IN QUEEREST TURKEY

Evening Star, Issue 19001, 24 July 1925, Page 10

IN QUEEREST TURKEY

An amused Armenian in Constantinople nnids the Turkish Press, clips and translates whatever ho enjoys most, and gives us (lie benefit thereof in the ‘New Armenia’ (New York). He finds a Turkish writer commenting upon the war now being waged against football, and quotes his contention* that, inasmuch as tho ball “ boars a striking resemblance to tho head of tho Caliph Hussein,” it is sacrilegious to kick it. Also, he quotes a Turkish correspondent of tho ‘ Aksham,’ who wriea from Brzerum; “On account of ignorance and superstition, tho people have killed all the hone in Kars, Ardahan, Olti, Norman, Portoou, and Erzerum. They had heard that from the eggs laid by the tens dragons would hatch and destroy tho whole population.” To his delight, meanwhile, he notices in ' letiklal' a cartoon showing a man gazing in bewilderment at an armor-clad deputy and asking: “Why this armor, effendi?” to which the deputy replies: “ I’m going to the National Assembly.” But what interests the Armenian still more is tho admission, made in all) seriousness by a Turkish writer, that the Turks are unable to develop Turkey. As translated for the ‘New Armenia,’ his statement includes the surprising sentences: “In order to accomplish the improvement of the Turkish race we must invite Germans and Italians, Turkify them, and Induce them to marry Turkish women. Wien the blood of these civilised races mingles with our own Turkey will become civilised.” Certainly the development of the country is not proceeding rapidly if fAe following translation of a letter by a Turkish journalist to tho ‘Volan’ puts the case Puny;“I visited all the important cities of Anatolia.. When X reached Amasia I noticed that, like all the otter cities, it is in the ruinous state of four centuries ago. As a monument to imbecility there remain the ruins of a fire that had, before the establishment of the Turkish Republic, destroyed! the most populous and prosperous quarter of the city. “When one travels in. Asia Minor one realises Turkey’s woeful condition in its stark nakedness. Turkey is poor, weak, and helpless. Travelling from Samsoun through an area of about 160 kilometres, I did nob find half a million people. In Ireland within the some area there live four or five million people. A caravan of camels, transporting oil cans, obstructed the road. Iu an era when airplanes are used l for transportation Turkey relies on camels. It is from these patient animals that we expect speed, life, and progress"