THE TURKISH SOLDIER

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10713, 3 December 1912, Page 3

THE TURKISH SOLDIER

A. v. liter in tho London Spectator, , discussing the Turk as a .soldier, points out that he is lacking in anything like elan. But, as a matter of fact, the Turkish soldier is slow—very slow. His slowness is at once his chief defect and the outward and visible sign | of his chief merit . His merit is that ) ho does not care whether he is killed ' or not is obviously bad to beat. On ( the other hand, his indifference extends injuriously to matters winch ' vitally affect tho issue of strategy and tactics. The potent fluctuations and j reverses of temperament which, mark the soldier of subtle-races —races with a more complicated nervous system — arc unknown to the Turk. The class- I itied "French frenzy" which the Ital- j ians used to fear is not a phenomenon ! known to the Turkish battlefields, ' Tho Turk is no berseker. He might, indeed, if he had lived in the Noise- j land of a former age, have fought without armour, but he would have done so, not because he felt that to ' fight without protection was suitable to the dignitj of the "berseker rage,' but because he did not mind whether . ho was protected or not . .If the Turk.'.! does not go fast, he never goes to ,' slow as to stop. One has heard of cases of European troops who charged I towards the enemy in a, hurricane of exhilaration, but who, having been j ordered to stop and lie down, could not be persuaded to get up and go on. The passion had passed. A dis- j astrons contemplation of the risks had got to work. Englishmen prob- ' , ably fight more successfully than any . other nation without passion, because | they will move very rapidly when necessary, and will carry out a daring j scheme exactly as it iy planned, be- < cause-the. planning was done- licit in a j heady flight of excitement, but with j a'coo)-.''appreciation of the dangers. ! The Turk is a fatalist. Zones of lire j have no thrilling significance for him. ] If he is to lip preserved, he will be i preserved; if he is to lie killed, ami in that-case will enjoy his reward from Allah.