The sun., 1900-12-02

that looms uron the memory A'tIls. tho
scnutge q tpd" Huns Avnr. and Turks.
~" Gha,nr,ids. tho Namoluks, tho 6oldon
Horde, IchghW khan. Inu"flgne. the tf'1'
Nos,il Nohnmmcd tho Cohducfrr 1h"r
have tulc1 from tho north ~ Africa TO ~"
shorrs II tho Pacific they have sent eNic.
ditiona AGAINST Vienna and against Jarnh.
they have tcrncd IN Russia. In Persia w Clinn
and In India and. although their eiupifc' hn'"
been mostly ophcmoTal. a TURK stu ali upon
the throne - 'onstsn'inople. and o Manchu
on that ~ pckin
Tho cafl"st information respecting these
races comes chiefly fr, m Chinese sources. which
describe under th" general name 81 Hung M.
tho tribes to the north - the Iloans- Ilo against
whose incurslons the gfsnt wall was built uf
their early westward movements We have no
Indications except the appearance of various
hordes Ia the West but II Il clear that In the
fourth century 81 our era movement toward
the Crals and the Nolga took place This mi
grafton is marked by the still existing settle
ments of Samoyedes ard Ostiaks on the Asiatc
side Of the Northern Urnls. 10y The Films Laps
and other races In North Russia. and by the
Mordvnians and Cheremlssians on the Nolga-
Subsequent movements, Of whose causes We are
equally ignoran. drove the moro important part
VI bHesS liIDts tIlo NUM-, INV bu'Hhiidflb
the Avars-southwest from the Ural and Olga
against the frontiers Of the Roman Empire.
The name Turk appears In Chinese rs TI-kiu,
and In Greek as Tourkoi a. early as the NTH and
sixth centuries Of our era. in the last ten years
monuments have been discovered on the Yensei
ard Orkhon rivers. which throw a light on the
pre-Isl iric civilization 4 the Turkish people.
The most important oiNhese Ia m inscribed
memorial found near the latter river. and
erected in 7as A. D. to one hul-Tegin by his
brother Bilgo Khagan. The Turks seem at
that time TO have had two occupations. pastur-
age and warfare. the latter either on their own
account OF as mercenaries of the Chinese. They
were exc xcellcnt horsemen. and the spirit OF NIL
itary adventure was favored by their peculiar
institutions. In pursuance Of which the youngest
son usually inherited his fathers property.
while the elder brothers went out Into the
world to seek their fortunes. Among them
we're already noticeable the special instincts Of
discipline and order which characterized the
followers Of Jenghiz Khan, Timur and the
Osmanlis. which. unhappily, has nothing
To do with good government, but merely makes
every man render unGuestioninR obedience 10
his military or official superior. They possessed
an alphabet which has a superficial resemblance
to r'Ines, due to the fact that it is composed e1-
clusively Of vertical and oblique strokes, with
out any horizontal lin"s TIL Y had. however
no written law or sacred books. Their religion
seems to have consisted Of the worship q the
sky and Of the five elements, earth. water. FIRE.
wood nd metal or iron. TIE old name Taner.
or Heaven. is still used in Osmanli Turkish for
God, but the ancient religion seems TO have had
little lasting effect on the national character.
It's most important characteristics we're mega
lyns fEsaTa . a lt,vto
hood or other institutions tending to settle and
control the traditional soldiers Of fortune In
due tine. however. the Turks came into contact
with both Christianity and Buddhism. Tho
former was introduced into Central Asia by
HISTORIAN missionaries through Khorassan. and
In the fourth and sixth centuries We hear of
Bishops Of Merv. Herat and Samarcand
Buddhism was apparently. imported rather
later. in the sixth century.
From the third until the end OF tho sixth CEN
tury A. D., the Turks played a considerable
part In the Affairs Of China. which Is passed
over In the book before us. II Is more TO our
authors purpose TO notice that they came into
collision with the dynasty " the Sassanids
In Persia t?lj-s39 b. c., and pressed persls-
tently westward toward the southern ex-
tremity Of the Caspian. waging a continual
war which Is described by Persian writer's
az the contest OF Iran and Turan. As tho
Greek Empire was also at war with Persia.
the Turks seem to have thought that they
might make an alliance with Byzantium against
the common enemy. In 56o the Turkish Khan
sent an embassy TO the Greek Emperor. He
proposed to act as an Intermediary for the
silk trade between China and Bvzantium.
but his overtures We're refused From the
time when section Of the Turks entered the
service Of the Abh1sd Caliphs. and in their
name exercised temporal power. all educated
persons are conversant with the principal
events Of Turkish history. We need not review
them. therefore. but turn TO chapter in which
our author endeavors to define the practical
effect OF the chief doctrines Of Islam on the life
Of the nation,whch Processes them.