The Washington herald., 1920-04-04

lIJ

in the early days of the war too.
and you viii remember the interest
ing things ne wrote about the Dar-
danelles campaign. speakipG Of
Turkey and constantinopfe, must
repeat to you few lines ran
across the other day while reread-
ing one of John l.. Stoddard's lee
lures. written, ! should say. about
1897. about twenty-thrce years ago.
II aroused my special interest be-
cause of its prophetic value and
its connection with various recent
events. Here goes!
"Along the northern shore of the
Black Sea its waves reflect the Rus-
sian cross, as on It's southern coast
still flaunts the SMoslefn crescent.
To sweep across this ocean barrier
to make OF IL a Russian lake, and
finally to seize the Turkish capital
has been from the foundation Of the
Russian empire the constant aspira-
tion of its ezars. Time and again
Muscovite armies have advanced to
do this and once in 1871 came with
In days march of stamboul. But
they have always been compelled to
halt by the prompt action of the
other powers. That Russia will
eventually control the Bosphorus
and have free exit for her war
ships into the Mediterranean. there
can be little doubt. IL II the logi-
cal outcome OF the Eastern ques-
tion. The wonderful expansive
power of the Russian empire re-
quires' that southern gateway and
will surely have it--iB fact. IL not
in name--in the inevitable sequence
of events.
srAHvxrIoN AIDED
BY ALIEN GOLD.
How much the. Turks may do to
resist the giant OF the north. IL Is
difficult to estimate, for they are
both fanatical and brave. With
them religion takes the place OF
patriotism. The world has not for
gotten their defense Of Plevna in
1877. For five long months the Rus
SLAMS tried In vain to capture II,
until. at last, starvation (aided. II is
said. by Russian gold used freely
In the form of bribes) achieved
what no artillery could accomplish.
But Plevna alone had cost the Rus
SLAMS fifty thousand men.
THE recent war with Greece has
also once more shown the military
prowess OF the Sultan's troops. and
was a startling reminder of the fact
that only three hundred years ago
the balance of power In Europe
was very different. For then the
Sultan's ships were masters of the
Mediterranean: the Black Sea was
Turkish lake; the Moslem empire
included. with the exception OF
Rome. all the great sacred and his.
toric cities of antiquity-Ephesus
Smyrna, Antioch, Damascus. Ath-
ems. Jerusalem and Alexandria: and
the crescent had expanded till one
point rested on the Golden Horn.
while the other slittered opposite
the Moorish towers OF Granada.
Even today the Holy Sepulchre IL
still in Moslem hands. and still the
Crescent floats about the temple of
Justinian. Moreover. as II this were
not enough. the Turks swept up the
Danube with resistless force. cap
tured Belgrade and Budapest. be-
sic gcd Vienna and made Of Hungary
Turkish province for one hundred
and forty years.
EMPIRE OF TURK S
I'GROws FEEBLER.
Even as re, entity Al 200 years ago
vienna was secondgtime exposed
20 their attack. But since that day
! the. Ottoman empire has steadily
diminished. Bulgaria, Greece. Ru-
mania, Serbia, Algiers, Tunis and
, now virtually Egypt. too. have one
by one been torn from her enfee-
bled hands. (Bear in mind this was
written over twenty years ago.
This probably Is but the beginning
of the end. The Turk. by nature
and religion, belongs not to Europe
but to Asia, and when sufficient
unanimity Is found among the jeal-
united action, to Asia will the Sui
tan and his evil government depart.
Such thoughts required to. me
with special force. as. on a recent
visit to the Bosphorus, / saw again
the form of fair, .stamboul stretched
out in indolent repose, like ancient
Rome, upon her seven hills. For.
whether IL be Russia. Austria, Ger
many, England, or a Joint protec-
torate OF nations, some Christian
power must ere long occupy this
, site and lift II to the rank designed
for 1t by destiny-that Of the i'm
! mortal Queen of the East, throned
on the Eden of the world and hold
Ing as a scepter In her hand the
Golden Horn. Already the air Is
tremulous with coming change.
What boundless possibilities await
Stamboul! For Constantinople has
a future. She can never revert to
impotence, like Ephesus and Pal
myrs. Her peerless site makes such
tate Impossible. Though built
upon the ashes of dead empires. she
nevertheless survives them all, and
centuries hence will no doubt smile
as magically as she does today in
her eternal youth.
Ponder over those words written
twenty some years ago and l think
they will interest you as they did
me. For already the Crescent Is
gone from Jerusalem and other
places of antiquity. and Ii only
awaits 'the sufficient unanimity
among the jealous powers to insure
united action" to GUST out the Sui
tan from Constantinople and for
some Christian power or joint pro-
tectorate of nations to accupy the
city. Many of the changes Mr.. Stod-
dard felt in the air have already
come about.
CANADIAN FAMILY