Prof. G. G. Telberg, whose speech on the Pushkin centenary created such an impression locally, last year, is a specialist on ancient Rus-Sion history and one of the most prominent Russian scholars in the Far East, Prof. Telberg has reminded his compatriots of the generally-overlooked fact that on March 17 exactly 700 years elapsed since in 1288 the Tartar army under Batyi annihilated the Russian forces on the banks of the river Siti. This mo-montons event marked the beginning ^f the so-called Mongol yoke which for two centuries hung heavily on Russia, Russian chronologists explain this conquering of a settled and comparatively highly cultured people by a horde of nomads by saying: "God punished the Russians for their sins." Historians blame the constant quarrels between the Russian princes. The latter explanation points out the weakness of Russia at the time, but does not reveal wherein lay the strength of the Mongol Army. It must be remembered that the Tartars devastated not only Russia; the same horde surged on, overran Poland, flawed over the Carpathians, conquered (Hungary and nearly reached Vienna, It was only a lucky accident that saved the latter city from being sacked. In the wilds of the Mongol steppes the Great Khan Ugedei died, and Batyi turned his hosts back to Asia in order to be present at the elections of the new Great Khan. Austria was saved, Mongol Power The power of the Mongol Empire grew out of the mighty push given the Turko-Tartar tribes by the organizing genius of Genghis Khan, who could in many: ways be counted the predecessor of Napoleon. For hree years Batyi Khan ravaged Russia, until he came as far as Novgorod the Great. Then, suddenly, he veered south, We read that iis scouts informed him of the dangers threatening his army with the overflow of rivers in that swampy country, Novgorod was saved. And in those days Novgorod was the capital of a huge kingdom that tretched over the north and northwest of the present Russia, Hearing of Russia's plight, all her neighbours—Lithuania, Sweden and Germany—pounced on her in the most unneighhourly manner. The ruling Prince in Novgorod at that time was Alexandre Yaroslayovitch Nevsky. He had to repel the advance of these northern and western neighbours, and the only part of the country from which he could draw his resources was the Novgorod district, which had not yet experienced the Tartar devastation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.