The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-24
DEPARTURE OF THE TURK
From the New York Journal Of Com

From the New York Journal of Com
 meroe
 NE of the first effects of the on. trance of Italy into the war vii,
 be to hasten the final depart,,re or the Iurk from Europe. After an in- terval of 462 years Constantinople will again change masters. It is better for Christendom that 1t should be SO and f. is also better for Islam The Turanian horde from the steepes of central Asia that finally succeeded in making Constan- rinople the capital of the Mohammeda [, world was from the first the foe of civlli- zation. It was an Arabic Islam that wa. the parent of Moslem art and architec- ture, science and literature: that kept the light of learning alive in Europe during the dark centuries. Tt was this Islam which sent it's priests and teachers and traders over half the earth and scattered noble cities and gracious mosques from the foot of the Pyrenes almost to the Pa cific It was another Islam that became in the hands of the Turks the symbol of reaction and mere brute violence. So, as MT Sidney Low aptly puts it: When the
 
 protector of Mohammedans, he was taking the first step, however little he intended or foresaw such result. toward the re- construction of the Moslem world on the ruins of the military despotism which had usurped the Caliphate." The city of the Straits may become Christian again with cut a jar to the religious sensibilities of the most pious of Moslems With the Holy Cities secure against attack, the Moslem learning of this century can find Cairo a more promising center than Constantinople ever offered. And it would be to ignore one of the vital influences of our time to take no account of the intel lectual development of the Islamic peo- pies. It has been plausibiy suggested that some time there will be a tunnel under the Bosphorus, and passengers and mails will be run straight through from Boulogne to Bombay. But that will only make Stamboul an important point of transit. like Marselless or Brindisi. The idea that Constantinople is the key ta India is an exploded one, but there can be no question that it is the key to tha Black sea, and that the powers who are most concerned in its fate are those whose possessions border on that sea.
 With the passing of the Turk from the European stage there will be thrown into strong relief the colossal propor- tions of the German blunder of dragging Turkey into the war Great Britain never would have gone to war to effect the downfall of Turkey, or even to counteract the German advance in the middle east. When she drew the sword to support France and liberate Belgium she was. un deniably anxious to restrict the area of hostlities. All the resources of British diplomacy were employed to keep Turkey and Egypt out of the quarrel and in con- junction with France and Russia Great Britain invited Turkey to remain neutral and offered upon that condition to guar antee the integrity of the Ottoman do- minions.
 The British ambassador at Constantine ple did his best to dissuade the Sultan and his ministers from taking the ire trievable step, and launching the empire upon it's doom. The arguments of the emmissaries of the Kaiser proved toe strong. They represented that German