Show A A o I NATIONS Marvelous Wave of New National Life Sweeping Around the the the- Earth- Earth Conglomeration of Races Race anc and R RelI Ion ton In Turkey i By B J WILLIAM T T. ELLIS Constantinople Turkey awoke with a scream The recent history or of tho the new regime f In this country was quito quite unintelligible to the western world The popular shrilling of or Liberty Liberty Liberty Lib erty I Justice Equality Fra Fra- Fraternity resounded throughout lI Mullahs and Armenian turbaned green descendants of the he Prophet and Protestant Christians fell ell on one another's necks in a delirium of rejoicing It t was the intoxication of the wine of civilization The ancient long suffer fag ng Ing and sadly used Ottoman empire was beside itself with joy The transformation trans trans- formation of Turkey into a constitutional ional government will probably be ranked as one of the great events of the he new century The reason for all aU this Is that tho nations nation's sleep had been a nightmare America has never developed a very deep or r Intelligent interest In Turkey Consuls have for years hammered away on the neglected trade unities here and missionaries have talked of the social and religious conditions conditions con- con of the empire Even in the safety o. o cat the fr free west nobody dared dareil say ay that Abdul Hamid was several d degrees grees worse than the ogres of the fairy airy tales Up UD to the year 1908 Turkey Turkey Turcey Tur- Tur key cey was more moro benighted than China New ideas and popular rights had more opportunity in the celestial king dom doin than in this nation which bestrIdes bestrides be- be strIdes the two continents of Europe and Asia Asa The cunning resourcefulness resourceful resourceful- nes ness of the most tyrannous ruler of modern history was used to keep out all an that makes for enU enlightenment The Dark Darc Days of Turkey Everybody whom one meets on the streets of Constantinople knows from person personal l experience the horrors of the theold theold theold old regime Nobody was allowed to study true maps or read real history Nobody was permitted to travel abroad Private letters as well as newspapers and books were censored by y officials more alert than Intelligent Intelli Intelli gent They required that any book which mentioned Turkish history should call a de defeat at a retrograde ad ad- Vance Stance After censoring some bibles one of the multitudinous stories current current cur cur- rent tent has It the functionary querulously enquired Who Is this man Paul who Is writing to those Galatians Galatians Gala- Gala ians Government was by assassination and massacre The dagger was at athe atthe atthe the he back bacle of every person of force or Initiative or progressiveness The emaciated arid and trembling body of that arch coward and tyrant Abdul Hamid could have bathed for m months in the Innocent blood of the half haIr million people people peo peo- pie whom it is estimated he be he had put putto putto to o death Nobody knew whose turn would be next Covetousness revenge jealousy and above all fear conspired to o point the assassins assassin's dagger There was a world of significance In the remark remark remark re re- re- re mark made to me by an old resident of the empire as we we rode up the last week All AU the big palaces within sight belonged to AbdulHamid Abdul Hamid Nobody was allowed to prosper pros pros- per Der gre greatly except the Sultan Revelations of the Spy System It It is now known that an incredibly large arge number of spies spies more more than four thousand housand one reliable statement has hasIt It It-In It in all aU walks of life lite made dally daily reports reports reports re re- re- re ports to this monarch of fear-bitten fear mind A large room In the war o office fice next to that occupied by Mahmoud Sh th the thi chief commander lIl of the Turkish army is now filled with these documents which were seized along with less dangerous weapons and great st stores res of t treasure in Yildiz palace A trusted committee is perusing the documents although the counsel of many was that they should ire be burned unopened It has leaked out that they Implicate high and low native and foreigner In such a reign the finger of suspicion inevitably points every every- where Perhaps most unsettling are the sinister sinister- charges which one ope h hears bears ars against men connected with the foreign foreign for for- eign legations It would no not be pleasant pleasant pleasnt pleas pleas- ant nt for Americans or Britons t to feel that