The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1907-12-28
BRAVERY OF TURKS
NOT THE EEsULT or RELIGIOUS
INSPIRATION.
Writer ir the Contemporary Review
Dscisres indifsrenes 10 Danger
Is Purely Racial Char
acteristic with Them

The bravery 81 the Turkish Aeh-
med Tommy Is well known Ac-
cording 10 A. de Bilinsky in the Con
temporary Review. i proceeds from
the absolute unconscioushess Of dan
ger. u its blindness it IS almost ami
mai-lIke. but. precisely On that &C
count, knows 10 limits. Its nature -
best revealed b. the attention tire
Turkish soldier il capable Of giving
In the thick Of battle 10 triviai details
of ordinary life, such as the undoing
of his boot strings, which he win sit
down calmly and unconcernedly 70 put
right. or the flight Of bird, which he
VIII follow III rs course. or a humor-
Ozss incident which will set him laugh
fng. II ID > purely racial character
istic Contrary 70 what is generally
thought 10 be the Gaze, religious IN
spiration has little or nothing 70 DO
with IL.
IsIamlsm only adds 10 the warlike
enthusiasm Of ghe Turk II makes him
more eager. more strenuous. more en-
terprisIng in battle with the infidel
since death in such case secures TO
him the transcendent rewards Of
martyrdom. But his fearlessness is
not greater when he is waging war
against the latter than when he Is
fighting hls rebeIlicus Albanian or
Arab coreIlgiOnist. which ne is con-
stantly employed ia doing By order Of
the sultan He is as enduring as he is
brave, and as disciplined as he Is en-
during What he can put up with in
the way Of hardships Of every descrip-
tioE is far beyond the capacity OF the
European soldier. not excluding the
Russian, who. however, might equal
the. Turk i'm this connection we're II
not for the drinking habit to which he
is a victim and from which the former
II absolutely free.
To find an exact parallel for the
power Of the Turk TO defy all forms Of
suffering we must go TO China and
Japan. ri does not detract In the least
from his meriit in this respect TO say,
what Is perfectly true in his case as in
that Of the Chinese and Japanese, that
his impassIyeness where pain-produc-
ing circumstances are concerned, pro-
ceeds in great measure from insensi-
biIity Ultimately this means the pos
session Of an exceptionally healthy
and robust constitution. and health
and strength, which certainly are
among the inheritances Of the Turk,
are great virtues The discipline Of the
Turk does not show in superficial mat
ters. He reserves his salute for full
blown generals and otherwise behaves
towards his superiors with d sans
gene which produces q bad impression
on those who arc accustomed to con-
meet obedience with a complicated dis
play or respect But his submissive
ness to those In command is quite
extraordinary, though under the pres.
ent government Of Turkey the con-
ditIons Of his military service have
become so fntolerahle that mutiny
has become a frequent occurrence Ia
the imperial army. The wonder is
that any discipline at all exists in its
midst. The reliant and resourceful,
shovsd add that this last quality is
characteristic Of all the inhabitants
OF Turkey, who. IN the semibarbarousl
condition OF the courts, ars constantly
forced to exercise their wits with
| great keenness to preserve their late
existence.