness of these undisciplined bands for all
military operations, except the defence of mountain passes, prevented
their capturing the frontier fortresses of Epirus and Thessaly, and
enabled Fuad Effendi to defeat their army with so much ease at Peta.
Never, certainly, did any troops make a more despicable military display
than the palikars of Greece in their late attack on Turkey. While these
invaders made their patriotism a pretext for plundering their
unfortunate countrymen who were subjects of the Othoman Empire, and
devoted their chief attention to carrying off cattle and sheep belonging
to Greeks and Christians, instead of attempting to storm the
ill-fortified holds of the Turks, the Othoman troops displayed one of
the highest characteristics in which the Greek race has always been
deficient—a sense of duty. They bravely defended the posts committed to
their care, and success crowned their good conduct.
We have now given an impartial account of the faults of King Otho, and
of the political vices of the Greek nation; we will proceed to enumerate
the virtues of the people with equal impartiality. The greatest enemies
of the Greeks cannot deny that they possess a high degree of patriotism.
Whatever its origin may be, and however much it may be disfigured by
vanity, it is a great virtue, and produces abundant good fruit. The sums
of money which have been employed by private individuals in the
construction of churches and school-houses over all Greece, the liberal
donations they annually remit to Athens for advancing the cause of
education, the munificent presents of books, medals, and philosophical
instruments to the University and to the Observatory, and the immense
contributions collected to aid the late impolitic attack on Turkey, all
prove that, under a better government, and with good guidance, the
patriotism of the Greeks might be rendered of great use in advancing the
moral improvement and material prosperity of their country. But their
patriotic feelings must be directed to the improvement of morality and
religion before much good can be effected. The importance of private
virtue is not sufficiently appreciated by the Greeks as a guarantee for
political honesty. Individual character has more influence as an element
of national strength and greatness, than the statesmen at Athens are
inclined to believe. Without citing historical examples, we may remind
them that a dispersed nation, mingled as the Greeks are with foreign
races, is much more amenable to the public opinion of other nations,
than a race pressed together in close geographical contiguity, and with
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