Omaha daily bee., 1915-04-16
COnstantinOple


| been held for centuries n a time BY two OF the
weakest and most inefficient nations Of the world the
later byzantine and later Ottoman empires II IL evi-
! dent that lee ownership does not necessarily carry
with " the lordshp Of the world. BUT the fact that
| these two decadent powers were able by the mere
possession OF this point 70 exert an influence over
world politics 10 which their inherent strength in
wise entitled them, proves ts Importance and the
question Of its future ownership 10 one OF the most
nomentous and difficult Of the problems the srsat
war has 20 sslve. The allies nro rivals Wnen u comes
to the question Of Oenstantinople. During the nine
tenth century II the fixed belief Of the British
that the acquisition Of the city by puropean power
would put the empire IN peril Every time that Rus
sa reached 20 grasp the prise Great Britain in
terposed by dipoma1y 10 protect the Turks
In the Crimesn war, British, French. Turkish and
italian troops Joined In the attack upon RuBsia Now
che Russian, French and British nests Joining In
The sffet{ ~ take Csnstautnopls from the Turks
what viii beeSns Of Il istsF nebedy knows but the
aipienats ana perhaps not tneS. Thst aussias Att-
taas has h6t ehhFsa u shewn BY the declaration Of
FBreah Minister saAaheff IN tha puma and the fol-
loving resolution PASSED unAnimouaiy BY the oon-
gross VI representatives 81 the nobility now In session
fiae vital Interests Of Rassla require full possess
sion Of CBnstahtaBpis and both shores Of the Boo
PORTS and The tardsnsiss and the sdjsesnt islands,
Fhs British fsreisn minister, str pdwin Grey
stated 10 Pariiamsnt q few wssks Ese that Great
brslh approved ef hnnHiA's desire for southern
port thsush he avoided Spsuifyins constankinepa.
wise retisehcs In view Of the many claimants Greece
ASSUMING 10 he The inheFiter 0t the creek empire
aspres 70 iis capital The I3uiEArs might have taken
Il three pears u the interpretation Of the powers
had net shsehpd their victorious advance 1t the
uhataldja line ftAlys interests ARE greatly IN
VOWED that u IL likely 10 enter the war Austr.a's
policy has always had ~ it, goal the acquisition Of
The Balkan pehnsilR Germany had looked on Asia
Mihsr the most faVorabs opening for tie colonial
Development and has gradually replaced England &c
the friend and ''prvtsetor" Of the Ottoman empire,
'"rhs way to constAntinOpis lies through Vienna"
II ma old Russian maxim But the Russians
taking shorter cut 20 the goal Of their long desire
Their fleet has skirtad the western shore of the
Black soh and Ia striving 10 enter the Bosporus
II ID an old route 10 them. Over thousand years
ago they took II first. and would according TO the
legend, have reached the city If II had not been for
the personal intervention Of the Virgin Mary. In
those days there was a distinction between the Rus
sian and Slavic races. The Savs were simple, I'M
organized people barbarous but not wariike and the
frequency Of their appearance c0ptves in the
het made their name the generic term for slaves,
The Rus Of that energetic race of Scandinavian
origin which invaded France under Rolio England
under William Italy under Robert ana Russia under
Rurik. In every country becoming dominant elo-
ment In the population which still be diseerned
In spite of thousand years Of intermarriage
Russian history dates from the time when these
Vikings OF Kiev. under tho leadership of Askold
Dir set out to Constantinope. for says the
Byzantine historian Photius the Of Rus hitherto
unknown and OF no account" became by that act
most renowned and glorious and 'boundisssly bold
and proud" Yet their first attempt q failure,
for their 300 galieys swept down the Bosporus the
Byzantine emperor and patriarch knelt In prayer bO-
fore the sacred shrine. At daybreak the patriarch
took the wonder working robe of the Virgin and
marching with procession Of priests and choir boys
to the shore. dipped II into the Bosporus Let Nestor
the chronioler. tell the story in his wtds
Instantly the waves which before were smooth
and still arose in and began TO roar and the
ships OF the idolatrous Russans were dispersed.
dashed upon the shore and broken in pieces that
few escaped the disaster or chanced 10 reach their
land again.
But the next Russian expedition against Con
santinople that OF e6 avoided the psrils OF the
porus both natural and miraculous. for are told
that oeg put wheels his boats and sailed overland
10 the city wall. This kind OF vehicle, the land
yacht used 70 be seen upon our western plains but
has not been used in the present Tho sutomo-
bile has taken its place. But another engine of war
which the Bysantines, for reason Explained
used IN preference 20 the Virgins robe for warding
off the later attacks OF tho Russians, has been
vived by tho Germans within the last few monthA
This in the words Of the chroncler "a kind Of
winged fire which eaped upon the Russians and
made them take,to the water themselves but
many drowned by the weight Of their helmets"
The famous Greek fire" which burned tho wooden
boats. doubtless the stream Of blasting petroleum
with which the Germans have of late been spraying
the French trenches
Several times did the Mortimer force the Imperial
city to pay tribute. hut they occupied IT, The
prophecy found inscribed upon the foot OF thu bronze
statue OF Bellerophon which foretells the coming II
the time when the Russians should take Constantine
Pile stlll lacks fulfilment thousand years after
though now II looks as n the day Is u was
rather Coustantinopls which conquered Russia In
spiritual When the Russians came tho
choice OF relision they sent commission about 10
compare the various faiths. The Mohammedana re-
quired the abandonment Of pork and wine so they
would have 81 a. The delegates Visited the
German Catholic churches. but reported that the
service barren and unbeautiful. But when they
came TO the Church OF ST. Sophia at seemed as
though In heaven, for I'm sooth on earth Il
Is vain 20 find such magnifieence" So the Russians
became Greek instead OF Latin Christians
Although they built ST. Sophia Of their own at
Kiev they have never ceased 10 long for &c mother
church. Their affections have always been fixed
upon Tsargred. the City the Csar, upon the sunny
shores OF the Bosporus. rather than upon PetrosrAd
the city which Peter built upon the ioe-bound coast
OF the Baltic,
But first, the Russians have force the Bos-
porus, which they not likely to find sasIar than
the British and French finding the DardAnsllaa
Though shorter the Bosporus Is narrower and quite
as crooked. Al itS narrowest point wnere only SO
yards wide stand the Castle OF Asia aud the Castle
Of Europe. which have for AS years kept the com
merce OF the Black the mercy OF the Turk Tho
first Of these srongholds, Anatoli Hissar built
by Sultan BaysHid in 1875 The Rumli Hisaar on
\ the opposite western shore built by Aioham.
| nned NJ IN il62 a preliminary To Siege Com