The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-08-20

their work IL risky and beset with ersvV
dangers and obstacles n few facts that
may be cittd I'm illustration VIII snow.
The tutelage under which the press 10
kept in Turkey II complete and absolute.
Every day. before a paper may De print
ed and Issued all the proofs OF It's matter
Including every lire Of the ADVERTISE
mcnts-must be submitted TO the govern
ment censor. This official has big stan
OF men. yersed in every language, ana
they carefully and infinitely read ana
examine every word which Is 10 70 into
each issue OF the paper. II there is abb
solutely no objection the censor puts DIS
signature and the equivalent OF the word
permitted" on the proof, and the paper
may then be issued. Where any passage
or any word has been found which the
censor deems inadmissible or inexpediene
the necessary changes or corrections must
first be made. And in such cases. where
the Objectionable matter is altogether too
grave. publication OF the paper Is sus-
pended or else IL If entirely suppressed.
The latter contingency happens frequently
enough. During the stay Of the writer
In Constsntinople, some seven years ago.
which lasted but three weeks. no fewer
than four OF the journals were suspended
or suppressed. Among them was one
edited at that time by q Moses berger,
Frenchman, who was completely ruined
by this severe procedure on the part OF
the government. or all the journals
there. the Levant Herald printed In Eng
lish and French. IL allowed the greatest
latitude OF expression
The Sultan himself does not read tho
papers. not even the Turkish ones. but
he Is handed every day a large number
OF eXtracts-in many cases literal quo
tations-from the principal journals OF
the world. These extracts and resumes
are made with great care by officials
specially employed for that purpose. and
they allow his Majesty TO keep constantly
thoroughly informed Of the principal
things that are going on In the world,
including his own domain. lie Is q hne
critic, the ruler Of the faithful Is, and
nothing OF Importance escapes his eagle
eye. OF course. politlcs-European poli-
tics-is what interests him tho most. and
as soon as an article has appeared In
any leading or influential paper. no mat
ter In which country OF Europe, which
displeases him seriously. he gives In
structions TO have the writer silenced.
In his own country this silence IL eff
fected with the greatest OF ease and at
no expense. but I'm foreign countries good
Turkish gold has Co be employed. or
diplomacy. 20 reach the same result.
noxious TO the Sultan. and his censor
never allows IL TO figure In any Journal
that IS submitted TO him. This in 80
strictly carried out that even TO this day
the Turkish papers have not yet been
permitted TO state that Brazil has de-
throned her Emperor and become re-
public And, consequently. the Turkish
people are at this hour still uncon-
scious Of the radical political change
effected IN the great country OF the ANA
| zon river. All political news is scanned
| attentively before II Is allowed To APP
| pear In Turkey, and many words In the
| political dictionary are positively and
| permanently tabooed. such rs signify or
are connected with popular government
| especially. The word revolution" and
| its Turkish equivalent is, more than any
other. prescribed In Turkish journalism;
| also trouble" uprising" riot" and
everything else that is calculated TO
| arouse the phlegmatic subjects OF the
| Sultan from their mental and political
| torpor.
II Is a queer fact. too. that the Same
| rules apply to the wording OF advertise
| ing matter I'm the newspapers. And these
certain additional words are deemed Inn
| permissible for Instance. tho word
| star" because the official palace OF the
| padshah Tor sultan is popularity known
| as Palace Of the Star. and the profuse
use OF that word seems disrespectfui to
| the sovereign. From all this y nav be
| imagined that the life Of Turkish jour
| nalist Is not a happy one. And II must
| not be forgotten, either, that II Is not
/ only the editor and the publisher ana
| the owner OF n newspaper that are held
10 strict account for every word printed
| ln Il. but that this responsibility ex-
tends TO every one even remotely con-
nected with the publication Of the sheet,
TO the printers and compositors.the proof
readers and the errand boy and even
to the "deyiP' himself.-Chicago Herald.