The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-08-09

zone of the events that rescued our
ancestors of Britain and our neigh
bors Of Gaul from the civil and re-
ligious yoke of the Koran" Fought
in the year 732 1t broke the power
Of the Saracen, who was then like to
overrun all Europe. Had not Charles
Martel then and there won his VIC
tory, a mosque might stand today
where stands Westminster abbey.
The dlscoverer of America might
have been Barbary cOrsair. Check
ing the Arab conquest of western Eu-
rope ut Tours, Charles Martel rescued
ChriStcndom from Islam.
The Tours engagement was fought
in the same country where RACES the
heavy fighting of today. 1t was lost
to the Turliish-Arab cOnqueror
| largely because his soldiery yielded
to the same greed and passion for loot
asclfbed to the German troops Of the
| present.
The modern historians have been
forced to obtain their material for
discussion of this battle from the
manuscripts of the old Arab writer's
and from the Illuminated records of
the monkish chroniclers. The fight
ended strangely. They all agree
upon that. But it is difficult to OBJ
tain reliable data as what took place
beeOre the rOut.
Charles Martel, duke of the Aus
tralaSIan Franks, was man of ex-
cecding bOldneSs and resolution. Hal
lam thinks he was rash In risking the
fate of Europe on a single battle,
but Charles was a tried and expert
enced soldier, whose impetuOsity was
guided by military brilliancy and who
doubtless relied in large measure upon
the discipline and military order with
which he had been able to endOw his
Frankish militia. He had no stand
Ing army, but he knew the weakness,
as he knew the strength, of his enemy.
In any case he won and won convinc-
ingly.
The Saracens were led by Adder
rahman, of whom it Is recorded that
he came out of Spain with the
largest army the chroniclers had
ever seen, all his wives and all his
children, yea, even he and all that
were with him, as if they were hence
forth ever to dwell in France. The
Arab writer's picture Abderrahman as
model of integrity and justice. The
Christian monks relate that he burned
and murdered wherever he went, that
he was given over to all manner OF
vices, and that his Berber cavalry, a
force of notable skill and valOr, raw
aged the country until 1t was mere bar
renness. The rival historians agree
upon practically nothing, save that
the SaracenS were defeated. The
Arabs say that the force of Alb
derrahman numbered $4,000. The
monks do not hesitate to increase this
by several hundreds of thousands. One
of these latter recorders puts the loss
of the invaders in dead at Tours ut
, 375 900. He adds that the number OF
, Christians killed was but 1,007. For
. this disparity in losses he gives credit
, to direct interpOSition of Providence.
The Count EudO tried battle with
. Abderrahman at the river Garonne, but
, the MOslem shattered Eudos army, held
! high carnival of slaughter among the
, prisoners and swept on. 1t was then
+ that Charles Martel rallied every avail.
able man. His first fortunes were like
those of Eudo. Abderrahman drove
him back, taking large numbers of pris
oners and advancing through the coun
I try like desolating storm. The
writer's set it down that "the men OF
: by their repeated successes and they
? were full of trust in the valor and wal
/ practice of their emir." Charles Mar
s tel had every reason to believe that the
S death which had been meted out tC
: EudO would soon be his own portion
:, All the Franks were trembling at the
1 terrible army of swarthy men which
devoured all that faced it.
= Presently Charles taking stand alon'
r the Loire felt strong enough to risk ;
: mighty cast of the dice. He hat
O gained important re-enforcements ant
a in spite of the general terrorlZation h
r had stiffened the spirit of his men. Alb
|. derrihman's success in entering Tours
e with the resultant decentralization o
d his troops, gave the Frankish leade
S the opportunity for which he waited
n Once it came he pressed it to the full
: limit of success. Abderrahman stOrme
= Tours almost before the eyes of tn
2. army which came to save it. The fur
v and cruelty of the successful Moslem
:, against the luckless inhabitants of tn
t fallen town has been likened to tha
Il of raging tigers. Each man of the iT
]. vaders loaded himself with loot. Th
sword and torch were everywhere &
work. at was manifest" says on
= Arab historian, "that Gods chastist
, ment was sure to follow such e1