The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1905-12-14

the population of two mountainous
and even that proved to be
no chiid's play by any means.
was in Alexandria, Egypt, during
the bombardment of that city by the
English feet in 1883, and from there 1
travelled through part of Palestine and
Phenicia; then by steamer to Crete
and Smyrna, and from there through
Western Asia Minority way of Skutsri,
Constantinople, and Adrianople to
Macedonia and Albania. Altogether,
in times of war and peace, l have spent
about eighteen months in the Sultan's
domains. AS all this was done for the
express purpose of writing about it, 1
kept my eyes pretty wide open, and so
learned many things about the Turkish
people which casual traveller could
not easily haye learned. The home life
of the Mohammedans is the most in
teresting part of that strange people;
but of that shall speak i1. Part II of
this article. AS this short description
has started with war episode, 1 shall
let the soldier have She precedence. I
have to ask the reader to judge in
diligently of my efforts to squeeze
theme of such magnitude into two
short newspaper articles. Some of the
views 1 shall express, may be fallible
and subject to errors; but l believe
them to be substantially correct, and
l know they are shared in by those who
have been able to study the same sub
ject very closely.
The Turkish soldier of today has not
deteriorated from what he used to be
centuries ago, when the invinclble
armies of Solyman and the other war
like padishahs were the terror of
Europe and Asia. But he has not
kept step with the soldiers of modern
nations in point of education, training,
mobilization, and in the use of trans
portation means and of the technical
appliances, tho much has been
done within the last fifteen years to
improve him also in that respect.
If ever I was favorably impressed by
any soldiers, it was those Turks I saw
at Plevna. Clothed in what little was
left of their light summer uniform,
while the thermometer stood below
zero, fed for months with nothing but
rice boiled in water and with tea with
out sugar and milk, these brave men
worked and fought indefatigably from
morning till night. When they did
not work or fight they prayed, prayed
openly, but unostentatiously, as the
Mohammedans always do, wherever
they just happen to be; on the streets
in the barracks, in the trenches. They
did not pray for victory, or for delivery
out of their unenviable position, fol
that did not seem to trouble them at
all. They simply prayed, because it is
their custom to pray. While the men
were not cheerful, they were uncon'
cerned. They obey orders under al
circumstances, no matter what odds
they are sent against. They firmly be-
lieve that everything has been ordained
by fate, and that they will not fall ir
battle unless it has been so decreed
and that it is utterly out of thei
J power to work against fate. Mos
Occldentals call the Turks. fanatics
but think fatalists is more appropri
ate appellation. They are exceedingl.
frugal, easily contented, and indulg'
, in no intoxicants, and have no BAT
habits, tho they are very fond of smok
ing. In stature they are somewha
, smaller and slighter than the Englisl
and Germans, but they are very wir,
q and able to stand much hardship.
1t is generally contended that war
0 cannot be fought without the expendi
t ture of much money. Yet Turkey ha
a been bankrupt the last fifty years an
Q her financial condition was all alon
|. absolutely desperate. But wheneve
q they we're attacked they were there
!, nevertheless, and always gave goo
7, account of themselves. For all tina
It Turkey lost within the last thirty year
g Moldovia, Servia, Roumania, Bulgari
q and Bosnia; half of their Europea
possessions; but it must be admitte
Q that all these provinces were populate
q largely by Slavs, and but very slightl
s by Turks,
d In 1894 they made very short wor
b Of the Greeks, and in the Crimean We