The Balkan-Turkish War.
By Editor
War has actually broken out between the Balkan States and Turkey. On October 12, the Montenegrin forces had already been fighting along the frontiers for four days, and all the rest of the Balkan countries are rushing their troops to the front as rapidly as they can. The subjects of the several Balkan States who are residing in this country are rushing home by the thousands to join the armies. Within the last few days, Austria has been taking a leading hand in the affair. She is hastily preparing her forces, because she fears that there will be a general war throughout Eastern Europe. What the outcome of the whole matter will be, it is impossible to predict at this writing. But it is perfectly evident that there are great smoldering embers of war all through Europe, and only the slightest breath from the war-gods will cause them to break forth into flame. There are jealousies among the leading nations, and they are watching each other with critical and vengeful eyes. Valuable territory, from the military and naval standpoint, is in the hands of the Turk, and no one of the nations is willing that the other shall seize it. But let a war get under way, and then there is no telling what will come out of it, with the conditions as they exist. At first we were assured, by the despatches, that the "powers" had the matter in hand. They had several devices that they were working, that would keep the Balkan peoples from making war on the Turk. But all of a sudden the war actually broke out, and now the despatches say that the Balkan powers had fully determined on war, and are going ahead, no matter what the larger and more powerful nations of Europe may say. The Turk has become so insufferable that they can no longer endure him. But looking at the subject from the standpoint of an advancing message that is to warn all the world of the soon coming of Christ, the subject becomes intensely interesting. For all the wars of any consequence in recent years have been of very short duration, compared with the wars of former years; and then when the recent wars were over, there has been invariably a greater freedom for the advancement of the gospel work in the nations involved. Now there is no territory in the world where there has been greater despotism manifested against the gospel than in the countries involved in this Balkan conflict. It will be interesting to watch for the outcome, in case the war is not snuffed out quickly, as so many others have been. T.