New-York tribune., 1908-01-25
4 BOOK OF BLOOD.
The Red Tale of the Mongol
Empires.

/ niles who swept all Asia with their lnNlnclo'e
! armies and poisoned Europe with the plague ol
their horsemen under the names OF the Huns
the Rulrars. the Magyars. the Turks and the
| NongoI invaders of Russia Only scholar OF
his linguistic genius could have seriously under
tal,an "a collate the records of these hundred
! wars written in twenty Asiatic languages and
| scattered throughout the entire Eastern world
| Historians should be thankful that Mr.. Curtin's
| life was happily prolonged until the last word
| of his great study had been written. The world
| viii r,rohabIv have to wait a long time before
] another equally competent historian arises in
this boundless field. When that man does ap-
pear. let us hope that ne will supplement rather
than elaborate Mr.. Curtin's present volume; his
work should be to give in briefer compass and
with less detail, what has already been COM
piled. From the standpoint of every reader
save the specializing Oriental historian this in
valuable history suffers by too great accuracy
and wealth A shorter, more pointed study,
bringing out even more sharply the ghastliness
Of the era and its relation 10 European history
would attract many general readers and go
far toward dispelling the still lingering notion
that Asia has anything to teach the West. The
resignation and inertness of Eastern religions
and philosophers appear, after one has studied
the Mongol invasions, more in the light of opin-
ions forced upon the weak by the ruthless strong
than like theories meant for our own quiet well
ordered world For a world which had many a
time felt the scourge of pitiless ambition, such
as Jinghis Khan displayed ambition naturally
became sin. There is no exa aggeration in Mr.
Curtin's Introductory description of Jinghfs
Khan:
This man summed up in himself and intensified
10 ON lne utmost the idea. the strength, temper and
his day He placed the Mongols on 4 the stag
OF me world with a skill and power that were
which he were immediate and terrifying No
man born OF woman has had thus far in history
d success 50 peculiar. so thorough and perfect so
completely acknowledged by mankind as the sue
rs gtsS Won oy IelmudJln tJinghis Khans name).
finish: oneness OF character that sets 1t apart
tory who worked for this life and no other and
strove for no object save that which is tangible
cess so enormous that common Intelligence might
earn ear toT Il but have no more chance Of winning
during the night hours The career Of this Mon
gol is unique in the world, unapproachable since
its object was unmixed and immediate and his
success in attaining it was so great that we might
say II seems superhuman-
Toward the close Of the twelfth century Tel
mudjin born in the wild mountain coun-
rivers rise and flow in different directions over
half of Asia. Like these streams, Telmudjin's
ambitious thoughts began to flow outward be
yond the confines Of his own tribal territories
And, hot on the trail OF these thoughts. followed
Telmudjin's cunning and his crushing hand.
No matter who his enemies were. he removed
mem as coolly as teacher in his classroom rubs
TaidjUts as soon as he felt himself strong enough
but before he could do that his task was to weed
out and train his family. Neither mother nor
brother nor any one must stand between Telmud-
jim and his object The wisdom of Telmudjin in
building up empire was unerring. clear, instinct
comb.
Chief after chief, tribe after tribe. kingdom
after kingdom fell before his transcendent dipIo-
macy and all-cleaving sword. until at last under
his newly assumed title Of the Mighty Khan he
set out with a -prodigious army Of horsenen
across the twelve hundred miles Of desert and
wilderness that lay between his empire and the
Great Wall Of China. The naughty Middle
Kingdom fell, and ninety of its richest cities
were sacked. The Iooting and slaughter in this
were on truly imperial scale. the
most horrible sieges being laid and indescribable
atrocities perpetrated by a score Of huge armies
-trewn all over the opulent but fabby empire
IF Cathay. And yet this conquest of the rich
ast most thickly populated nation in the world
was q small affair in comparison with Jinghis
Nhan's next exploit. The great MongOIs do
mains now extended 10 the frontiers Of the huge
ma powerful kwaresnian Empire. which the
reader may better recognize under
he roughly ACCURATE name Of Greater Persia
hen extending from the YaXartes to the Indus
and from Kurdistan TO the great roof Of the
world" the Pamir Highlands. Jinghls Khan's
attack upon this country affords the moralist a
pregnant theme for dissertations upon the dis
sstrous consequences of religious fanaticism and
petty greed, for there can scarcely be any doubt
hat this most awful CONFUSION and devasta-
ion Of a thousand races caused ar bottom
" the Vaccinations Of Mohammedan sect, and
more Immediately by city governors envy Of
he rich silks and jewels offered for sale by a
PARTY OF four hundred merchants from Cathay
The sect of Shiites summoned the Mongol to
overthrow their religious rivals and tricked the
Shah Mohammed into believing that Jinghis
Khan was weak; the governor of Otrar took his
.ue from his sovereign and looted rich cara
AN. assassinating all the leaders Of IT, who
we're wealthy subjects of Jinghis Kahn Then
,1rst the storm. How cyclonic il was the world
yiIl never know accurately; but, from the vast
mass of facts garnered here and there through
M the devastated country, a picture without a
,endant may be patched up. In 1918 Jinghis /
Khan set out on war OF revenge, and swept all
, sia with him as he marched westward By the
ivne he reached the Kwaresmian boundary his !
rr,7v Of wild horsemen large that stalls
ics are vain. II was continent in saddle.
Nr Curtin's account Of the paralyzing on
,aurhts OF these squat, slit-eyed, brawny
,orserneu with faces like the snouts OF dogs.
$ the medieval chroniclers describe them, fol- |
NUS the original records OF the survivors as
loee1v as the peaceful mind Of the Western |
aadar would care to have him do This means !
,,a1 almost all the ghastly details Of the Per /
ian. Arabic Hungarian and Russian contem-
orarv histories have been Omitted. 1t is well, |
oo. for one or two typical anecdotes suggest the |
,speakable strongly enough. They make II !
ossitle for US to believe the sober statement or
he historians that. I'm Eastern Asia alone, !
i,obis Khan slew over Is, 800 900 human beings |
, tyelve years of war, and that the death roll
-, t,, the western Mongol invaders under |