German Influence in the Turkish Army
The Ottoman government has hired forty-two German generals and other officers to take charge of the Constantinople troops and to reorganize the Turkish army. The papers in Russia are declaiming against this very vehemently. They say that it really means to hand over the entire Turkish military force to the German kaiser. They say that they do not understand why the European diplomats will make such a great fuss over some of the little things that are proposed, and yet stand by with apparent approval while Germany thus extends her power to the Bosporus and the Mediterranean Sea. Territorial expansion and military advantages for the purpose of extending trade and increasing power are as much a ruling ambition in this age as at any time in the history of the race. While all true-hearted men and women should stand strongly in favor of the divine principles of peace, yet each day the press brings us some fresh material to incite the war lords to greater activity. It has been but a few days since the despatches were telling us of the millions that were to be invested in railroads in China, under the direction of German engineers, and every dollar of it was to come from German banks. Such news items may seem to demand only a passing glance, but without much question the world will have occasion to hear more about them later.