The times., 1897-04-19
BOTH HAVE FIGHTING RECORDS.
Army and Navy Officers Discuss
the War.

A group Of Army and Navy officers were
discussing bottle of French champagne
and the Graeco-Turkish campaign at the
Army and Navy Club last night They
were seated around a polished oak table
amid heavy draperies of damask curtains
and Cuban smoke. A map of the war
stricken countries was spread out upon
the table, and the knights of Mars traced
lines upon ii with their fingers as they
quaffcd and puffed. They would not have
their names printed in conjunction with
their comments, for polite reasons.
There was no question about their senti-
ments. They believed in the cause OF
Greece, their sympatliies were with Greece;
their hopes were on that side. But, y
said one old soldier, and his comrades
agreed with him, '.she has no mean enemy
in the Turk. His record as a fighter is
all right. When his religion is assaulted
or when lie fancies that HS religion IS
assaulted he becomes a soldier as fearless
and as Intrepid as any soldier that ever
shoulderei u rifle Several nations have
known this to their sorrow. one OF the
main reasons why Europe has not called
the sultan down long ago is that they
feel that he is an unpleasant man TO
tackle The whole MohanIuc Ian world
is at his back, ana the followers Of
AIuhammcI know how to die when Allan
calls them.
But then the Greek is fighter, too,
when the honor Of Greece is assaiied Re
has demonstrated this many times, He
il anxious to get at the Turk. He has i
long list Of wrongs to square up, and he
believes that the only argument which Will
be effective on a Turk is the argument of
powder and ball -
1t was figured last night at the club
tat Turkey could muster in about ; o0,00o
troops, well equipped and nearly all
We'll disciplined
Greece can bring to the front about
l00, 900 men, well armed and drilled, and
probably better differed than the otto
man troops Then Greece can depend on
the service Of the Montcnegrins, Bull
garIsns, 8lbauians and MaCedonians. They
will put up strong front
1t was the opinion of those who were
interested in the situation that the first
movement OF the Turkish troops would
be OH Larissa in ThesSaly, and that the
Greeks would not find It possible TO hold
this town Its directly northof TheImopy
lac, where Leonidas and his Spartans died.
After passing Larissa, to gain any sub
stantiaI advantage, the Turks must force
the passes Of Thermopylae, aud these are
already held by strong detachments OF
Greek troops, which can he quickly re-
inrOrceJ If the Greeks OF today are
animated by the same spirit that dstin-
guiShed their ancestors, the Turks viii
find considerable difficulty at Thernopylae
AS soon as the Turks advance, Greece VIII
incite ChiOs. SamOs, Lesbos. and Lemos
to revolt ana Will seize the province OF
Epirus
The Bulsarians and the Montenegrius Will
fall on tie rear of the Turkish advance.
The 0ttomans VIII find themselves in boil
ing water, and as they declared war, and
as it cannot be proved that the government
Of Greece melted it, Greece will receive
the moral support of the Christian world.
The governments OF Europe cannot afford
now to be proTurkish Their subjects
would not stand it
At present the Turks have 10000 mon
on the frontier and the Greeks have
10000, massed near Arta, which indi-
Gates, said the sages OF war last night
that the Greeks intend to invade Mace
donia from the west. This will be a
stragetic move, as il will bring the allies
Of the Greeks directly in the rear of the
Turkish forces.