Evening star., 1936-05-17

Abdul-Hamid and seeking contact
with the progressive spirit of the West.
Mustapha Kemal Joined the Union
and Progress Society, better known
as Young Turks. He also entered the
Military Academy at Monastir and
became a captain in the Turkish
Army.
But his activities with the Young
Turks aroused the suspicion of the
Sultans police. and he began his
career of hide and seek with Jail.
He was charged with being one of the
guiding spirits of the "Vatan," secret
society.
No direct evidence could be found
against him, yet Mustapha Kemal was
banished to Syria. where he found an
excellent field of operations for his
anti-Sultan propaganda. Once more
the secret agents got on his trail, and
he decided to extend his field of activ-
| ity to Palestine. Jaffa saw him
haranguing -mouthed Arabs. and
from there he went to Cairo. Egypt
was also becoming too hot for him:
he took boat at Alexandria and
embarked for his native Saloniki.
Meanwhile the police were locking
for him everywhere except in his
birthplace.
Hunted and Promoted.
The government Of Turkey at that
time was ineficient-and while one
official issued a warrant for his ar.
rest another promoted him to a
higher position. Thus he found him.
self an army major in good standing,
accused of fomenting revolution and
anarchy! Finally the general dissatis-
faction resulted in the events of 1908,
when Young Turkey took the reins
But Mustapha Kemal was not the
man to be impressed by sham reforms,
and now he led a one-man revolt
against his former friends in arms.
Once again he was in danger of spend-
ing his nights in prison, and was
saved only by official incompetence.
Instead of being jailed, he was ap-
pointed military attache to France,
In the retinue of Ambassador Ali Ria.
Life in Paris was pleasant. but fame
beckoned TO the young man from
across the Mediterranean. He could
obtain no leave of absence from his
post-so he simply left it, and enrolled
as a private in the Turkish Army,
fighting the Italians in Tripoli. A
little later adventure and glory called
from the Balkans. where Kemals
country was engaged in war.
Meanwhile the World War was get.
ting ready to out-thunder these sec.
ondary mass-maSsacres. A year later
Mustapha Kemal was in command Of
the Turkish forces at the Dardaneles,
Just when the British were preparing
for their attempt to force their way
through the straits
To his soldiers Mustapha Kemal
appeared to be the very devil. un-
afraid OF death, exposing himself to
danger. One day he received a wound
that would have been mortal If
watch had not detected the bullet.
British Admit Defeat.
For the first and last time in the
World War the British had TO admit
defeat: they broke camp by stealth.
leaving young Mustapha Kemal the
victor in one of the most spectacular
battles Of the war
The DardanelleS were saved. but
Turkey was not. She was drawn into
the abyss by the defeat of her allies
and by the victories of the British on
her own southern and eastern fronts.
The peace which the Allies dictated at
Paris was not a peace, but a national
disaster. Constantinople. Smyrna and
Eastern Thrace were to be taken from
Turkey, thus elboWing her out of
Europe. The Sultan was the prisoner
of the Allies. and Turkey was too ia.
tallstic to object. It seemed indeed as
If the Sick Man of Europe as Tur-
key had been called, had died. Over
the belongings of the dead man the
former Allies were conducting a spoils
contest.
What had happened to Mustapha
Kemal Pasha? He had been shunted
into an out-of-the way region as in
spector Of the 9th Army Corps in
northwestern Anatolia. That bleak
country was to be his burial place,
Instead of that, it became the BIRTH
place of his worldwide fame, and from
there he aroused the sleepy-eyed
Turks, making them the heroes of one
Of the most remarkable national
awakenings He took their lead and
marched against Smyrna. The Greeks
were crowded into the sea, and the
army of Mustapha Kemal surged on
ward, invincible, a world wonder
and the great powers promptly de-
clared that they were willing to nego-
tiate. Constantinople Smyrna and
Eastern Trace were turned back to
the Turks. the sultan was deposed, and
! Mustapha Kemal took the helm. A
country, delirious with joy, hailed him
as the "GaZi'-victor. This was the
second surname his grateful country
conferred upon him.
Regins Sweeping Reforms.
The real work was now to begin.
The Gazi set to work. Everything that
reminded of the discredited past was
to be discarded. With ruthless energy
the entire field Of national life was
raked over. Constantinople had to
cede its place as the capital to Ankara,
a small Anatolian town, which was
purely Turkish and was not at the
mercy of foreign warships
New life began to stir on the Ana
tolian plains and mountains. A coun-
try in which IS per cent of the popu-
lation was illiterate had to be made
into a civilized nation. Youth was
given its rights to study and live a
worthier life. The grip of Islam on
the nation was to be loosened with
the separations of church and state,
the primitive law of the Koran gave
place to a Turkish adaptation of the
Swiss civil code.
Polygamy was outlawed and women
received nearly equal rights with men.
Women were made to take OF their
wells; men were forbidden to wear the
feZ and the turban.
Turkey. the scourge of the world
only century ago. took the lead in
pacifying the Balkans. For the first
time in history Turkey was not feared