Evening star., 1902-08-28
SULTA AS CENSOR
UNFORTUNATE EDITORS OF
NEWSPAPERS IN TURKEY.
No Such Thing as Liberty of the Press
or Freedom of
Speech.
From the New York Mail and Express

From the New York Mail and Express
If there are newspapers anywhere that
! contain more emptiness than those OF
| Syria travellers who have perused them
| would like to know where they are pub
| llshed. These papers are a pitiful illustra-
| tion Of the feebleness of the press under
| certain conditions. They are not even yell
| low. They are colorless. The beautiful
rich Arabic language, one Of the most opu-
| lent tongues in the world, does not seem
capable of uttering one original, radiant
living thought. The sole desire OF the
Arabic journalist seems to be to write in
the lofty tones and stilted style of the Ko-
ran about the coming and going of the va
rious "effendis," about different city events,
such as robberies, riots and the giving OF
charity. There are editorials, but they cam
not truly be called opinions. They who
enter the editorial sanctum to write leave
all ideas behind
Praise, Not Blame.
Editors are all smiles and all expectation
Tor subscriptions. Occasionally some one is
criticised; but on the whole, there is more
praise than blame dealt out to the public
1t Is known that the Syrians are a friendly
people. All newspapers come under the
stringent Turkish censure but, as the Off
cials in charge are naturally very indolent,
they leave things largely 10 the editors.
who are responsible to them for their
papers. But the more timorous editors are
In such fear OF the censors that their papers
OFTEN come out with many columns of
blank space and hardly any reading matter
at all, as IL the best things" had been
eliminated by dozens OF scrutinizing off,
c1als. The censors are mostly Turkish Off
Gals, who know but little Arabic and
hence the many curiosities so often encoun-
tered. For instance, the censor of Beirut
would not pass the word ''murod," mean
ing TO visit" because Murad has been in
carcerated by the sultan.
Afraid of News.
Turkey is in terrible fear Of all things
that happen in Europe. There are con-
stant misgivings lest public events in other
countries should stir up its devoted sub
3ects and make them interested in their
own conditions. In 1894, when President
Carnot was assassinated, the Syrian papers
presented the news of the calamity, which
they had taken from the European journals
On the second day the censor sent for all
the editors Of the Beirut papers and re
quested them to announce that President
Carnot died a natural death. The editors
apologized to their readers for the egregiou.
error made, and told how the president of
the French republic died in his bed sudden
ly, but "as peacefully as child"
The "Devilish" Telegraph.
The newspapers must not mention the
words telephone" and telegraph" be-.
cause they are considered to be devilish
devices which circulate throughout the
world the news Of all things that occur
In the Ottoman empire. But stories OF the
bravery and loyalty of the Turkish oficials,
Of the glory and grandeur OF the army and
government are looked upon with benign
favor. During the Russo-Turkish war the
Turkish papers again and again announced
that the car and his army had been cap
tured, and that only through the magnan-
unity Of the sultan were their lives saved
To the Mohammedans such items of news
were quitelogical, for they see things through
their conception of the sultan, who takes
the place Of the holy Mohammed. Accord
ing to their conception, the whole wcrld
belongs to the sultan, and II there are other
Kingdoms and kings they rule with his per-
mission. for he is sovereign OF the world.
The great fear which the newspaper pub
fishers have for the Turkish ofhcials who
call themselves assistants OF the sultan"
Is not unfounded. II these lofty personages
are not obeyed 1t means that the paper is
not to be continued.