The Washington herald., 1909-04-25

entail mind Sir Robert Hart, who Ia.
spent half century IN the service O.
China. where he holds a loftier ranl
,han that ever attained by any whit
nan. confessed that every year which h
has spent IN the Far East increased hi
appreciation OF its ignorance concerning
The people among whom he has cast hi:
.oL
Lord Cromer. who. after tvo successive
sojourns in India. first as private secre
tary and alter ego Of the viceroy. LORD
Northbrook, and then as minister OF
finance al Calcutta, put In more thar
twenty-five years as de facto ruler Of
Egypt has made an analogous admission
with regard to Orientais.
So. too. have Lord Curz0n and other
men OF mark. who are regarded as au-
thorities OF International fame in every
ching that pertains to the East One and
all declare that 10 a European. no matter
what his experience. the Oriental mind IS
vtterly unseeountable- That is Why it is
impossible 10 predict what Is going tc
take place at Constsntinople. where the
situation Is changing from day 10 day
Just IN the same manner that the Boxer
ebeIiion in China caught Sir Robert Hart
ntirely unawares IN 1900. so were the va
ious foreign ambassadors at Constantine
2 completely taken by surprise IN con-
lection with the revolutionary coup d'etat
lere last summer. Yet some Of them had
zen stationed for whole decades on the
aores OF the Bosphorus. for TO other
r1rpose than 10 keep careful watch upon
le doings and projects OF the sublime
aJrte.
What the ultimate outcome Of the dis
--grbances Of the last week in the Turkish
apital and elsewhere IN the ottoman
mpire viii be. II Is difficult 20 foresee-
ny prophecy would. under the eircurp-
rcnces. be mere conjecture But one
hing at anv rate remains certain, name
B.. that the Sultan VIII be stil further
h0rn Of his prestige and authority. i, IN
'eed. he is stin alive and on the throne
hen this letter appears IN print
The man toward whom more eyes are
.,rned to-day IN Turkey than upon any
ne else. snd who indeed may be said TO
aold the key Of the situation az Con-
tantinople. is the Sheikh-ul-Islan1, Meh-
-ed DjemaI Eddin Efendi. who, although
wing his Office. the highest IN the State,
. the Sultan, has nevertheless the power
the sole pOwer-to depOse the sover-
ign. and 10 proclaim all true followers
= the prophet as relieved Of any further
eregiancs toward the monarch. whom he
-;as pronounced unfit 10 reign
In one word no Sultan can be removed
1or his successor appointed without a
-etvah OF decree OF the Sheikh-ul-Islam.
Who can likewise prohibit the execution
II any command Of the Sultan when he
considers II 10 be contrary 10 the Null
1eka, 4 legal code based on the tradi-
-ionaI sayings OF Mshomet and the re-
corded decisions OF his successors, hay
ing the force Of precedent
While the Sheikh-ul-Islam Is the high
est ecclesiastical dignitary OF the empire.
he Is stIU more important and powerful
as the supreme interpreter Of KOranic
and Multeksn law. Nearly the whole Of
Turkish Jurisprudence is based upon
these. and Is administered by the So
called SheTi courts. all OF whose decisions
are liable 70 revision and reversal by the
Sheikh-ul-Islam
The Sheikh therefore occupies post
ton something akin to that Of the lord
high chancellor in thOss ante-Reforma-
ton times in England, when the keeper
ship OF the great seal OF the realm was
held by a prelste who was not only the
highest dignitaTy Of the church. but also
Of the law. II the Sheikh is the head Of
the clergy. or Iuaums he is also the
chief Of the Clemas. who supply al the
judges. magistrates. and also professors
and teachers The revenue required for
their maintenance Is derived from The
Vacoufs. OF church lands. which are enor-
nous IN extent.
In fact. the "Statesman's Year Book.
one Of the most conservative Of standard
annual works Of reference. declares that
al least three-foUTths OF the urban prop
eTty Of the Ottoman empire belong 10 the
Vacouf- II IS no exaggeration. indeed, 70
assert that II holds most Of the freehold
IN the Sultan's dOminions. and is the
ground landlord OF the vast majority of
the population.
The leases which It grants have all
sorts Of oppressive stipulations. among
them one 20 the effect that Il a lease
holder dies without a direct heir. a son
or daughter. or grandchiid, the property
reverts. ipse facto. to the Vacouf. and
cannot be bequeathed 10 either widow
or other relatives.
OF course this condition OF affairs viz
tu9ily prevents the Industrial and eCOnO-
mic development OF the country. Of
which there is no hope until more modern
laws than those Of the Koran and OF
the MUlteka are enacted governing the
holdings and transfers Of real estate,
and OF landed property. and other tTibu-
mails than those Of the Sheri are devised
to interpret the new legislation.
Il was because the leaders Of the Con-
stitutional party. as represented b.
Grand Vizier Hilmi Pasha. we're known to
be intellectual rather than religious.
and were credited with the project Of
seizing and secularizIng the Vseouf
property. reorganizing the tenure sys-
TEN. and Of creating new land courts.
in the place Of the Sheri tribunals. as in
dispensable TO the prosperity and regen-
Grafton OF the empire that he vas over
thrown by revolution, in which the
Ulems, as shown by the cable dispatches,
took q leading part
Possibly the Sultan may have encour-
aged this belief on the part OF the J-lena.
but Il was they. not he, who drove Hilmi
Pasha from Office The restoration Of the
Constitutional party IN power and its
maintenance in Office. VIII depend on the
extent 20 which Il is able 10 reassure the
Clema that II has no designs on the Va
cOuf property. nor on the SheTi courts
For every true Moslem looks upon the
Nac0uf and the Sheri as Indispensable 10
his faith. and as sacred institutions. In
fact. % Is no exaggeratiOn 10 assert that
al Islam Is behind the U-Iema IN this
matter.
Once the Sheikh-ul-Islsm is satisfied on
this point. all opposition 10 the Constitu- /
tionalists on the part OF the Ulemas. the I
Imaurns. the Softas, and OF al the theo- 1
logical colleges and judicial and religious /
Institutions viii cease as If by magic. 1
For his control IS supreme and unques-
toned. and from his decisions there Is no I
appeal
To what extent the Sultan IS s1bordi- 1
nate 20 bis authority was strikinglv |