The Ordway new era., 1917-08-10

"oooh cdileu tne Duttle OF Tours
"one 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 1872 it broke the power
OF the Saracen, who was then like to
overrun all Europe. Had not Charles
Mnrtel then and there won his Vic
tory. mosque might stand today
where stands Westminster abbey,
The discOverer Of America might
have been n Barbary corsaIr. Check
Ing the Arab conquest of western Eu-
rope at Tours, Charles Martel rescued
Christendom from Islam.
The Tours engagement was fought
In the same country where RACES the
heavy fighting of today. 1t was lost
to the Turkish-Arab conqueror
largely because his soldiery yielded
to the same greed and passion for loot
nscribed 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 chroniclcrs. The fight
ended strangely. They all agree
upon that. But it is difficult to OBJ
tain reliable data us what took place
before the rout.
Charles Martel. duke of the Aus
tralaSian Franks, was man of eX-
ceeding bOldness and resolution. Hal
lam thinks he was rash In risking the
fate of Europe on n single battle.
but Charles was 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
rahmnn, of whom 1t 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
n 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 or
vices, and that his Berber cavalry,
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 Abb
derrnhman 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 Mt Tours at
375. 900. He adds that the number OF
Christians killed was but 1907. 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, heid
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 ike
those of Eudo. Abderrahman drove
him back, taking large numbers OF pris-
oners and advancing through the coun-
try like a desolating storm. Inc
writer's set it down that "the men OF
Abderrahman were puffed up IN spirit
by their repeated successes ana they
were full of trust in the valor ana war
practice of their emir." Charles Mar
tel had every reason to believe that tne
deoth which had been meted out TO
Eudo would soon be his own portion.
All the Franks were trembling at the
terrible army Of swarthy men whlch
deyoured all that faced 1t.
Presently Charles taking stand along
the Loire felt strong enough to FISK
mighty cast of the dice. he hau
gained important re-enforcements anu
in snite of the general terrorization ne
had st,ffened the spirit of his men. Ap-
derrahman's success in entering Iours,
with the resultant Generalization OF
b,s troops, gave the Frankish leader
the opportunity for which he waited.
Onca r. came he pressed 1t to the run
limit of success. Abderrahman stornieu
Tours almost before the eyes oi .le
army which came to save 1t. Ihe iurs
and cruelty of the successful Mos,eihs
against the luckless inhabitants Oh .ne
fallen town has been likened to tnat
Of raging tigers. Each man OF the mn ~.
.adars loaded himself with loot. me
sword and torch We're everywhere at
work at was manifest" says one
Aroh historian, "that Gods chastise-
mont was sure to follow such ex-
cesses," and proceeds to lamen. .,can oao
loss Of discipline upon the eai"
army. ,, alive TO
Abderrahman was keenly a,iye M ~ ~