The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-26
sULTAN's LITERARY REVENGE.


Even" with Many People.
New York Commercial Advertiser.
If there be any truth in the report which
was published the other day to the effect
that the Sultan is writing his memoirs.
there are some uncomfortable moments
in store for great many continental dip
lomats and foreign ministers. The report
says that the Sultan is recording the whole
story of his relations with other countries,
and especially the story of all the COM
plicated intrigues which have seethed and
stewed and simmered In Constantinople
throughout the years of his eventful,
gloomy reign. All those who promised
him things and who failed to keep the
promises, all the lies that were told him
and who it was that told them, all the
secret stabs administered by the diplomats
of one Christian nation to the diplomats of
other Christian nations-here is material
for a narrative of a rarely piquant inter-
est. 1t Is said that the Sultan will not
publish the memoirs in his lifetime, but
will leave the manuscript containing them
to be thrown posthumously as an apple
of discord among the Giaours who have
made Abdul Hands reign a constant
WEAKNESS to his spirit
This, on the whole. would be a rather
neat revenge If 1t could be carried out as
planned Surely, the Sultan has some
reason to resent the manner in which
every Occidental scribbler has made Of
him a target during the past ten years.
From Mr.. William Watson up and down,
all sorts and conditions of penmen have
taken a shot at the Commander Of the
Faithful They have described In detail
his alleged cowardice, cruelty, greed,
meanness. duplicity and sensuality, until
least five languages. The Sultan cannot
very well retaliate upon these individual
writer's, but he has 1t in his power to make
the official representatiynes Of Russia russia
it more or less difficult for them to meet
each other afterward on terms of even
pretended official cordiality.
There is not very much chance, however,
that such book will, In reality, be pub
lished. The Sultan certainly would never
dare to have it issued in his lifetime; and
after his death the Turkish government
would certainly suppress IL as a matter OF
public policy. Such has been the fate of all
the memoirs written with frankness by men
who not only looked upon history In the
making, but who were themselves it's max
ers. 1t Is all very well for Saint Simon
or a Greville to tell what he knows: no
revelations of state secrets. Whatever such
men say and write will always be accepted
a
all, so much of what they knew was neces-
sarily based upon knowledge gained at Sec
ond hand, and allowance is also made for
the personal bias and prejudice Of the
writer. Hence, memoirs such as these get
published and are read as valuable con-
tributions to history, yet they are not quite
the real thing, for 1t Is possible in the
case Of any particular assertion to question
dement,.
When. however, man who really did the
trero ha fnllc Of
done by others, writes down unfinchingiy
the narrative of 1t ALL backed up by docu-
ments and conclusive proof, somehow or
at large in its original form. There are
too many public interests at stake and
too many powerful personages directly in
men have always left the most dull and
tedious record of their own career. Take
the famous case of Talleyrand, for instance
that prince OF intrigue who watched the
very heart beats of the revolution, Of the
directory, of the consulate, of the empire
of the hundred days and of the restora-
ton, and who served In turn whole series
of mighty masters, whose secrets, as well
as their obscurest motives. were laid bare
to his keen gaze There is no doubt that
when Talleyrand composed his memoirs
with the injunction that they should not
be published until 1868, he really did set
down the most extraordinary things which,
If known, would blast the memory and
blacken the names of half the great men
and women Of his time. When the year
arrived, however. serious was the con-
sternation in France and on the continent
generally that Napoleon III ordered the
publication 70 be postponed for twenty
two years: and in the meantime the manu-
script was twice edited and expurgated
The result was that when, in 1890 the
memoirs were actually given to the world
they were found to be as coIorless and
commonplace though they had been
written by Talleyrands chief footman.
The same thing was true of the memoirs
OF Bismarck out of which all the sparkle,
as well as all the historical interest, had
been discreetly drawn away by the authors
son. And the same thing will inevitably
continue to be true Of all such records In
| the future; for man who really guides the
destinies of nation is never free with the
| freedom Of the private individual; and what
| he leaves behind him is no longer subject
| to his wish. Hence, If the Sultan actually
desires to take the revenge which we have
indicated, there is probably no way in
which he can accomplish ii successfully UNI
| less, during his own lifetime, he shall con-
| fide his completed manuscript to an Ameri-
| can publisher who would regard the indig-
nation of European courts as being simply
good advertising material, and who would
| pay a price which would temporarily ease
| up the financial situation in the Yildiz Ko-
osk.
ACrUnENTS TII ~ nnN,T N a nDrN