New-York tribune., 1908-11-02
SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE
Nambers of Them Haze Left Ne5c
York for Belgrade.

Copyright, 1905 by the Brentwood Company
New York is d great camping ground in times of
peace for those soldiers of fortune and well born
adventurers whom the English novelist Henry Seton
Merrinan describes graphically under the name
of The Fultures" and 1t would be interesting 70
know how many of them have sailed for Europe
since the beginning of the present crisis in the
Balkans. fastening TO Belgrade Sofa, Cettinie and
Constantinope with the object of being on hand
If any war breaks cut. No one, not even the in
habtanrs of the countries Immediately concerned
in the inbroglio. is scanning eagerly the
newspapers day by day for the latest information
about the situation than these men. who will be
cruelty disappointed if rulers, statesmen and dip
lomats succeed in averting a conflict and in pre-
serving peace; for in that event the journey OF
these modern counterparts OF the ancient Condot-
teri from America to Europe will have been to
purpose, and the money spent thereon merely vast
ed-money which they have found it exceedingly
difficult to obtain
Formerly all the world was open TO these soldiers
OF fortune But nowadays their offers, of service
are frowned upon by most of the civilized powers
Nor did the showing which they made under the
Boer flag during the last IN South Africa tend
to improve their reputation. the general consensus
Of opinion, even among the Afro-Dutch for whom
they fought being to the effect that they did
harm than good Certain It is that none of them,
with the exception. perhaps Of the French Colonel
de Vilebois- -Mareui, achieved any lasting distinc-
tion.
Germany Austria, Italy and Great Britain have
no use whatsoever for alien mercenaries. France
and Holland still continue to enroll them II the
non-counissoned ranks Of their so-called foreign
legions, which are employed for the kind Of work
for which the governments Of these two countries
do their countrymen. Russia
viii consent to grant commissions in her army to
aliens only when the latter are Of royal other
wise illustrious birth. Rumania and Bulgaria have
such splendidly organized, well equipped and per
fectly trained armies that they do not for
services Of foreigners particularly after their
sorry experiences I'm connection with men of this
kind in their of liberation thirtytxo years
Greece still shivers at the recollection of the
mercenaries who took service under her flag in her
last with Turkey, and who, under the com
znand Of Ricciotti Garibaldi, did infinitely more
damage TO friend than to foe and behaved in such
q manner that their presence worked more havoc in
the districts which they infested than the Turkish
invader and It at last became necessary for the
Greek government virtually TO expel them from the
kingdom. In Turzey- a. any rate until new laws
inaugurated the army IS closed to them, since
the privilege Of serving under the Turkish flag is
restricted 10 Moslems except in the case of those
foreign officers who have been loaned by their re-
spective governments to the Sublime Porte
Japan absolutely declined to accept the numerous
offers which she received Of the services of foreign
soldiers of fortune during her with Russia,
and indeed the only field that remains open to them
in the Latin republics OF Central and South
America and at Belgrade, where the government
OF King Peter utterly denoralized by the influence
Of the men responsible for the death of his prede-
cessor. cannot afford 10 display any squeamishness
But the Servian government has no money In one
word the reign Of the soldier OF fortune who played
so important a rCle n the Middle Ages and even IN
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries contrib
uting even fair share to the romance Of the in
initely more prosaic and matter Of fact nineteenth
century. seems TO have come to end; and he has
no place in modern warfare.