Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-21
REFORMS IN TURKEY
SuItan's Power as Despot and
Religious ZeaIot Gone.
PRESS FREEDOM ASSURED
Some Examples Of Censorship Under
Old Regime.
BIBLE STORIES SUPPRESSED
Made People Change Their Names.
Could Not Endure Anything
limiting Liberty.
PRESS FREEDOM ASSURED
BIBLE STORIES SUPPRESSED
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

| BIZ WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
| Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
| Herald.
! Rev. Franklin E. Hoskins of Beirut,
Syria, who Is one of the best posted
men concerning what is going on in
the. Turkish empire, writes me that
Christians Protestante and Catholics,
Greeks, Armenians and Jews will all
be eligible for election to the new
Turkish parliament and for official po-
sitions under the government. Here
after appointments will be made with
out regard to religious belief, and 1T
is entirely probable that the same rule
will be applied to the army.
"Already there are voices proclaim
ing New Islam," writes Mr.. Hoskins.
land asserting that neither the sword
nor polygamy nor divorce nor the Sc
clusion of women is essential to the
orthodox Moslems. Indeed, there is a
demand among them for something bet
ter than the best they have had, and
| there is pathoS in the attitude of many
| Moslems who wish to die as they have
| lived, but intend to have their children
| trained to ideas and habits of Christian
morality.
Sultan's Power Diminished.
'Pan-Islam is dead so far as the Sui
tan of Turkey is concerned. The con-
stitutional ruler of the Ottoman empire
| will never again be a political despot
or a religious zealot, and he is the only
one left of orthodox Moslem rulers. His
person and throne have been dimly
lighted up by pickering hope Of re-
| ligious supremacy over the MoSlem be-
| in oil thew
| could have been united in such man.
ner, they might have been used as
powerful political weapon against the
Christian nations of the earth. But that
| is not possible now. and the supremacy
| of Mohammedan power in Turkey de-
ponds upon keeping Christians, Jews
and other non-Moslems out of the
army.
was very largely based upon the pos
| sibility of the Turkish army being used
at some time in holy war but Chris
tian missions and other lights of mod
and less possible every year. Under
the new regime christians and Jews
are to be given a share in the govern
ment of the empire as ottoman SUP
jects: If they are also received INTO
| the Turkish army the possibility OF
that army ever again being employed in
Moslem "Jehad' has passed forever.
1 This means the sheathing or the pros
elyting sword which has been the
| greatest power in the spread of Islam
for more than twelve and one-haif
| centuries. This marks an era IN hu-
man history.
Death the Penalty for Apostasy.
eff now the new regime will daree to
abolish the death penalty for ''apostasy
it will make a new epoch in religious lib
erty. During the past centuries the Tur-
kish army has always. been a Moslem
army and the Turkish political system
was violently opposed to any Moslem en-
bracing Christianity because such man
and his male descendants were lost to the
army. When any foreign power attempt
ed to protect any OF these converts to
Christianity the Turkish government abb
solutely ignored the claim for freedom of
conscience and religious liberty, and
charged the man with treachery to his
own sovereign. At the same time the
} foreign power was accused of striking a
blow at the military establishment of the
empire, for there have been times when
large sections of the Ottoman people
would have willingly made professions OF
Christianity in order to escape military
consumption. Now that Christians and
Moslems are alike available for military
service. the bitter political opposition OF
the former regime has no reason for ex-
) istence and drops automatically out OF
practical politics.
"In the London Times. not long ago. nc
: less parsonage than Enver Bey, one OF
the great leaders of the new movement,
said:
LIT seems more than likely that in the
Providence of God, the greatest obstacle
to the Gospel in the east may yet yield
! to a pressure from within. 1t is at least
) certain that with the coming of new
Turkey must also come sooner or later
; religious liberty, and that will be the
. opportunity of the Gospel.
, Press Censorship Abolished.
Zone of the most significant conse-
quences of the adoption of a constitution
in Turkey was the abolition of the CEN
sorship of the press. The reign Of the
, present sultan has been marked by q
rigid censorship over all printed matter
that grew more bitterly oppressive every
year. The men chosen for this task were
narrow, ignorant and Indignantly suspi-
) ciouS OF everything. They were arbitrary
to the last degree and had power to sus-
pend newspapers and periodicals at any
time and for indefinite periods without
giving any reasons for their action. They
were feared and consequently We're able
to blackmail every publication that ap-
peared. Editors and owners of newspa-
pers wore themselves out trying to find
inpocuOus coiorless subjects and articles
with which to cover the waste places in
their papers. and year after year grew
more and more ashamed of the meaning
icSS 6toA tuc CcuSoE STdCIOuSiy dllOWCQ
to pass.
!, Mr.. Hoskins. who has charge Of the
newspapers and periodicals Of the Presby.
terrain printing house at Beirut. Syria, re.
lated his experiences to me recently. say
ing:
Old Regimes Unprintable Words.
For six years before the atrocities in
Armenia we were never allowed to print
the word Armenia for any conceivable
purpose and seldom ever since those
events. During the thirty-two years OF
the present reign the word 'Murad' was
not allowed in the language. Unfortu-
nately, 1t was borne by the sultan imme-
diately preceding the present ruler. who
remained prisoner. said to be insane
until his death, two years ago. AS late al
!. three months ago we could not print the
word "fatat," meaning youth. because OF
it's suggesting the existence Of the Young
Turks. The word republic has always
I