The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1909-03-10
Of TIE TURK
Has Won an Lost More Land
Than Any Other Nation.
ONE TIME A WORLD BUGBEAR.
Then the Tide Turned, and One Great
Misfortune Followed Another Till
rope by the Treaty of Berlin.

The Terrible Turk who may be
taken as typifying the empire Of the
sultans, holds one record at least
which he is not likely to be deprived
Of. He has won and lost more terri
tory than any other nation.
There was time when the sultan
was the bugbear of the world. Even
little children in England shook in
their shoes when they heard his name
mentioned, and those people who lived
anywhere near him dared not call their
lives their own.
But at last the tide turned The
Turk began to lose, and one great mis-
fortune followed another
Spain was the first big bit Of the
Turkish empire to break free. The
Moors who were subject and paid
tribute to the sultan, were driven from
province after province until at length
they were cooped up in the solitary
kingdom of Granada.
The last Moorish king to reign in
Spain was Boabdil-el- Chaco, or Boab-
dill the Unlucky In 1882 Ferdinand
and Isabella, the king and queen Of
Aragon and CASTLE, declared war on
him, and in 1892 he had to surrender
everything
Hungary, which now forms half of
the dual monarchy Of the Emperor
Francis Joseph, was province Of the
sultan for $50 years. Then it was torn
from him by the sword.
After this came the turn of the
cars. The Russians. whom he once
despised, have been the Turks worst
enemies. They have either robbed him
themselves or encouraged others to rob
him.
Peter the Great set the example, but
was not. on the whole, very successful
in his wars against the Moslems At
one time the Turks could have cap
tured and massacred Peter and his ar
my, but were frustrated by the slave
. girl, Catherine, whom Peter had mar
ried,
Catherine the Great tore the Crimea
from the unhappy Turk, together with
, thousands Of square miles Of territory
, along the shores of the Caspian.
In 1921 the Greeks, who had been
slaves of the sultans for many centu-
ries, rose in rebellion and drove the
, Turks out Of the country. But then
, the Greek leaders began to quarrel
, amo,e, themselves, and civil war fol-
lowed. The Turk took the opportunity
to seize the country once more.
But the massacres and other horrors
, which followed aroused Europe In
, 1927 the Turkish fleet was destroyed
, at Navarino The combined fleets of
. Britain. France and Russia took part
in the opera ton.
! In 1923 Greece was acknowledged as
a free and Independent kingdom. with
> king of it's own.
} For nearly century Egypt. which
: the Turk conquered in 641. has been
! part of the sultan's empire in little
= more than name. and since 1882, when
Y the English occupied Pharaoh's coun-
try after Arab Pasha's rebellion. the
e Turk has had practically nothing to do
D with Egypt.
The Moorish corsairs who had their
a lair in the pirate city Of Algiers &C.
: knowledged the sultan as their suze-
t rain, but were defantly Independent as
regarded all tie rest of the world
8 Their swift sailing dhows preyed on
a the commerce Of all Europe. and from
s start to finish they seized many thou
sands Of white captives. many OF
y whom they ransomed, while others
. they doomed to slavery.
/ When asked to keep his piratical
/ subjects in order the sultan declared
e himself helpless to do anything. The
e freebooters went on doing as they
Y liked for long time. Then France
$ became weary Of patience and forcibly
: took possession of the city in $780,
t Since then she has annexed 3O7 $50
o square miles Of Algerian territory once
e subject to the sultan.
e Then came the Turks worst time
Russia made war on him, and the Bal.
f kan states, which had been held as
: provinces by Turkey for hundreds OF
). years, revolted, few to arms and did
Y everything they could on the side OF
e Russia. Had the car been left to him
d Scll tuC III hiSil CupIiC WOuiu La {
l. been practically destroyed. The other
t great powers. however. were afraid to
t see Russia too powerful. They insist
r ed on summoning the congress Of Der
lin.
s By the terms Of the treaty Of Berlin
$ the Turk was almost swept out Of Eu
I rope. Bosnia and Herzegovina were
handed over to Austria to keep in or
J. der Rcumana. Servia and Montene
6 gro were declared absolutely lndepend
). ent Of him Pulgaria was created into
d a prin ioality nominally under thu
n sultan's suzerainty. but in reality free
t And then Austria annexed Bosnia and
D Herzegov ina.-Pearson's Weekly.
The True Bohemian.
l. "a true bohemian is man who Dor
n rows a dollar and then invites you t.
Is lnnch VI \ Il -