The Hickman courier., 1877-06-29
TURKISH R4PACITY.

The history of the world does not af-
I food another instance of vast multitudes
of vanquished subjects so grievously OPP
pressed for eeptalries jss-leeir.so'V-Es' 's'-s-'
| land by a mere handful of conquerors.
1t has been principle of Ottoman gov
ernment to allow no official survey or
census; but it is believed that the total
population of the empire does not ex-
ceed thirty-two millions, and OF these
about thirteen millions are in Europe.
OF the latter only three millions are
Moslems; the rest belong to the subject
races and religions. Turkey is notTeally
a Mohammedan country. The faith OF
Christ has existed in Constantinople
thousand years longer than the creed of
the prophet, and is to day held
with surprising tenacity by three
fourths of the subjects of the sui
tan. 1t is the very diversity Of these
conquered races, and their almost total
separation from each other by mountain
ranges, by deep, broad waters and by
lack of roads, as much az the merciless
oppression which gives them no chance to
revolt, that have kept the Moslem minor
ity in so full and continued power. The
Servians and Albauians are different
tribes with different tongues; sowith the
Greeks and Bulgarians, with the Arme
mans and Syriaus Between many dis
tricts even a similarity of religion does
not exist, and comPanionship in misery
forms the only bond Of unity in interest.
Beside all this, the Moslems alone possess
arms. 1t has always been a fundamental
principle that the entire military force
shall be drawn exclusively from the ranks
of the faithfuE and, although recent re-
forms have seteaside the maxim, yet the
condition OF the Christian seems not to
be altered, or altered for the worse. The
Turks have the fortresses and the har
bors, the arsenals and the treasury, in
comparable Constantineple and all the
cities. The rayabs, poor and crushed by
centuries of slavery, arescattered far and
wide e7er the country, and have only
their humble homes and little patches of
ground covered with taxation.
Even these DO not belong to them. No I
Christians family Is inviolate, nor can he
own foot OF the fand on wnTen vviisl
out his days It should be said, rather, /
that this latter statement was the law for /
four centuries, until abolished by the re-
cent Taazju,qt of Abdul-Medjid in 1856. |
But we are considering the cause ofdecay /
in the Ottoman empire, and no reforms |
of recent date can affect the subject, espe-
cially as these usually fall dead upon their |
promulgation. The Taazimat itself, |
constitution of which any Christian ma
ton might be proud, has prodnced pitia-
bly, small resuC,s, although it promised |
a perfect Utopia No Christian, then,
however wealthy in money, however pow
erful in his tribe, could be a landed pro-
prietor The titled fields. the boundless
pastures, the luxuriant vineyards, all re-
mained in the grasp Of the Turks, who
are usually poor in money, lacking in ell
terprise, and unable to do anything with
their possessions but to let them out to
the despised Christians, from whom they
wiring the last farthing by taxation. Then
when they come round on their too fre
quent visits of collection, they invade
the sanctity of the home, and make the
Christian feel the heaviest yoke that ever
CALLED the neck of man. No beautiful
wife or daughter is safe from the lustful
Turk. The victim of his fancy is ruth
lessly torn from the weeping and stricken
household, despite all the fine edicts and
promises OF recent years, the ruined hus-
band or father is fortunate to come away
with his head, if he goes to make COM
plaint. But a few weeks ago an aged
father, whose daughters had fallen under
the evil eye of the collector, tremblingly
declined to lodge him, as Is the custom,
until the village taxes were gathered.
The enraged Turk saddled and bridled
the man, and rode him back and forth,
until he sank with exhaustion.-Apple-
toms Journal.