The Florida star., 1909-01-15
SEES A new TURKEY,
win Be Like Japan, Saws Otto
man Resident In Portland, Me.
MEANS MUCH TO WOMEN.

rem. Tells How Young Turks In All
Parts OF the World Worked to Lift
Centuries Old Yoke Of Slavery.
Turkey win be like Japan. You will
nnd that from this time out she will
make wonderful strides forward and
upward. She win become the wealth
lest. the happiest and the best country
Of the world Her people are bright,
her young men are ambitious, and with
the good government she is now to
have we can expect much from her."
This Is what Bshara George Couri. a
diamond merchant known all over New
England, q resident Of Portland, Me-,
has to say. says the Boston Herald, of
the recent government reforms In Tur-
key.
Mr.. Couri is well educated and ener-
getic, has been in this country about
twenty years and has been very sue
cessful. he is a naturalized citizen
and is educating his children in the
Portland schools.
Mrs. Couri, handsome woman and
finely educated, is graduate Of the
American school In Tripoli, Syria. She
has been In the United States for about
ten years.
"For the women the reforms will
mean much more even than they do to
the men," said Mrs. Couri. "The wo-
men at home now are appearing on the
streets without wells. They win soon
be treated and regarded as are Ameri-
can women, and the change will mean
90 much to them and their children.
The Turkish women OF all religious
beliefs are fine women In every way.
They are ambitious, and they are anx-
ious to be freed from many Of the Gus
toms which have prevailed for centu-
ries. No one knows what all OF these
changes mean to these women, but
within a few years the world will rec
ognize the fact that there has been
great change and one which will be
greatly to their advantage"
Mr.. Couri has had an interesting
career. For years he has been one Of
the Young Turks associates, a band
OF ambitious and patriotic young men
who have labored at all times for the
freedom Of their country.
"Until now I have never spoken Of
It." said Mr., Court. 81 didn't dare to
say much about 1t because Of the feel
ing against the Young Turks at home.
But today we rejoice. We have freed
our country. tell you that there
never was any country like America.
II Is a paradise, the real home Of free
dom, a place where a man is a man
and a woman a woman. where human
kindness prevails. where all religious
beliefs are tolerated, where those Of
every faith work together for the COM
mon good. ! don't believe you know,
you people who were born here, what
II is to be an American citizen. l am
proud Of this country, and I love 1t as
do my children and my wife.
But my own home. my own Turk
ish country, is my first love. Ii is q
grand country, with great Possibilities.
For centuries we have been laboring
to cast or the yoke which held us
down. Today It has been cast aside.
We are no longer a country Of slaves.
but a country of freemen. Ten years
from today you will not know Turkey
or its people. Japan has been the won
der OF the world. believe that you
will recognize that Turkey is the most
wonderfully progressive nation the
world has known in that time She
will duplicate what japan has done.
'The Young Turks Of the best fam
ilies In Paris. Berlin, Vienna, New
York, everywhere. were working all
the time to make the people free. No
people on earth ever fought as brave
ly or suffered as much for freedom as
have the Turks. When the whole
story. as many of us know 1t, is writ
ten II will make all OF the other strug-
giles for liberty pale into insignificance
beside 1t. Eighty thousand men. and
good men. too. bright men, brave men.
noble men, sacrificed their lives for
their country.
AT home everything handicapped
the man who tried to succeed. Over
here II is different. and 1t will be diff
ferent now I'm Turkey. Today they
write me that business men are al
ready beginning to branch out and in
crease their business. There are coal
mines. gold and silver and copper I'm
Syria and other parts OF Turkey.
These mines will now be opened up.
and the people at home will make
money, The Young Turks want n
large navy. a big army and a good
system OF education.
NThe sultan, Abdul Hamid. means
right. He is all right now. l think l
like him now that he has granted to
our people their liberties.
You people over here know little of
the work 1t has been to bring about all
Of thoaa' thinVa