the second largest in membership of the Congregational denomination in Boston, during the writer's acting pastorate there. They met with such acceptance that they more than doubled the Sunday evening congregation, while they received special mention in resolutions of appreciation that were passed. This fact first lodged the thought in the author's mind, and the impression was accentuated by the evident travel-need after the World War, that they might seem worth while to the general public, with subsequent enlargements, and with two more chapters added on the Grecian capital and on the city of Constantine. Since they were first largely given as spoken addresses, they purposely have been made to bear still, as narratives, their original impress, because of the greater vividness which possibly may thus be imparted thereto. The writer would be most happy, if perchance he should be deemed by any considerable number to have produced a volume of permanent value, as containing a cotemporary and therefore an animated setting forth of the world's greatest crisis, and still more largely as marshalling in orderly fashion the things oriental that always have been and ever will be of unfailing and even of absorbing interest. New Haven, Connecticut. A. W. A. Note For courtesies graciously extended in connection with the illustrating of the following pages, grateful acknowledgement is herewith made to the Cosmos Pictures Company of New York, to my son, Cecil Archibald, of Los Angeles, to the Rev. William E. Barton, D. D., LL. D. of Oak Park, Illinois, and for Constantinople and its Prize Harbor to Asia the American Magazine on the Orient. V INTRODUCTION DRAMATIC ENDING OF THE WORLD WAR N EVER so applicable as to the present and to the period from which we are just emerging have been the throbbing lines of Bishop Coxe: "We are living, we are dwelling, In a grand and awful time, To be living is sublime. Groaning for its latter day?" The supreme crisis of human history has been the titanic struggle between autocracy and democracy, with the final defeat of barbarism by civilization. The tremendous contest started with several declarations of war around August 1, 1914, with others following at later dates as the involvement spread, until never was there an international upheaval so nearly universal. Germany (chiefly responsible) and Austria-Hungary (whose unreasonable ultimatum to Serbia not being fully acceded to was the pretext for unleashing the dogs of savagery), Bulgaria and Turkey were arrayed against England and France (with their loyal and powerfully contributing Colonies), Belgium and Portugal, Italy and Greece, Montenegro and Serbia, Rumania and Russia (treacherously swung by the traitorous Bolsheviki from the alliance to which she had pledged herself), Japan and the United States. On the side of these twelve powers, but not so directly and actively engaged in the conflict, were fourteen other countries, big and small, namely, Arabia (the Hedjaz) and Liberia, Siam and China, Cuba and Panama, Guatemala and Ecuador, Hayti and Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, saucy little San Marino and gigantic Brazil. Four other governments, Bolivia and San Domingo and Peru and Uruguay, severed diplomatic relations with the lawless aggressor, coming only a trifle short of a full and final break. Moreover, when we consider that arrayed with the Allies were such Colonies as Canada, India, Australia and New Zealand, which were like separate States in dignity and importance, and when we recollect that with these also stood extensive African territories constituting most of the Dark Continent, we see that the alignment against Germany was practically world-wide. Four times was the Allied cause in real peril; once at the initial and flood-like inpour into Belgium and France of the invaders who alone in 1914 were prepared to move instantly, and Paris seemed likely to fall, but did not because of Joffre's great victory in the first battle of the Marne. General Von Kluck by his unaccountable and fatal "turn to the south, southeast" exposed his flank, and lost all. After a whole month of steady retreating the French, whose commanders knew exactly what they were about, suddenly halted on orders, and made such a vigorous and rapid offensive as to surprise and stupefy the hostile forces, who had grown increasingly confident and even arrogantly boastful, and who almost in sight of their great goal could not understand why in four days, September 6-9, they were rolled unceremoniously back, never again to be so near a great success. Again was disaster barely avoided when, after the enemy had been driven back from the Marne to the Aisne, he swung to the north and made a vigorous thrust for the channel ports, and with their capture the five million British troops, subsequently transported over the intervening water, would have been unable to cross to France with any facility, and the twenty millions could not have been carried back and forth between the two countries in four years. The hazard was great when at the first battle of Ypres only about 30,000 British soldiers, already weary with weeks of fighting, had to meet in mortal combat perhaps 150,000 Germans, rested and refreshed and better equipped. From October 31 to November 19 the unequal forces were in close grips, and the very last line of defense was being assaulted by the proud Prussian Guard, but, to use the opprobrious title of the foe, the old "Contemptibles" at last won, and turned back the onrushing hordes, though defeat was escaped, the British commander-inchief has since conceded, only by a "narrow margin." A second battle of Ypres in April of 1915 was no more successful, though there was then sprung the surprise of the first use of poison-gas, laying low whole squads of men as by a withering blast, and making a dangerous gap in the defense five miles wide. Canadian reinforcements, however, were thrown in, and the day was saved. It seems almost a miracle, that from Ypres the British Channel was not reached, and once reached the whole course of the war would have been changed to the benefitting and possibly to the triumphing of the savage Huns. This peril, however, passed away, though it was a close call. In the undying literature produced by the war must be |