persons even of minor position supposed to represent their I Interests In Constantinople had really been inthe in inthe the pay of ot Abdul Hamid A National Serb Comedy The dark ages have huye no story to equal this one which is to this day a favorite theme of conversation conversation wherever wherever wherever ever people meet Abdul Hamid sleepIng sleepIng sleep- sleep Ing lug in one one of r th the multitudinous rooms of that called Yildiz Palace after ho tad had said he would sleep in others lulled to rest by the cheapest type of sensational al and melo inelo French novels dreaming over plots against his life Ue lri t with a multitude of Qt revolvers moro more than three thousand were found after be he had b been en d dethroned his palace a wonderful house of ot fear his eunuchs possessing greater prestige and power than the nations nation's foremost statesmen the army and civil officials all parts of a malign machine for or which the overburdened people had hid to pay poor noor is there anywhere In history his pay nay pay pay pay-Is tory L an equal chapter to this Turkey Turkey Tur- Tur key knew a reign of terror Abdul AbdulHamid AbdulHamid Hamid represented a reversion to barbarism barbarism barbarism bar bar- primitive In- In the basest and to equipped with untold wealth I i and the tho enginery of ot modern tion The Great Awaking Such was the night from which Turkey Turkey Tur Tur- key awoke with startling suddenness Is it any wonder that this historic city once tho the capital of Rome Romo and of Greece and of of- tho Christian empire a city more truly than J Jerusalem beautiful for tor situation and the joy of the whole earth rang with such acclamation acclamation ac ac- ac- ac as the proudest of ot Its Us ancient ancient ancient an an- emp emperors had never heard eard HIb Liberty long dreamed of and often orten despaired of of of cam cathe came almost l His overnight to a throne on the where two continents and two seas meet Constantinople Is ad admittedly the most strategic city in the world So it was no small smaIl event when it fell before before be be- fore the irresistible forces of of century civilization The Young Turk victory was hardly the nicely calculated scheme often represented rather it was a few leaders taking advantage ad vantage o of a resistless co conquest by the spirit of the times Imes What the New Regime Means With the significant deta details ls of the new conditions in Turkey I shall deal dealIn dealin dealin in subsequent articles here I want to present the broad outline Approaching Constantinople by Water water water wa wa- ter one finds It It still as of yore ore the fairest airest work of ot f man that anywhere greets the travelers traveler's eye Above the roofed red red roofed houses unmarked by the stacks emoke s of modern Indus industry r rise the toe graceful minarets On a a. commanding commanding com cam manding position on one of the sev seven n hills of ot old Stamboul St. St Sophia keeps guard now a mosque but the oldest building in existence dedicated to Christian worship and more magnificent magnificent mag mag- than St. St Peters Peter's in Rome or St. St Pauls Paul's or Westminster Abbey In London or Notre D Dame me in Paris or orthe orthe orthe the gaudy Don In Berlin or historic St. St Stephens Stephen's in Vienna Greeks Armenians Armenians Ar- Ar Ar and Roman Catholics dream and prophesy of the day when the cr cross ss wilt will once again shine above St. St Sophia's great great dome and the power A Mosque of St. St Sophia Constantinople of Christendom will be supreme on the Adjoining St. St Sophia's the traveler sees the Seraglio where tragedies beyond count have been enacted The palaces the fast scurrying and the latticed windows of the harems of Turkish houses all pass in review It Is a beautiful and picture If he be arri arrives es by rail the traveler I beholds the ancient walls of old Constantinople Constantinople Con Con- I and is quickly introduced to the filthy odors and disorder r lof of the theIn In incredibly kept ill streets of Constan Constan- But signs of tho the new regime ar are not wan wanting ling Here is a n street turned up for an elec electric ric railway yonder yonder yon yon- der a road engine is at work and a highway Is being widened A group of graveyard cypresses is giving way to a modern thoroughfare Actually sidewalks are being laid in some places The Constantinople Dogs The famous famois or infamous Constantinople Constantinople Constantinople Constan- Constan dogs are r missing missing- except for for foran foran