Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1877-09-29
The Progress Of Turkey.

I, IS thought by many thst there has
been no progress in turkey. Without
expressing any opinion, We can state q
ew tscts which, being facts, can not b
c1u.raiic,ed. At the time OF sulslman
be Magnificent, Turkey was, on the
whole. very little. fatal, behind Europe
The horrors Of the InQuisi:ion and OF =.
Bartholomew, the cruelty Of Philip IL.
and Henry VIII, fully equalled any
thing Of the sort in Turkey st that time.
since that period Christendom has ad
7anced in the arts and sciences beyond
Turkey; while the appalling horrors OF
the French revolution, the commune
the Cuban wsr, American slavery and
the Russian knout, and many other in
stances too common. too awful and too
recent to be forgotten, have shown Us
there j. still too much Of the tiger blood
remaining in our nature TO enable Us TO
be too free in c~0ndemning Turkish afro.
cities when they are fighting to preserve
their national existence. But granting
that upto the time Of the Greek revoiu,
ton Europe had completely distanced
Turkey, We find that since that time
there have been reallygreat socia. change.
and innovations in Turkey most OF them
Improvements and reforms. Religious,
liberation, which, as regards all sects but
the Moslem, existed in Turkey before ii
was even dreamed Of in C~hristendom, ha'
been extended to Mohammedans, and a
man may now in Turkey accept any faith
he chooses, and be actually protected IN
it. such absolute liberation exists else.
where only in Great Britain, the United
States, and Germany, and one or two OF
the minor states Of Europe. Numerous
periodicals have been established in Con
stautinople smyrna, and elsewhere, and
the censorship Of the press IS less oPpres'
.iye than in France.
Numerous works have been printed
and scholars like Achmet Neik Pasha
would be creditaUle to any people. Nil.
itary and medical colleges, and numerous
universities and educational institutions,
supported by the government or by pri.
yate enterprises, have been founded
while the circulation OF the bible and
| religious works OF every manner OF belief
il carried on throughout the empire with
perfect freedom. The army and navy
are organized and armed entirely upon
European modes, with the exception Of
the irregular soIdiery, and many of the
officers and members OF the government
have been educated abroad, The slave
trade in women has been practically
aboIi he'd, aud there is a strong tendency
to introduce reforms in the garb and regu.
lations Of the harem itself. And, to
crown all, a legislative body has been
organized, and Moslem and Christian
have been placed on an equality. Thcs-
and numerous ether reforms have all
been accomplished within forty years.
and naturally met with opposition from
the conservatives, while the brevity of the
time that has since elapsed does not allow
J us yet fully to Judge Of the possible re-
suits. But it is only fair to the Turks to
allow them credit for the reforms they
nave attempted to accomplish, and for
the fact that ii some of these reforms hSd
depended upon the fanaticism of the
native Christians, little would have been
done in this direction.-S g. ". Ben.
jamin in HqrPer's Magazius.