The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1909-01-21
SEES A new TURKEY,
Will Be Like Japan, Says Otto.
man Resident In Portland, Me.
MEANS MUCH TO N

eshara George couri, sNaturalixsd citi-
zsn, Tells How Young Turks In All
Parts Of the World Worked TO Lift
Centuries Old Yoke Of Slavery.
Turkey viii be like Japan. You win
find 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 Court, a
diamond merchant known all over New
England, a resident Of Portland, Me-,
has to say. says the Boston Herald, Of
the recent government reforms In Tur-
key.
Mr.. Court Is well educated and ener-
getic, has been In this country about
twenty years and has been very suc-
cessful. He is q natpralized citizen
and is educating his children in the
Portland schools. 2ift
Mrs. Court, a handsome woman and
finely educated, is a 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. Court. ."aThe wo-
men at home now are appearing on the
streets without wells. They VIII soon
be treated and regarded as are Ameri-
can women, and the change will mean
30 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 a
great change and one which will be
greatly to thettF advantage"
Mr.. Court has had an interesting
career. For years he has been Of
the Young Turks associates. a band
ot ambitions and patriotic young men
who have labored at al times foF the
freedom Of their country. I
Until now l have never spoken Of
T." said Mr.. Court. II didn't dare to
say much about Il because Of the feel
ing against the Young Turks at home.
But today We rejoice. We have freed
our country. I tell you that there
never was any country like America.
1t is a paradise, the real home Of free
dom, a place where a, man is q man
and a woman q woman, where human
kindness prevails, where all religious
beliefs are tolerated, where those Of
every faith work together for the com-
mon good. I don't believe you know,
you people who were born here, what
It is to be an American citizen. I am
proud Of this country, and I love it as
I do my children and my wife.
But my w home, my own Tuck
itsh country, is my first love. It is a
grand country, with great possibilities.
For centuries we have been laboring
to cast of the yoke which held us
down. Today it has been cast aside.
We are no longer a country of slaves,
but q country Of freemen. Ten years
from today You will not know Turkey
or its people. Japan has been the won
der of the world. I 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.
"Tha Young Turks Of the best fam
lilies 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
" or suffered aa much for freedom as
have the Turks. When the whole
story, as many Of us know it, Is writ
ten It will make all Of the other strug-
giles for liberty pale into insigniacance
beside it. 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 1t is different, and it will be diff
feFent now in 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 In
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 a
large navy, a big army and q good
system of education.
"The sultan, Abdul Hamid, means
right. He is all right now, 1 think. I
like him now that he has granted ia
u people their liberties.
"You people over here know little Of
the work 1t has been to bring about all
OF these things.
Il remember when my brother came
back from America, where be had be.
come a ~naturalized citizen. He stood
on the streets at home and said, You
people want to be free like tho Amer
tcans.'
Hush; don't talk 20 loud, men
would say to him; the soldiers WIN
XII You OF drag you away to prison.'