, 1877-08-04
T HE v
GOODNESS AMID THE DIN OF WAR.
PUBLISHED
10 VbHloIIbU
VERY WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY.

The Turks are certainly an extraorli-
nary people. I will not endorse the famous
epithet of Mr.. Carlyle, but to me they
certainly are unknoWabie. The more
one sees in this land the less one under
stands it. Yesterday l returned here from
Varna on my way to the Danube, where
it is thought something is about to happen,
and l naturally expected to see some signs
of hustle aud excitement. The Russians
are furiouslv bomblrdiug certain places,
and everybody expects that il = few Gays
Thousands OF souls will fly from human
bodies thrashed ouC like chaf. AaJ
what is the attitude of this people? |
Include Bulgarians and Greeks, for in the
matter of stoIidIty all are nearly on a par.
We all know no V a Western nation would
behave in similar circumstances. Take
the railway station at Shumla Roal for
example. 1t IS only 10 miles from Head
Quarters, six or seven hours from RlSt-
chuk, and three or four from Varna r.
any other hands it would be the centre
of indesclib1blo activity. Special trains
would whisk through it night and day
orderlias would be scampering hither a1d
thither and I am afraid much bad Ian
guage would be heard night aud day
among n crowd of overworked and hurlied
officials. Hurry, worry, nos, and hustle
that is what one has witnessed over and
over again in war. 1t be,o, gs to the
dreadful bus G s; and, indeed, is, | had
till ye,tei day thought, inS p rable from it.
What, h wcv1r was the actual state of
tIirgs yc< erday during the four hours I
waited tor tie arrival OF a luggage train
from Rs chuk7 Ny servant and | were
The oniY visible human beings, until the
CircasS,an who stands to attention when a
corn, cured up asleep. The pofters were
nrwhtrc to be seen. Bees droned ia the hot,
v.bratlry air, swallows twltterel their little
Advertisements at seeing two human beings
such fools as to be moving about wien
they might be at rest, aod two or three
dogs opened one eye at a time with a look
Of lazy speculation as to what business
could possibly bring people 10 Shu"!a
Road.
After a time the station-master, a most
intelligent Pole named Zaporshi, returned
from an excursion to the ncighbouring
village. and welcomed me back from Varna.
L lA4Qu'AT0 0OOuC ~ CApCCCCQ bIdlus diO
Mr.. Zanoyski very civiIly asked by tele-
graph where it was. From the reply re-
ceived / found there were still two hours
to wait, so l had the horses sent out of
the sun, while l accepted an invitation to
take tea with the station master. Would
it be possible to find a more peaceful pic
ture than that little p%arlour in Mr. Fam
orski's dweIling-house presented on the
very brink of such a history making as we
expect9 AS my host sat pouring out the
tea, with his chubby little daughter stand
ing on his knee trying to stick a large
rose in the indulgent fathers hair, it was
impossible to realize the deviltry of war.
OF course we spoke of the oddity Of the
situation. My friend has been a great
many years in Turkey, but he is still an
active man. and was therefore able to APP
p~reciate the almost comic view of our oc-
cupation and surroundings. How differ
ent from what our friends imagine! The
stat;on-master at Shumla and the cores
pondent of TIE Tines al, the Head. GUAR
tsrs Of the Turkish Army quietly gossip
ing over bread and butter is, / respect