, 1877-12-07
Progress in Turkey.

1t is thought by many that there has
been no progress in Turkey. Without
expressing any opinion, we can state a
few facts which, being facts, can not be
contradcted. At the time of Suleiman
the Magnificent, Turkey was, on the
whole, very little, if at all, behind Eu.
rope. The horrors of the InquiSition and
of St. Bartholomew, the cruelty of Philip
II. and Henry VIII, fully equaled any
thing of the sort in Turkey at the time.
Since that period Christendom has ad-
vanced in the arts and sciences beyond
Turkey; while the appalling horrors OF
the French Revolution, the Commune,
the Cuban war, 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 is still too much of the tiger blood
remaining in our natures to enable us to
be too free in condemning Turkish atroc-
tiles when they are fighting to preserve
their national existence. But granting
that up to the time of the Greek Revolu-
tion Europe had completely distanced
Turkey, we find that since that time
there have been really great social
changes and innovations in Turkey, most
of them Improvements and reforms. Re-
ligious federation, which, as regards all
sects but the Moslem, existed in Turkey
before it was even dreamed Of In Christen-
dom, has been extended to Mohamme-
dams, and a man may now in Turkey ac-
tcept any faith he chooses, and he actual
ly protected in it. Such absolute toler-
alton exists elsewhere only in Great Brit
ain, the United States, and Germany, and
one or two of the minor States OF Eu-
rope. Numerous periodicals have been
established in Constantinople, Smyrna,
and elsewhere, and the censorship Of the
press is less oppressive than in France.
Numerous works have been printed,
and scholars like Achmet Vetik Pasha
would be creditable to any people. Mil.
itary and medical colleges, and numer-
Gus universities and educational institu-
tions, supported by the government or by
private enterprise, have been founded,
while the circulation of the Bible and re-
ligious works of every manner of belief
is carried on throughout the empire with
perfect freedom. The army and navy
are organized and armed entirely upon
European models, with the exception of
the irregular soldiery, and many of the
officers and members of the government
have been educated abroad. The slave
trade in women has been practically abol-
ished, and there is strong tendency to
introduce reforms in the garb and regu.
lations of the harem itself. And, to
crown all, d Legislative body has been or
ganized, and Moslem and Christian have
been placed on an equality. These and
numerous other reforms have all been ac-
compished within forty years, and have
naturally met with opposition from the
conservatives, while the brevity of the
time that has since elapsed does not allow
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
have attempted to accomplish, and for
the fact that if some of these reforms had
depended upon the fanaticism of the ma
tive Christians, little would have been
done in this direction.--S. G. W. BenjG-
nin, in Hd9per's Magazine.