an occasional stray at which critics of ot the new administration point fingers fingers fing fing- ers of scorn Some thousands of dogs were gathered up by workmen with wooden ton tongs tones s dropped Into carts carts' and carries to towboats which bore t them em to an island in the harbor The simpie simple simple sim sim- pie and natural way would have been to kill them painlessly and end th the matter or accept some one of the commercial offers to clean the city of dogs for the sake of the hides one company agreeing to give the government government govern govern- ment a n bonus ar Jr r the privilege But the Turk has ideas of mercy toward dumb animals albeit rather cal The poor mangy flee bitten curs viere were sent to this island where it is said they got nothing nothing- to drink or eat eat although supposed to be fed by government grant Certain it ft is that the dogs which at first waded out to tosea tosea tosea sea In longing for tor the filthy streets of old Constantinople speedily became be came fewer and fewer and all are arenow arenow arenow now but a tradition of dark days that are gone The Press as Archimedes' Archimedes Lever Most 1 significant of all the signs which an observer notes in the Constantin Constantinople Con Cobb stantin of today are the boys and men Irien who hawk daily newspapers through the streets Extras In strange track hen-track Turkish Arabic and Armenian script are arc flaunted Inthe in inthe inthe the face of the tho cosmopolitan passers- passers by They are real newspapers too filled with the tho doings of the tho whole world or Of course this means a changed order or or- der of society You cannot have newspapers news news- papers without having progress The lark dark ages cannot stand the tidings of what ia is going on In the world The press is one of the levers levers lev lev- ers by which the world is moved What armies and mobs could not do doIn doin doin in the be overthrow of ot despotism tho I printing press Is le silently accomplishing accomplish ing not only In Turkey but In China Chinn and arid Persia and the other backward countries of th the world With the uncensored press have como come books A man may now read anything he pleases In Turkey My bag of ot books received not a n second glance at the Custom House which caused a fellow traveler used to the thew w ways ys of the old order to tell stories storie of what would have happened two years ago had a n traveler tried to br bring ng a suit case full of books into th the the Custom Custom House The There e Is free entrance entrance entrance en en- trance for tor twentieth century ideas in Turkey Whereas men used to have havo to whisper under their breath the big words of Liberty Justice I Equality and Fraternity they thoy now cry them alo aloud d and placard them themon on the the highways Formerly neither Ottoman nor foreigner could trave travel in the interior of Turkey without a special passport now anybody may go anywhere Some Marvellous Transformations Transformations' No o organizations were permitted under the old regime Today clubs societies and parties flourish Spies ar arle are but a hideous memory Even Evens s schools for women are permitted and encouraged Turkish officials send their daughters to the schools of ot modern modern mod ern erp learning maintained by the fore for for- e eigners Alongside of at the veiled woman In sombre wrap o one e sees the swagger skinned dark-skinned modern girl in merry w widow dow hat and hobble skirt I noticed noticed noticed no no- a Constantinople college girl with an array of puffs on the back of her head such as one commonly sees on Broadway and which are surely never made outside of tho the shops Well Vell p patronized cinematograph shows present present pre pro sent the latest fashions as well weB as the latest news In a word word and and with reservations and exceptions to be noted later later- modern civilization has come to Tur key There are multitudes who forone forone for forone one reason or another sigh for the re re- re- re turn of ot the good old days but their power Jower has been hopelessly broken I Turkey is awake never to sleep again Her future is an absorbing enigma that concerns alike the practical statesmen of the worlds world's capitals and the student of df human Whatever Whatever Whatever What What- ever her destiny may be be the sleep of ot death has pass passed d. d The new life liCe of ot the new day is the he latest conqueror to sweep over historic drenched blood-drenched Turk Turkey Copyright 1911 by Joseph B. B Bowles |