The Glenwood post., 1922-10-19
Uncle 1ed's Bed Time Stories
Current Events for the Children
and Grown-ups, Too
UNsPEAKABLE CONDITIONS AND
THE "UNsPEAKABLE TURK"

UNSPkaAhAbhE CONOlI1ONS AMI
THE "UNsPEAKABLE TURK
"What does teacher mean by that?"
asked Jack, as he was discussing the
day IS current history lesson with Ruth.
"What was that?" asked Uncle
Ted, as he came into the room
81 was asking Ruth if she knew
what was meant by the 'Unspeakab
Turk Teacher was telling us some
thing about the rouble in the Near
East in our current history class to-
day.
"That term," began Uncle Ted,
came about because of the methods
used by the Turk in all the history of
his fighting. He has always been
known, whether right or wrong, as a
bloodthirsty individual who knows no
law and resorts to the meanest known
tactics when he fights. The world is
once again face to face with HIM and
this time the situation is even more
serious because of the tremendous
change due to the great war. / want
to try and make one point in my story
to you tonight, but to do that l must
give you a background of hisory SO
that you can see what 1 am trying to
point out
"For more than 800 years the
Turks and the Russians have been
fighting each other. Turkish history
is crowded with war and the story is
not pleasant one. When the great
war ended, nearly the whole world was
changed. Constantinople, the once
proud capital of Turkey, was left under
allied control, Jerusalem fell into the
hands of the British. So long as Tur-
key was surrounded by stronger ma
tions she necessarily was forced to
keep quiet and the danger of n Holy
War was small. But today Germany
cannot be counted on. She fought side
by side WITH the Turks during the
great war and even if she wished to
fight against her she is unable to rem
der any assistance. Austria Hungary
the strong wall against the Turks on
one side is split into many small coun-
tries as a result of the war and her
strength is so distributed that it
amounts to nothing, Russia, although
with big army, in fact the largest in
the world today, is in no position to act
as a wall on the other side of Turkey
We might even see her joining hands
with her old enemy if it could be for
her own gain. She has no love for the
rest of the world, now having fallen
into the hands of those who have
turned the whole system of govern.
ment up side down.
4 young, well educated man is
heading this new drive of the Turks His
name is Mustapha Kemal, and during
the great war he was only captain
IN the Turkish army under the orders
of a German general. He held the
line against the British at Gallipoli
and when the battle was over he came
out a general himself. Just as the
Turks recaptured Constantnople in
1853 they are still hoping to do it to.
day, and with Kemal as their leader
they are not only hopeful but conf.
dent of making their objective. No
matter wnat the result, today the en-.
tire Near East is boiling cauldron of
trouble. We, as Americans, cannot re.
main entirely Indifferent to the situa
tion.''
But what should we do?" asked
Jack
First of all, Jack we must protect
American citizens Today the United
State ha flotilla of destroyers and
supply ships IN Turkish waters to pro-
tect Americans and American inter
ests. This is as t should be. Our first
"ut- 10 protect o'1 own people ana
or own mere is AMI at the same time
to make our national resources SO Sc
cure that # 7 ever again becomes nee
essary to 60 to war we shall be ready.
We must never again waste human life
and millions of dollars through being
too blind to see what is coming. That
was the trouble with the wilson ad