CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 255, 18 March 1913, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

THE MAWSOX EXPEDITION. , Dr. Mawson's narrative of his ad- ', ventures in the Antarctic, is being published first by the London Daily Chroniclc. This newspaper has been singularly fortunate, or enterprising, in securing "exclusive" news of an important character. One of its great achievements was to present the story of, Dr. Xansen's famous ■'.furthest north" journey in 1800, and it is known now that the Norwegian explorer was paid a s;im of £4OOO for his narrative. More recently the Daily Chronicle published the first account of the revolution in Portugal, and the first, detailed description of the battle of Lnlah Burgas, the credit being due in each ease to Mr. Martin Donohue, an Australian journalist who has shown an almost uncanny aptitude , for being "on the spot." The first full story of the bombardment and occupation of Tripoli was another "scoop" for the same newspaper, and it was followed last year by Captain Amundsen's own story of his journey to the South Pole. The list of journalistic successes is one of which any newspaper might be proud. TURKEY'S MILITARY, SPIRIT. The Constantinople correspondent of a London newspaper gives an ingenious and interesting explanation of the. demoralisation of the Turkish military 'Spirit as demonstrated in the events of the last few months. He places the whole blame of the decadence to the charge of the Young Turks and their democratic doctrines. The Young Turkish Party, he says, has taught the Turkish soldier to tmnk more of his country and its new-fangled constitution than. of his religion, and he. has been robbed of thee omfortiiig belief that if be falls on the field of battle he will pass straight into Paradise. The customary bugle ■' calls which announced the hour of prayer were abolished and the/old-fashioned , commanders who could quote the Koran ( and who were the fathers of their men were usperannuated in favor of smart young officers who knew nothing of their own faith and believed in nothing but artillery. The intention of- the correspondent, who served an ultra-Tory, newspaper, was doubtless to drive home the moral lesson of the degenerating effect of constitutional government and democratic doctrines. There are, how-' i ever, Radicals unscrupulous and callous : enough to point to the banishment of thei "unspeakable Turk" from Europe as not > the least of the "triumphs of demo- , cracy."