American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1856-11-29
Inauence of the Late War upon tho
Turkish Empire. ,f..l ..gt

- turkish Empire. fg,t gat
~ In interviews with the Rev. DR..
Hamlin, of Constantinoplc, and listen
ing to his able public addresses, during
his recent visit to this country, we learn
that the American missionaries there
unite in the expectation of immense
benefits to the millions Of Turkey from
the late bloody conflict. H,w 3a.
The old rivalry of tic Asiatic East
and the European West was the real
cause of the war. Russia feared the
influence of British railroads from An
tioch to the Euphrates, and from E.
gypt to the Red Sea, and wished to
stop the, progress of the Protestant re-
ligion, ,cspecially J.. as connected with the
American missions in Turkey. T sa.r,
! The early claim of Menchicoff upon
Fthe sultan was, that the Greeks in
Turkey, with whom Russia is identi-
fied,) should have all privileges Which
,haveevor been granted by the Sublime
I'Porte to the most favored nations.--
This virtually would run back a thou
sand years, would include frmans that
for centuries had been dead letter,
and would have been used to establish
Russian power, & soon to expcl every
American missionary from Turkey
England and France supported the
Sultan in resisting this claim, 4 hence
the war. af.t .f.. .m..# .ar .
The religious liberation secured by
the treaty Of peace to the whole Turk
ish empire, Mohammcdans, Armenians,
Greeks, Roman Catholics, and Protcs-
tants, is more comprehensive than is
fully understood from the French and
English translations. 1t is in substance
this: As to religion, there shall be no
prohibition of the free exercise Of con-
Sciencc. 1t may lie to some extent as
dead letter; but this is its true i'm
port. 1t annuls the death penalty to
Mohammedan Turk, if he embraces
Christianity. Possibly this toleration
might ultimately have been granted by
the Sultan if the war had not occurred,
but now the powers of England and
France hold him bound by solemn trca-
Ity to fulfil it. Some Turks have been
already converted. The distinguished
Turkish convert at Salonica is supply
ing DR.. lIamlin's pulpit in his absence.
The treaty also allows Turks to sell
land to Christians; the whole terrific
ry having hitherto been held solely by
Mohammcdans. Hence wealthy Arme-
mans have been bankers Or merchants.
The Turks sec that the spiritual
religion taught by our missionaries is
widely different from Popery. The
Mohommedan absolutely rejects Pope
ry as ad0latrous, in the worship of pic
lures of saints, etc.; absurd, in pre-
tending to turn the wafer into God, etc.
and corrupt in the falsehoods and the
sins universally prevalent. Neither of
these charges lie against the religion of
the American missionaries; and when
they preach to Armcnians in Turkish,
the Turks come in and learn the way
Of salvation, though they would still be
far from welcoming q missionary to an
exclusively Turkish congregation.
The Turks are also purchasing many
hundreds Of the Bible, & reading them
with intense interest. A Mohammedan
Turk at the head of sixty villages had
prosecuted Bible colporteur, when
the colporteur gained access to him,
tostifying that he was only circulating
Gods inspired word. Let me hear,
thcn," said the proud Turk, "from the
prophet Moses" As he listened, he at
length asked for the Psalms, and then
for the prophets, and then for the gos-
pels, and then the epistlcs, till the col
porteur had read to him eight hours,
when he told the colporteur to go on
in his work, and assured him that if
AGAIN ,nolostcd bo youl1 bo b;a ,.o