Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-26
needed, however. particularly machinis
and electricians.
The Turkish Censorship.

The Turkish censors are giving a great
deal of trouble to the editors OF missionary
publications in that country just now. For
some reason or another they have become
particularly sensitive and will not even
allow the international Sunday school les
sons to be published without omissions and
alterations, which appear to be absurd ana
useless There are now more than dozen
weekly and monthly periodicals issued by
the several missionary boards for circu-
lation among the Christian population es-
pecially and the public generally OF the
Ottoman empire. They are published chief
ly at Constantinople, Salonica and Beirut.
and are very much like the Sunday schooi
papers Of the United States, containing
religious articles, poems, stories, anecdotes.
page Of religious and secular news ana
the international Sunday school lesson,
which is used simultaneously all over the
world.
A letter Just received from the editor Of
one of these periodicals says that the CEN
sors will not allow them to publish any
reference to the recent presidential election
in the United States. Every editorial and
news item abiding to it has been killed
because the sultan does not wish the people
of his empire to know how the rulers OF
some other countries are selected. For
similar reasons the papers were never al
lowed to publish anything concerning the
assassination of President Mckinley. You
can look through the files of every news
paper and the pages OF every book ana
finding any reference to that tragedy. Ev-
erything in the news columns and editorials
of the papers that points toward an in
dorsement Of republican government Is sup
pressed.
The writer says: TN recent announce
ment of a day of prayer for schools and
colleges throughout all christendom the
censor inserted the word American be-
fore schools, as IL to suggest that the only
creatures who needed praying for were
those who had found their way into the
American schools. Until recently the CEN
sors have not interfered with our Sunday
ders from higher authority, they are de-
tecting suspicious phrases and trying to
discover revolutionary sentiments between
the lines. This has been going on for SIX
weeks with very trying experiences" The
censor will not even let the Bible alone,
and has attempted to revise the Arabic and
Turkish TRANSACTIONS OF the gospels and
epistles.
The Pension Rolls.
Since the close of the civil war 1880. 495
persons have applied to the government Of
the United States for pensions. This in
cludes soldiers. sailors. widows, minor chill
dren and other dependent relatives. and
]. SGT, O69 Of those persons have, at one time
or another, drawn pensions from the treas
ury. The highest number of pensioners.
900, 446, were on the rolls in 1902, who re-
ceived a total Of S141, 1896. 6e..S5. which was
an average Oh Sl.tS per capita VI the popu-
latiOn Of the country. But the pension sys-
tenn was the greatest burden to the people
in 1898. when 966. pensioners drew $l81,-
ia. 372.3 SO, or $2.44 per capita of our popu-
lation. The amount of money paid for
pensions is gradually decreasing and the
assessed valuation of property in the
United States is rapidly increasing, so that
today it costs SLIT per capita of the popu-
lation to pay the pension bill, which
amounts to 81. 80 per 81 600 Of taxable prop
erty in the United States.
On account of the Spanish war Sc. 752
have applied for pensions. of whom 68. 1913
were soldiers and $3.50 widows minor
children and other dependents. OF these
81 767 applications have been granted and
% SIT rejected Already $3.50 200 has been
paid in pensions growing out of that war.
The amount during the last fiscal year was
S., 106.931.