Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-18
BULGARIA HAS A FINE ARMY
While that Of Turkey is in q Meas
ure Disorganized.
IS WELL EQUIPPED
Both Contain Good Fighting Material
-BulERrians Are CONFIDENT
and Are Able 20 strike
Quickly.

LONDON, Oct. 17.-In making an estimate
of the war strength Of the Balkan states 1t
is easily seen that the present is a much
more favorable time for Bulgaria than for
Turkey. Bulgaria has for years been pre-
pairing for the very crisis which she now
faces, and her army, perhaps, never was
In better condition. Turkey, on the other
hand, is in the midst of changes in military
administration and system and her army
appears to worse advantage than even in
these days of corruption and inefficiency
preceding the Young Turk regime.
Bulgaria reviews the last twenty years
history of her army with pride. The offic-
ers display with swollen chests troops that
have been whipped into what many Eu-
ropeau military experts declare to be one
Of the model armies of the world.
They have no hesitancy in permitting a
stranger to witness drills. examine ac-
coutrements and arms and inspect bar
racks. Pictures Of troops in action of
~favorite companies and prominent officers
are the most conspicuously displayed pho
tographers in the shops. The principal club
Of Sofia is the Military club, and in the
afternoons and evenings It is crowded with
smart looking, well dressed officers, who
discuss with pride the superiority of their
army to that of their neighbors, and assert
their readiness for war with Turkey, which
they consider Bulgaria's hereditary enemy.
IL was a group Of such enthusiasts who de-
clared that in the advent OF the declara-
ton Of war the march to Constantinople
would be merely a promenade.
Active Army, All Recruits.
The Turks seemed to wish to forget the
recent history of their army" said an
American who as the guest of a Turkish
officer had been allowed to witness the
drilling of troops on the plains near Adria-
nople. zone of the first acts of the present
government was to dismiss to their homes
all soldiers who had served their three
years under the colors, a course in marked
contrast to the arbitrary rule of the former
palace favorites who retained men in the
service as long as they could force them
to remain AS a result the active army is
now composed of recruits.
Most of the troops that I saw were I'M
dergoing elementary instruction and they
fairly swarmed over the parade grounds in
small squads, mounted and unmounted,
learning to ride and to march. The men
seemed slow to learn, dull and ignorant.
The officers were alert and energetic, but
1t appeared to me that their knowl-
edge of their profession was not extern
sive.
AT least 50 per cent of the conscriots
were illiterate, and while the officers to
some extent were educated men, the" were
lacking in a practical military training.
Education is one of the greatest wants Of
the Turkish army; first Of all among the
rank and file.
There is plenty of good material. but
the training is not up to date, and with
out that scientific training which has be-
come necessary on a modern battlefield the
courage and patience with which every
one who knows the Turkish soldier will
admit he is endowed are useless.
i was struck with the way things were
done under the old order by seeing in a gun
park 100 or more Krupp quick firing guns
FOR both horse and field artillery. The
pieces had been issued to the artillery
branch of the service almost three years
before yet they had never been used ex-
cept for a few trial shots when they first
arrived.
stores Are Wasted.
The sultan had always denied permits
sion to the officers to engage in either
musketry or artillery field practice. and
mus the stores of ammunition that were
bought at the same time spoiled or were
wasted In the arsenals. Now, these fine
guns and they are really such, are being
put into condition, foreign instructors in
their use have been engaged and a plot
OF ground for artillery field practice has
been secured.
One of the officers put the matter thus:
we have no lack of guns, ammunition
OF men, what we want is the practical
training that was denied us under the
] former ppVnrnrnnnt Al
it. for we know and feel the need of IT
Everything is in disorder and confusion
now, but wait for a few months and YOU
shall see a wonderful improvement"
The Bulgarians have a passion for edu-
cation. A remark that you may often hear
quoted in army circles is that OF Marshal
Oyama, who said after the battle of Muk-
den that the victory was "a triumph Of
japanese education"
Infantry the PRINCIPAL Aim.
The Bulgar is a slow-minded fellow. bur
he is not illiterate, and under the influence
OF military training he is more easily made
into a modern soldier than the Turk. The
military school at Sofia is admirably
equipped and has been turning out eff
cient young officers. One Of the sights on
which the Bulgarian capital prldes itself
" liz AautN GOIpSs II DO0Y OF
about LOCO as smart looking young Off
GERS as you might see anywhere.
The curriculum of the school is much the
same as that Of West Point or Of the best
of the European military schools. and the
institution is under the close supervision
Of the war minister. as well as OF Car
Ferdinand himself. In these respects the
school at Sofia has been in marked con-
trast to the military college at CONSTANT
nople.
There the study Of chemistry was pro-
hibited by the sultan because an anarchist
who knew something of science threw a
bomb at him, and the chief of the army
corps staff said that he had never visited
the school, giving as his reason that il
he had done so he would have been de-
nounced by the sultan as a spy and as a
meddler with matters that did not concern
him.
The principal branch OF the service OF
both the Turkish and Bulgarian armies is
the infantry, The endurance and patience
OF the Turkish infantryman nave been re,