The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-05-07
EDHEM AND HIS MEN.
PEN PICTURES OF LIFE AND chARAC-
TER IN THE TURKISH CAMP.
1hs Unassuming Chieftain Of stolid Host
- Fighters-Turkish Troops Are Chiefly
Middle Aged Men-Their Many Colored

uniforms and Odd Movements at Drill.
Everything which the large corps Of
correspondents at Edhem Pasha's head
quarters have written has led Europe
to regard this man as a great command
er, with brilliant future before him.
Ho is certainly the man of the hour i'll
English estimation, and everything that
is written about him is read with avid.
ity. The Daily Telegraph correspondent
in a brief personal sketch says:
1T may be interesting to mention
that Edhem Pasha, the central figure in
this little world, is about As years of
age, though he looks older He is rather
above middle height and wears short,
thick, black beard, already flecked with
gray. His nose is straight and rather
long, but his most interesting feature is
his gray eyes, which are large and in
teliigent. His manner is very attractive
"a mixture Of that courtesy and dig
nifty which are not uncommon among
Turkish officers. He does not stri Ike one
as a strong man physically, though /
am told he is hard worker and does
not spare himself His manner of talk
ing is as rule quiet and marked by
much refinement and gravity, but it
grows animated when subject kindles
his interest, and his eyes glow with en-
thusiasm. 1t is difficult to judge of a
man s sense of humor through the bar
riers of strange language. His style of
life is simple, and he has none Of the
oriental love of display. In character he
seems to be straightforward and sincere,
frank and truth loving. Trickery and
intrigue, diplomacy and politics he alike
detests. His subordinates and those
who see him more intimately are very
fond of him.
''He treats u.s. one Of the aids-de-
camp said to me, mot as superior, but
as father Edhem Pasha is very
proud of his army.
!"'The Greeks report, he said, that
we have no cavalry They should sec
ouI Circassian horsemen.
"A band of Greek irregulars had
crossed the frontier and fired on the
Turkish troops. asked him whether
there was any chance of reprisals.
"'No,' he answered proudly, we do
not make war in that dirty fashion.
"Edhem Pasha understands war thor
oughly, but it took him little time to
appreciate the functions of war CORE
spondent He seemed to think that the
latter should be hedged about by many
restrictions, tenderly fostered, and safe
ly deposited during battle among the
baggage animals and knights Of the
hospital. 1t was some time before he
realized that the expectation Of witness
ing and describing battle was the one
thing which procured him the honor Of
these gentlemen s company in his camp.
One anxious morning, at time when
wM was thought to be imminent, Oh
sending round to headquarters it appear
ed that the general and all his staff had
fed during the night and had gone no
man would say whittier. No orders had
been loft, and the guards would allow
no one to pass. Here was case of dire
disappointment, but no man may run
the gantlet of an Albanian guard with
impunity. When the general returned,
Joint representation was made, and he
was enueated to allow this kind of
thing not to occur again. He expressed
his penitence and promised timely
warning Of any unexpected move.
G. w. Stevens, correspondent Of the
London Daily Mail, has this to say Of
the Turkish army:
''The first impression Of the Turkish
army on an ignorant mind is one of
melancholy. The men are so old. The
Beers at Krugersdorp said it went
against the grain to have to shoot
young men. But surely the spectacle of
these middle aged privates is far more
pathetic. As you ride down the long,
dark coated, dusty gathered, loose san
daled lines. nearly every man must be
the father of family. Brown bearded.
solidly set, almost stiffening into elder
hness, steady eyed, but sober eyed and
grave, with faces speaking Of the tolls
and dim perplexities of half lifetime
who are these to be called away from
their sheep pens and their opium gar
dens to meet bullets and shell?
Il know nothing Of war, but to me
it seems natural that war should be for
the young. In our own army il is differ.
ent A man chooses TO be a soldier; il
is his trade, and he must live by it; il
he ties himself up with wife and chill
dren, he does il at his own risk and at
theirs. But these men have como from
the hills Of Macedonia, from the Mar
mora, from distant Angora and Trebi.
zond, because they must. It is not their
chosen life, yet they have no other. From
20 to 34--in war time even until 40
one month, two months, six months
eight months almost every year they
must turn out on to bleak mountains Il
defend their race and their faith agains,
disaffection at home and menace abroad
"Smart, il must be owned. the Turk
ish army is not. saw battery start
ing for the frontier the other day. Tn,
gun carriages and the horses were pilet
mp with ragged bundles, beside which
- hank holiday excursiopist's bauuou,