by jingo

[John Verity]

>Incidentally, does anybody know what song it is that has the unsettling
>refrain "ohhh by jin-go"?
>
>Jasper Fidget


I happened to be reading -- and relishing -- a wonderful and relevant 
book at the time of the attacks last week: Tournament of Shadows, by Karl 
Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac -- see www.tournamentofshadows.com, where 
lots of reviews are available. It is about the Great Game, the "race for 
empire in Central Asia," in which the authors see roots of the Cold War. 
Naturally there's much here about Afghanistan. And about the Himmler's 
fascination with Tibet.

In 1877-78, Russia and Turkey were engaged in a savage war and Britain 
was increasingly nervous:

"With the surrender of Plevna, the Russians could finally undertake a 
broad offensive, capturing Sofia, investing the great fortress of Kars, 
and seizing Adiranople, third in importance among the cities of European 
Turkey. The way to Constantinople was open, and in Britain alarm over 
Russian control of the Straits rang out in music halls, adding "jingoism" 
to the language:

  We don't want to fight:
   But by jingo, if we do,
     We've got the men, we've got the ships,
      And we've got the money too!"


Interestingly, an intrepid American named Januarius MacGahan was on the 
scene, reporting on this war from Bulgaria. He died there at 33 in 1878, 
his remains later returned to New Lexington, Ohio, where a stone statue 
of him now exists--"Champion of Bulgarian Freedom."

John______________________________________________________________
                            J W Verity   TECHNOLOGIC PARTNERS, NYC
                                         212-343-1900 x258