The Washington times., 1915-02-26
CONSTANTINOPLE

IHc OHTlSLI6H era, CoHSInHIlHOPic
has been second only to Rome in
the part played in the story Of the
ancient world. It has been said by
many travellers, in many centuries,
to occupy the worlds most beautiful
location for city; and its persist
ence under changing rules and civil
izations as commercial entrepot at
tests the advantages of its seat at
the point where Europe and Asia
approach closest to each other
throughout the long range of the
Mediterranean and Euxine waters.
Founded by the Medes, it became
Greek, was later conquered by the
Romans, and when the Roman EN-
pire of the west fell before the bar
barians of the north it became head
of the Eastern Empire. In 1453, in
turn, it fell before the Turks, who
have held it to this day. More than
400 years they have made it the seat
and its possession the sign of their
power and their claim to recognition
as a civilized nation. It has been
Turkish since before America was
discovered; yet in the long courses
of it's history this experience under
Turkish rule may be looked upon as
an episode; an episode whose end
the present generation will be privi-
legged to witness. For Constanti-
nople, or Byzantium, has history
which covers well-nigh as long a
period before the fall Of Rome as
since that supreme tragedy of his
tory.
The modern world is chiefly con-
cerned with the part Constantinople
has played as the headquarters
whence the Turks have launched
their efforts to dominate Europe. In
the later middle ages the constant
euarrels among the nations Of mid
die and western Europe made it pos
sible for the Turks repeatedly to be-
come a great menace. Vienna would
have been taken by them had not
Sobieski and his valiant Poles come
to the rescue and, in the years of
Poland's declining greatness, won
for that unfortunate nation the
honor Of being savior of Europe.
That struggle marked the beginning
of the end for both Poland and Tur-
key-in-E Europe. Both reached their
high-water mark in power on the
plains without the walls Of Vienna,
where the generalship of the Polish
patriot utterly destroyed the vastly
greater army of the Turk. From
that day the west Of Europe was
safe from the menace of domination
by the Turk.
But today it is Russia that takes
the place which Turkey then held
the great, mysterious power rising
out of the East. For generations
Russia has looked to Constantinople
as it's destiny. 1t must get an out
look on the sea. Europe has for
near three thousand years looked
upon Constantinople as the danger
Gus foothold that, occupied by an
Asiatic power, might become the
base for aggression. The Asiatic
founders were expelled by the
Greeks, and the Latins conquered the
city, in the behalf of the rising
western civilization, from the
Greeks. The Turks took it back
made it Oriental again. Russia has
wanted it, and the West has pre-.
ferred to keep it Turkish rather
than have it become an instrument
which, in the hand of Russia, might
open the way, to further aggression
upon the West.
But the war of this day brings yet
a new alignment. Russia has become
more western, less eastern; while tht
west has become more liberal ane
less fearful Of the Slav. So al
length a British foreign minister
calmly tells the commons that Eng
land sympathizes with the aspira
tions of Russia for an outlook on tn,
Mediterranean. The twentieth cen
tury monsters of the vests nava
! might have hammered their way int
/ the silver-blue ribbon of the Darda
, nelles; they are on the eve of takin,
t Constantinople, with every indica
tion that, taken at last by the west
it will be turned over to the grea
: rising power of the east, to be tn
: symbol of new era of Russian au
e thority, development, and intellec
: tual betterment.
J., For the Russia that gets. Constar
= tinople with the consent of the west
ern powers, will presently become
n new Russia. The -Teutoni
: house of Romanoff, superimposed- -uI
e on the peace-loving and democrati
n Russian people, may not realize wha
e it means to the autocracy. But hi:
It tory will understand; the future wi
l.