New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-03-11

daily newspapers published in the city, besides seven
| weeklies and semi-weeklies Of these papers four
| are official organs of the Government. The Ian
! guages of the newspapers of ConstantnOple are
| English, French, Turkish Greek, Armenian, Span
ish and Bulgarian. The Turkish newspapers arc
printed, some with Arabic letters, some with Ar
menan letters. and some with Greek letters Ii IS
an odd circumstance that there are both Armenlans
and Greeks in large numbers in Turkey VINO
have lost their language but use their
own alphabet to write the vernacular Turkish.
Another curiosity is the Spanish newspaper, which
is printed in Hebrew letters for the Jews. The
Turkish newspapers furnish to great extent the
local news that is found the columns of the Others
These Turkish papers also furnish the earliest war
news. This seems to be largely obtained by means
of key-hole vgils. The persons concerned are
commonly weak in geography, and are not supplled
with any vocabulary of military terms. mus
arise those muddled accounts OF partially heafd
kilograms which given in advance of the otciai
publication. The story telegraphed to Europe q
month ago, about an escape OF Osmans army
toward Rahoya arose from the fact that the Key
hole watcher did not hear the whole OF tie
telegram, and imputed to Plevna what was really an
account Of the evacuation of Rahova The way
these surreptitious items are banded about IS
amusing. Tho Turkish paper Bdsiret publishes an
item in the morning. which is cooked over ana ap-
pears in The Leramt Herald or the PhGre dn BosDhore,
in slightly different garb in the evening; next
morning the Bdsiret copies the altered version of its
own item as Independent testimony to its truth;
the third day the Basiret has learned that
the whole thing il false, and says so. The
other papers then follow suit, saying that on
investigation tho statement of day before yester-
day proves erroneous. Reporters, properly speaking,
are unknown, and inyesl catOn" into tho truih OF
items is conducted with the scissors ana paste-pot'
This manner OF editing newspapers Woull De nhP..S-
sbn To the foreign newspaper editors OF tins city
were it not that neither The chief editors themselves
nor one in five hundred Of their readers can rc nc
Turkish newspapers to observe the petty plaglarlSinS
OF the news columns. Editorial writing Is foT-
gotten art in the five newspapers punllshcd III Eng
fish and French, as indeed one wonld expect, Wltre
TIE expression 0fsentiment on i've qucstI0ns ny ur
egtiers is Il matter of great delicacy. Inc ulK-
i.h newspapers translate great deal from
the European press but also give verbose
editorials The Greek and Armenian news
papers write editoriay on church matters alone,
as a general thing, except on occasions where ufy
give space to inslncere and nauseOns praise OF some
Government measure. Such articles are cure 10 nc
copied by the Turkish papers as testimony TO ne
conicntcd condition OF thos' ChrlStiahs WHO are
yet untouched by Russian intrigue.
The Turkish papers have been copying all the ut
ter,nces Of Archibald Forbes on Turks, Russians
aud Bugarans, with great glee. There is 4 certain
amount Of evil yet to come from Mr.. For5es's sug-
Qstion that the Turks are unwiso in not 1cvastat-
inc the country rs they retreat Turks can devise
evil enough alone without being put mp tort by
Establishment But he has done the Turks justice IN
one thing which mere theorists on Eastern affairs,
and even the halfway investigators who are now 50
plenty have not the means OF knowing. ms Is,
ihat the Turkish peasantry, rs general tLlng, nVe
on passab,y good terms with their Christian
ncgibors. They have grown up toSGther.
suffered the expressions 81 the ti%-eathelSI
together and commonly the Turkish neghbors OF
Christian family are its real friends. In almost All
eases of outrage robbery the guilty parties are
either Government officials of low decree or turks
from some other region. The Christian Villagers
have often found refuge in times of trouble, with
their Turkish ncighbors, and vice versa and there
| are to-day in numbers OF the bOrdeTand settle
mcuts pacts Tor mutual defence against ClrcasSan
and Cossack marauders, between Turks ana their
bulgarian neighbors. Such agreements have been
common since the declaration OF war, ana MI.
Forbes is undoubtedly right in his sharp criticism
of the ilgarIaus for their conduct under such CIR
cumstanccs toward their Turkish ncighbors the M
stan. power dropped into their hands. Mr.. Glad
stones simnc of q man who has beaten You ninety
plne DAVIS aad expects gratitude for deslstng on me
one Iuudredtl does not hold since the Turks
pluudercd by the Bulgurians were peasants VINO
had been oppressed like the bulgarian peasants. and
whose only crime often WIS tie crime OF feius-
ing to believe in Jesus Christ.