TWO WAR YEARS
IN
CONSTANTINOPLE
Sketches of German and Young Turkish
Ethics and Politics
BY
DR. HARRY STUERMER
LATE CORRESPONDENT OF THE KÖLNISCHE ZEITUNG
IN CONSTANTINOPLE (1915-16)
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN
E. ALLEN
AND THE AUTHOR
NEW YORK
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
DECLARATION
The undersigned hereby declares on his sworn word of honour thatin writing this volume he has been in no way inspired by outsideinfluence, and that he has never had any dealings whatsoever, materialor otherwise, either before or during the war, with any Government,organisation, propaganda, or personality hostile to Germany or Turkeyor even of a neutral character. His conscience alone has urged him towrite and publish his impressions, and he hopes that by so doing he mayperform a service towards the cause of truth and civilisation.
Moreover, he can give formal assurance that he has expressly avoidedmaking the acquaintance of any person resident in Switzerland until hismanuscript should have been sent to press.
Furthermore, he has been actuated by no personal motives in thusgiving public expression to his experiences and opinions, for he hasno personal grievance, either material or moral, against any personwhatsoever.
Dr. H. Stuermer
Geneva,
June 1917.
PREFACE
While the author of this work was waiting on the frontier ofSwitzerland for final permission from the German authorities to enterthat country, Germany committed her second great crime, her firsthaving completely missed its mark. She had begun to realise that shewas beaten in the great conflict which she had so wantonly provokedwith that characteristic over confidence in the power of her ownmilitarism and disdainful undervaluation of the morale and generalcapacities of her enemies. In final renunciation of any last remnantsof humanity in her methods, she was now making a dying effort to helpher already lost cause by a ruthless extension of her policy of piracyat sea and a gratification of all her brutal instincts in completeviolation of the rights of neutral countries.
It is therefore with all the more inward conviction, with all themore urgent moral persuasion, that the author makes use of the rareopportunity offered him by residence in Switzerland to range himselfboldly on the side of truth and show that there are still Germans whofind it impossible to condone even tacitly the moral transgression andpolitical stupidity of their own and an allied Government. That is thesole purpose of this publication.
Regardless of the consequences, he holds it to be his duty and hisprivilege, just because he is a German, to make a frank statement,from the point of view of human civilisation, of what have become hisconvictions from personal observations made in the course of six monthsof actual warfare and practically two years of subsequent journalisticactivity. He spent the time from Spring 1915 to Christmas 1916 inTurkey, and will of course only deal with what he knows from personalobservation. The following essays are of the nature merely of sketchesand make no claim whatever to completeness.
With regard to purel