The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-07-31

Six Months so cents.
tie was planted in front of the palace
doors that sign of terror, the inverted
soup Kettle, which has caused many a
Sultan's face to blanch-t that sign of
open revolt which has sent the royal
debauchee scurrying from the harem
in fear and dismay. The matter was
compromised, tho the firman was never
revoked, and from that time until the
extinction of the order in 1884 by Sui
tan Mahmoud, the sultan always ap-
pointed the Chief Aga.
Whether the disbandment of the or
der at this time is significant or not, it
Is at least co-incident with an atrophy
of military efficiency that has affected
the Turkish service ever since.
The Janizaries reached the zenith of
their glory under the Manomet who be-
sieged and captured Constantinople in
1853. The city, under the unfortunate
Constantine had been holding out some
time. On the fatal day direct attack
was made by the Moslem hordes on
the gate of st. Romulus. A deep ditch
formed barrier to successful assault.
The flanking towers of the city's prin-
cipal entrance were already topping
from the huge stones shot from the
cannon of Urban, who had deserted the
Christian for the Turk. The Janizaries.
twelve thousand strong, were held in
reserve, and unwearied as yet by
watching the fray, stood waiting the
signal to advance. at the critical mo-
ment the sultan, with the military gen.
ius which made him famous, hurled
them at the breach. The trench in
front of the gate filled rapidly now
missiles from cross bow, arquebuse
and catapult rained on them from the
walls above. The besieged had recog-
nized the sheep wool of the january,
and with a despair born of desperation
made last effort, well knowing thatif
the ditch was once crossed there was
nothing but destruction awaiting them,
while their wives and daughters would
confront fate worse than death. The
air grew black with flying missiles;
huge coping stones, shattered frag-
ments of rock, were thrust by the de-
tenders down onto the steel-lined
caps of the Janizaries, carrying away
companies at a breath.
The head of the column coiled into
the trench like the winding convolu-
tion of spring; it was nearly full now
with dead and dying. The january in
his last awful death agony endeavoring
to fall traversely into something
like the old formation; struggling,
bleeding, life almost spent, th hey
squirmed and wriggled their way side
by side into the gaps of this abattoir of
hell, that those behind might the better
find a surer footing.-it was the last
service they could render to the corps
they loved so we'll. With the mists of
dissolution fast dimming their sight,
they raised feeble arms and cheered
their brotherhood, as the mailed heel
of their comrades swept over them in
relentless storm of mutilation and
death, crushing out remaining life till
not the quiyer of muscle remained to
tell of what had once been the living
embodiment of divine image. Esprit
det corps to the iastI One for all, all
for one.
There are few instances in the annals
of warfare where such complete SUBJ
seryiency of spirit to the good of many,
such entire obliteration of self, as is
depicted here. That might amid the
ruin and devastation of mosaic statue
and peristyle, the iron emblem of the
Janizaries rested on the altar, under
the sacred dome of st. Sophia. And
when war, red war, dfsrupts the peace
of nations and lays its DEATH destroy
ing hand on both friend and foe alike,
amid the smoke of battle, under the
incandescent arches of flashing steel,
the pristine glory of the Yeni- Tscheri
may well stand as monumental ex-
emplifcation of what military energy
means when brought to the highest
state of perfection a perfection never
surpassed and seldom equalled by mod
ern militancy. x. M.
With every child we lose we see
deeper into life, as with every added
r-