The Portland daily press., 1881-06-18

Turkish Life in War Time. By Henry o.
Dwight. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons;
Portland: Loring, Short & Harmony A series
Ct letters, contributed by Mr.. Dwight to the
columns of the New York Tribune, forms the
main body of this volume; these are supple
mented and filed in with new matter concern
ing the state of affairs in Turkey, and giving a
connected account of the war of 1S76-S Mr..
Dwight was close and intelligent observer,
with the keen eye and instinct of reporter,
and his comments upon Turkish politics are
very much to the purpose. Although the let
ters of war correspondents are necessarily Civ
en- over to stern details, here and there touch
Of comedy or a curious trait of Oriental nature
enlivens the page. Very different from the
sharp, swift kilograms of our Grant or Sher-
man were the official bulletins of the Turkish
government. Trifles-like geographical de-
tails of the situation of the field, which might
give some idea of the Importance of the victo
ry Or grievousness of the defeat were quite
omitted, but the imagination of the Orient ex-
hausted itself in ''vociferous piety" and no less
voluble objurgations:
We lost ten martyrs. Of the enemy three hun
dred were sent TO perdition.
Mr.. Dwight tells good story, which will
never lose its political point. At time when
the situation was most da ngerous, and riots i'm
minent, soldier took peach from fruit-sel-
ler's basket. without paying the requisite two
cents. Words (of which one can always get all
he wants for less than two cents) ensued, and
the crowd began to take an interest in the
matter, when an officer of the army came for
ward, held the hands of the soldier and ordered
the peddler to be off, adding this notable say
ing, "Fool, do not you know better than to
make q fuss about a peach at such a time,
when your two-cent fuss may easily become
thousand-dollar row?" The first sign of peace
noted by the people was that the Turkish
newspapers were ordered to cease from calling
Russia the "Bear of the reasoning
from the fact that when a Grand Vizier is in
disgrace, the first dawn of restore favor is in
the shape of an order to the newspapers to
stop vilifying him and calling him hard names.
These same newspapers are the grotesque of
journalism; and they may we'll be such, if they
are to voice the opinions and caprices of the
motley populations of the Turkish cities. Re-
PNAeSio Wv uOe OAict tuoI6, SciSSOrS anu paste
pot are the instruments of Investigation. A."
The evening paper re-vamps paragraph, the
morning paper from which it was taken, copies,
it in its fresh shape as independent witness
next day both papers deny the story with en-
phasis. In the papers in French and English,
published in Turkey, there are no editorials;
foreigners neither care nor dare to express teo
many views.
The Government schools are not much liked
by the people. One old Turkish gentleman
expressed his views to Mr.. Dwight:
What is the use of High School? 1t teaches
nothing that people want to know. For instance
they teach botany. They spend weeks in explain
ing that rose is rose. What earthly use is that
to any one? IT a man knows rose when he sees it,
he knows it without having learned it in a book If
he does not know that it is arose. no book will ever
make MN care to know what it is. High Schools
never did good to anybody in this country.
The provincial offices are system of rings