By one of those frequently fascinating chances of geography, this little nation, which has a territory about as big as Ohio, is set squarely in front of the main gate to Constantinople, and saw, in consequence, the powers which ruthlessly bullied it yesterday now almost at its feet.

Rumania stands in Russia’s path, on the one hand, and, with its railway, in Germany’s on the other; but Bulgaria does both, and, in addition, blocks the whole western frontier of Turkey and the only feasible chance to land an army from the Aegean.

After their disastrous attempt to run the Dardanelles in March, the English and French had been somewhat in the position of an army trying to capture Jacksonville, Florida, for instance, and instead of marching over from Georgia, compelled to go away down to Key West, and fight their way up through the Everglades.  They had in front of them hills behind hills and an intrenched enemy whom they could not see generally and who could always see them.  Behind them was only a strip of beach, the sea, and the more or less uncertain support of their ships.  So narrow was their foothold that even if they had had more men, they could scarce find place to use them.

Could they but land in Bulgaria, they might cut off the Turks from Europe at once, accumulate at their leisure a sufficient force, and push down methodically from a proper base to the Chatalja line, fighting like men instead of amphibious ducks.  The thing looks easy, and the twisted hills and hidden batteries of Gal-lipoli Peninsula were so heart-breaking a maze to fling good men into that you can well imagine the Allies used what pressure they could.  But if it was important to them that the gate be opened—­let alone that Bulgaria come in herself—­ it was just as important to the Germans and Austrians that it be closed.  And who was to say that if Bulgaria threw in her lot with the Allies and attacked the Turks the Central Powers might not even start a grand offensive down through Serbia—­and people talked of this in Sofia months before it actually began—­connect up their lines all the way to Constantinople—­and good-by to their little peasant state and her hard-won independence!

A little state must think of these things.  She hasn’t the men nor the staggering supply of ammunition lightly to go into a world war like this.  And then the Bulgarians had had their fingers burned once—­they were not looking for adventures.

You will remember the Balkan War of 1912-3, and how the Bulgars fought their way down almost to Constantinople and were everybody’s heroes for a time.  Then came the quarrel between the Balkan allies, and presently Bulgaria was fighting for her life—­Serbia on the west, Greece on the south, Turkey on the east—­and then, when she was quite helpless, the Rumanians coming down from the north to perform the coup de grace.

It was not a particularly sporting performance on the part of the Rumanians, nor could the turning over to them of the Bulgarian part of the province of Dobrudja greatly increase Bulgaria’s trust in the powers which permitted it in the treaty of Bucarest.