The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-10-06

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, cannot be
contradicted. At the time of Sulieman
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 that 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 Incl
dents too common, too awful, and too
recent to be forgotten, has 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
atrocities when they are fighting to pre-
serve their national existence. But
granting that up to the time of the Greek
Revolution Europe had completely dis
tanccd 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 Chris
tendon, has been extended to Moham-
medans, and a man may now in Turkey
accept any faith he chooses, and be act
ually protected in it. Such absolute toll
Grafton exists elsewhere 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 Constantinople,
Smyrna, and elsewhere, and the censor
ship 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 peo-
pie. Military and medical colleges, and
numerous universities and educational
institutions, supported by the Govern
ment or by private enterprise, have been
founded, while the circulation of the BIZ
BILE and religious works of every manner
of belief is carried on throughout the
Empire with perfect freedom. The Army
and Navy are organized and armed en-
tirely 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 abolished, and there is a
strong tendency to introduce reforms in
the garb and regulations of the harem it.
self. And, to crown all, Legislative
body has been organized, and Moslem
and Christian have been placed ON an
equality. These and Numerous other re-
forms have all been accomplished 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 results. But it is
only fair to the Turks to allow them
credit for the reforms they have at
tempted to accomplish, and for the fact
that, if some of these reforms had de-
pended upon the fanaticism of the native
Christians, little would have been done
in this direction.-Harper's Magazine.