Thft American people &re diaUnt,
jet most deeply -interested spectators
of the desperate struggle now in
progress, between the BldEcovite and
and the Turk. The vast stray of
forces on either side, the chib-aoter of
the combatants, the relentless obstf
nate jconrage of the Russian, the
fanatic valor of the Turk, the com
plication of interests which si'em des-
tiued to involve all Europe in the
strife, nn.l the effect which such a
war is likely to hive tipon the agri
cultural tnd industrial pursuits of
this country, are points which gi-ee
to tiiis contest a deep and absorbing
interest And yet, it is a fact that
the mass of Americans are almost
wholly without any definite knowl
edge of the regions most directly and
primarily concerned in this war. To
most readers of our newspapers, the
' news from the seat of war is in a
large degree unintelligible, Iroin lack
of information as to those poople tnd
countries. Tiloreover, the demnud
for tliis informtition has developed
the fact that there is not extant any
hook giving w hat is wanted, in relia
ble and popular form.
