The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-07-20
FROM THE SULTAN'S DOMAIN
Consul-General Sweeney Returns from
His Labors at Constantinople.
Narrowly Missed Being Captured by Turkish
Brigsnds and Held for Rsnsom-College
for American Girls on the Bosphorus.
special TO the Indianapolis Journal.

the past year. He will spend his vacation
at his old home in Indiana. Constantine
pie, he says, is as dull as Washington In
midsummer. The American legation Is
the only one of the foreign legations left IN
the city during the hot spell. The repre-
sentatives of the other nations 90 up the
Bosphorus for the summer months. Their
governments support two establishments
for them, while the American representa-
tive has to pay his own rent. 1T would
cost me about 3, 500 to spend my summer
ND the bosphorus,r said Mr.. Sweeney. land
could spend it much more agreeably and
much less extensively in Switzerland.
Germany OF England. The summer up the
Bosphorus is like the winter in CONSTANT
nople-a series of receptions and garden
parties-and we get enough of that in the
winter season."
Mr.. Sweeney says that the prevalent i'm
preston In this country that our foreign
consuls have little to do is not cor
rect The consular representative of the
American Nation abroad. If faithful to his
duties" said he, "can find employment for
nearly all his time. The duties of the con-
sul general at ConstantInople may be CLASH
lied under three heads:
''First-As consul general to Turkey it is
his business TO receive and transmit for in
spection the communications from TIE va
rious consuls In the empire. This OF itself
Is quite q labor.
.'Second-As consul for the district of
ConstsntInople he has the various duties
of certifying invoices of goods. caring for
and relieving INDECENT seamen and protect
ing American citizens, both native and
naturaliZed.
''Third-Ths consul general is also
- I'd L.. -
and as such il is his duty to administer the
law of the United States. There being no
extraditiOn treaty with Turkey, and Amer
lean citizens having extraterritorial rights.
they are not tried in Turkish courts, but in
the consular court.
in addition to these as regular duties,
the consul who Is disposed to be at all &C
cOmmodating can find large employ ment
IN acting In a general way for the comfort
and convenience of American tourists, of
which great many 60 to CoDstantin0ple.
Since the opening mp of the railway from
Constantinople and Vienna to Paris. most
of the travel to Egypt and Palestine in the
winter and spring goes through COnstan-
tinople and Vienna in the second quarter
of the year. / presume that there were at
least three thousand tourists In Constan-
tinOple last winter.
CITY OF CHURCH HISTORY.
There are q great many things ia and
around Constantinoble of interest to the
traveller" said the consul general. "As
Rome Is the great city of military power
and Athens the city of classic lore, so
Jerusalem is the great city of religions
feeling and Constantinople the city of
church history. After travelling four hours
from ConstsntinOple you arrive at Brusa.
the first capital of the Ottoman empire.
which is the burial place Of all
her distin guIshed people Salonica.
"a few miles southwest, is city
Of tramways and many modern i'm
proyements Like all modern cities it has
its hotels, theaters and parks. which are
very fine. This city, because the ablesr
diplomates and largest legations are sta
toned there. is called the college of diplO-
macy ..T. ,u,,,...;o, 90 -. o...y..;,
Mr.. Sweeney, us q favorable one. The
usual idea is that they are uncivilized,
crude and coarse. This is not 40. They
are nation of teetotalers and their native
instinct Is for truth telling. Their religion
though not of my kind, seems suited to
their requirements, and they live up to it.
/ would deem 1T a great cnrse for Russia to
obtain possession of this empire as there
are signs on all sides of material progress.
The old custom of selling slaves in public
places has been abandoned and. though a
slave may be sold occasionally diligent
search never fails to reveal the proper
place to apply the law. With the excep-
ton of prOselyting to the Mohammadan
faith. the Turk tolerates all religions. The
Sultan Is one of the most conscientious sov-
ereigns of Europe and devotes more
thought care and attention to his people
than any other sovereign on the continent.
He is simple in his habits and deeply re-
hgious. He drinks no wine aud has no
higher ambition than to serve well the
nation at whose head he is. In these views
i believe all diplomates at COnstantinople
agree.
Americas diplomatic relations are very
slight compared with those of the countries
op g continent, but her educating and
civil ing influences far surpass those of
auy tIropean nations. Robert College. on
tne Bosphorus, five miles from CONSTANT
nople. has fifteen professors and two
hundred students At Scutari, opposite,
COnstantinople Is college for girls purely
American, having ten female instructors
from this country representing the best
New England culture. Though these
schools are doing much to throw light in
the dark places of the empire, they are
accepted by the people only with toler-
alton"
NEVER HEARD OF CHICAGO.
When asked what he thought of Turkeys
participation in the worlds fair, Mr..
Sweeney said: when 1t was known that
Chicago had been selected for this purpose
there was considerable disappointment ex-
pressed. as New York was the only great
city of America of which the people knew,
but through the Constantlnople news
papers. which are printed in many
languages. the people were educated on
this subject so that they now realize Chi
cagO's i'm portant position in this country.
have no doubt that Turkey will give q
highly creditable and satisfactory display
at the exhibition"
Speaking of Turkeys disadvantages. Mr..
Sweeney said: II believe there are not q
dozen postoffices in Palestine. The surviv-
a OF brlgandage Is also another draw back.
The government has not yet succeeded
in crushing out that class of criminals
The train on which was ex pected TO leave,
had not business interfered. was captured
by these outlaws. and the passengers
robbed and dragged TO the mountains. with
no hope of rescue OF escape until the gov
eminent has paid 100000 francs for their
release, but not. however. before several
hundred of them had died from exposure
and Entertainment i think that this last
outrage will awaken the government to
more active measures in the suppression of
these outrages."
Mt. sweeney was appointed 20 his pres
ent position by President Harrison i'm the
summer OF 1889. lie is a native of Ken
lucky. having lived there until he was
twenty years of age, when he came To In
diana 70 take charge of a church al Co.
lumbus. were he left a large congregation
after accepting the consul generaIship to
the Ottoman empire He has recently
written a highly interesting book entitled
Under len Flags" giving an account of a
trip saken by him through the Holy Land
few years ago. The time of his return TO
His post Is not as yet definitely known.