The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-06-01
History Of Ups and Downs IN Turkish History Politics in
1927 Included Dealing with Kings and Emperors
Who Amounted to Little.

the days fighting was done and hear
ing him tell about the Floradoras who
were waiting for each of them beyond
the circling mists.
What the World Was LikeA
In the 500 or 700 years between the
passing of Mohammed and the begin
nings of the Turkish Empire there was
not much of general interest going on
In Asia At least, not in Asia Minor.
OF course, down South in India and
East in China there was considerable
organized government and more or less
temperate civilization. Asiatic Russia
was mostly a silent waste. inhabited by
rowing bands of Mongols who would cut
a mans throat in minute. From 1905
TO 1893 Peter the Hermit and Walter the
Penniless conducted the first crusade,
which had for its object the taking OF
Jerusalem from the hands OF the Mo-
hammedans. The first crusade failed,
as did the later ones, and all the region
from the Red Sea to the Ganges River
was under the sway Of the Caliph. All
the myriad peoples of that vast region
were not Mohammedans, of course. Most
OF them were nothing of any conse-
quence, the speculative or vacuous cults
of India and China and the simple idola-
tries Of the fathers being patronized by
many who were Indifferent to Mohammed
and his legacy of faith. Their daily lives
were given over TO irregular warfare, dry
farming, camel culture, and matrimony.
They married early and often, and to
maintain the supply of wives great
slave-importing business was established,
with offices in Circassia, principally. Cir
cassia made a speciality Of burly blondes
That was the condition OF the Eastern
Turkey was born. America was undis-
covered by more than 200 years and
Europe was given over mostly to hard
and manslaughter. Henry III
was King of England at this time, and
itself wasn't much better than
a wooded island of wild boars. English
society then consisted largely of horse
thieves. called knights by the Roman
GERS. and plain democrats who were the
serfs of hairy barons who lived in stone
forts on the high hills and never bathed.
In France one of the Philip boys was
king of the main portion, his title being
by provincial princes and his
time taken up with religious politics
and intrigue. The French masses divided
their time about equally between going
10 war and fishing for sardines. The
Germany Of the present day was not
very well known in European society in
the year 1927. II was then a great land
IF trees and water and intoxication. The
population was scattered and the plain
people lived principally by trapping wild
game and foraging the settlements to
he south. They had their kings and
1obles and such like. but these gave the
populace little trouble. being very well
satisfied 10 live in their picturesque
ca stiles on the Rhine and rob river craft
for their livings. In Italy it was only
before the immortal Dante
and the Divine Comedy. The Italians
had sbout the only genuine enlighten-
nent on earth. and even they were pretty
coarse in their amusements and pre-
f. red brigandage to bridge. That was
the condition of the world in the decade
around 1227. when the Turkish Empire
got its start. 1t was a tolerably sorry
world. and perhaps Turkey should not
De harshly blamed for having suffered
al its life from moral myopia. Turkey
VAS born of unpedigreed parents and
al in a shady neighborhood.
NV, here comes Turkey. In 1221
of nondescript Asiatics, held
ogether by tribal instinct and the need
# numbers for self protection. were |
moving with their fiocks and herds and |
ilaves from place TO place in search of
rec grass and a place to raise a crop OF |
rain without irrigation. They brought |
ID at a lonely place in the valley of the |
cuphrates River, and pitched their tents |
They were. like most of their ethnic |
Iinsmen of the time, nomadic by habit |
md not attached closely TO any establish !
ID government. Few of them had ever |
een to town and their habits were rude, |
heir ideals low and their table manners |
~ i
ggs out of their hands was absolutely |
disgusting. In pottering around the
Iuphrates one day their old chief, Sulei-
nan Shah. fell into the river and was
rowned. The loss of their leader alarm
d the tribesmen and they felt the need
4 a closer alliance with the ruler of
hat territory. Accordingly they applied
o the nearest potente for permission to
ecome his subjects and take up come
government land. They were accepted
nd assigned to a vacant district. where
hey soon set up housekeeping and chose
,torghrul. son of old Suleiman, for their
hartman. Gpass was good and water
lentiful in their new home and soon the
'anderers ceased mourning for their
rowned captain. In little while they
Identified themselves with their new
eighbors. intermarrying and giving Sat
rday night dinner dances. L
Etorghrul died in 1888 and was sue
eeded by his son Osman. II was this
sman. or Gilman, from whom the name
ttoman comes down to us. He was the i
eal founder of the Ottoman Empire.
sman was quite a man, being 100 per
emit masculine and as brave as a bull
lis overload, the Sultan of Tab-iz.
as elderly and worn down by wars
18th the Mongols. the celebrated
enghis Khan and his immediate sue
assor having overrun the country peri
Ideally. Osman and his constituents
ere Mohammedans and strong in the
nth. while the Mongols were pagan and
together de, trop. The old Sultan had
Iscovered Osman's metal and given him
n important military command. Get
ng his opportunity Osman thrashed a
rge and devastating army of Mongo-
an invaders, then marched west and
hipped an army of venturesome Greeks
no were marauding on his side of the