The Dominion. SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 1913. THE TURKISH BLIGHT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1728, 19 April 1913, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 1913. THE TURKISH BLIGHT.

One of the greatest events in the story of European civilisation has just been enacted in the Balkan Peninsular, where Turkey's power and prestige have been shattered hv the Greeks and Slavs, all that i's lelt of her territory being Constantinople and its immediate hinterland. This practically brings to an end the long "Turkish night" of live hundred years and more, the story of which is well told, by Mb. John Macdonald iu a little book just-published by Messrs. T. C. and E. C. Jack, entitled Turkey and the Eastern Question. Tho Ottoman Turks got their name from Othjian or Osman, . under whose leadership they established themselves as lords of Anatolia, in Asia Minor. It was the sou of Otuman who first led tho Turks into Europe. Their assistance had been invoked by the Emperors, and in 1356 they captured Gillipoli. A few years later they marched on to Adrianoplo, conquered it, and made it their capital. Their next forward move was the capture of Philippopolis, and in 1371 Macedonia lay at their feet. In order to maintain their position the_ conquerors - levied tribute on their subject. peoples, and in the course of time a system grew up of substituting for money payments a tribute in Christian boys, who were brought up as Mohammedans, and trained for the army. These became the famous Janissaries, who were destined to do such deadly work against their owii kinsmen and the faith of their fathers'. In those times, as in our own days, tho wily Turk took every .advantage of the spirit of rivalry and suspicion which existed among the Christian nations, and the jealousies whicii prevailed among the Slavs. The Powers had "conversations" and "interchanges of views," and talked about tho status quo; and these things have continued off and on until-the present'day. But no combined action was taken, and the Turkish blight continued to spread. In 1389 the battle of Kossovo was fought; Tsau Lazar, the last of,tho great Servian Kings, perished, and his army was routed. The Turkish advance now ceased for a few years, and a treaty of peace was agreed to. But in 1451 a new Sultan, Mohammed 11, able and ambitious, commenced to reign, and he set his mind on the capturo of Constantinople. He straightway made ready for war, and when messengers from the Emperor Constantine reminded him of the treaty, be replied: "My right is here," tapping his sword, "tell your master that if he dares send me any more envoys I shall impale them." Liko the Turks of our own day, the people of Constantinople knew that the capture of tho city

meant the fall of the Empire, and in haste they prepared to defend it. Appeals to the Christian nations for help failed, and the historic city was doomed. We are told that Mohammed II captured Constantinople because he had the best guns, the longest purse, and the largest army. A monster gun, designed by a Christian renegade, was one of the weapons of the Mohammedan be-, seigcrs, and the Christian tributechildren, the terrible Janissaries, were in the forefront of the attack. On May 29, 1453, ■the Turks entered the city. A legend tells us that when the Janissaries broke into the Church of St. Sophia the wall behind the altar opened, and the priest, who was celebrating the Sacrament, vanished with his chalice, to appear again when Turkish rule had passed away. The "Turkish night" then set in, and it was destined to last for over five hundred years, until in oiir own day. the victories of the Balkan allies ushered in the dawn of a new and, it is to' be hoped, a happier day. In those intervening centuries, however, the- Balkan peoples had to suffer terrible things at the hands of the Turk. The capture of Constantinople had firmly established the Turkish Empire in Europe, and it maintained itself almost intact until the defeat of the Turks before Vienna in IGB3. Before that date, however, it had begun to show signs of decay, and as far back as the sixteenth century' some students of political history were predicting an early collapse. Its decadenoe is attributed to the deterioration in tho character of the Sultans, tho abolition of the system of levying Christian tribute-children, and the cessation of conquest, which was followed by indolence and demoralisation. In fact, tho whole system of Turkish rule _ was opposed to progress and civilisation in the European sense. As Mk. Macdonald says, "it lacked the seeds of spiritual freedom, and of the higher life that were present even in the debased Christianity of the day." In order to understand the decline and fall, of the Turkish Empire, it is also necessary to bear in mind that the Turks in Europe have never been a nation in the proper sense of : the word, but an "army of occupation." Their conception of the duty of conquerors was quite different from that,_ for instance, of tho British in India and Egypt. Being ■ of an inferior civilisation themselves they could not, even if they wished, elevate the ideals of their subject peoples, or improve their standard of living. They looked upon the conquered nations merely as sources of revenue and of recruits for the army, and when the supply of recruits began to fail tho decline of the Turkish power set in. This decline was made manifest by tho defeat of the Turks on the sea at Lcpanto in 1571,-and a little more than a hundred years later, the repulse of their army at Vienna showed that they had ceased to be invincible on land. The Turk'was no longer too proud to treat with the Unbeliever, and with the peace of OaklovitZ; in 1699, commenced tho era of diplomacy. Turkey was henceforward content, if possible, to hold her own; The Treaty of Kainardji, in 1774, further lowered the dignity of the Porte by placing its Christian subjects under the protection of Russia, and in tho nineteenth century the Turk became the "sick man" of Europe, whoso continued' existence depended not on his own merits but upon the mutual jealousy ifnd suspicion of the Powers. Promises of internal reform were continually made, and as .continually broken. Much was at first expected from tho recent Young Turk revolution, but the persecution o[ the Christian population xtill went on. Despairing of effective action by the Powers, the Balkan Allk'is at length determined hi Uikr the matter in their own hands, und

strike a great blow for tho liberation of Turkey's subject peoples. In October, 1012, King Ekkdinaxd of Bulgaria it-sued a stirring appeal to his people, staling that all efforts lo secure "human rights" for (he Macedonians had failed. "There remains for us," ho declared, "no niher means but war." The armies ff tho Allies swim it down. liko. an avalanche, and Turkey seemed to crumple up before the attack. Constantinople, itself would probably have fallen before ljic.ti-iumph.iut Bulgarians had not the dreaded cholera compelled their commander to call a half. The respite enabled the Turks to strengthen the Chatalja lines, and the capital was saved. However, the glory of tho Turk has now utterly departed. Constantinople and its hinterland is ull that remains in Europe of the mighty Empire of former days, and even this remnant is only held on sufferance. The "Turkish night" has passed away; but the Eastern Question is not finally settled. There arc still questions affecting tho Balkan States and tho larger European Powers, which will call for. careful handling before an amicable agreement is arrived at.