Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-07-16
c. II A 7


The ocean are as much our neigh6ors
now as some OF the colonies were TO each
ofher when George Washington was IN
auxursfed Things that happen In Tur-
KEY one day we read OF the next. and
10 keep I'D with the affairs Of our neigh
bors that far away we must get out our
Biographies and see just where the boun-
daries are
Last winter I taught a class In one
Il the mission study courses and since
then / have followed up the line OF
thought by reading everything on Turkey
that has come my way.
The last book that I read was Daybreak
n Turkey, by James L. Barton and there
we're so many good things in il that
must pass some OF them on 10 YOU
ar. Barton says: when the Turks
aid siege TO Vienna In 1879 IL was at the
period OF their greatest prosperity II
AZ that time the entire area Of the Otto
nan empire had been inclosed by a mod
est wall Il would have taken large army
81 workmen from that day 20 this TO tear
down the old boundaries and re-erect
Them on the new lines. At that time IL
was the most powerful realm In the
world IL included all the states border
ing on the Mediterranean except Spain.
France. Italy and Morocco. the entire
Black See coast. and nearly all of that
Danube district. Gradually province af-
ter province. state after states slipped
from the grasp OF the sultan. With the
treaty Of CarlOwitz in 1899. Il amounted
70 actual dismemberment. The epithet.
The Sick Man of the East was applied
10 the sultan after this loss of prestige
from which he never recovered.
The Turkish empire NAV now be de-
fined as covering Macedonia in Europe.
49, to - N
ncludeA Bulgaria Albania and Adrianople
all OF Asia Minor TO the Russian and
Persian border upon the east, Syria and
Arabia with two small sections OF Africa
and a few islands in the Mediterranean.
II exercises no actual control OF Egypt,
while It's hold upon parts Of Arabia is
constantly being contested by the people
themselves.
II may be said. therefore. that at the
present time the sultan of Turkey actu-
ally rules over only COnstantinople. the
Macedonian provinces in Europe and
Asia Minor TO the borders Of Russia and
Persia This country commands the In
crest OF the Biblical. classical and his
sorical student beyond any other part of
DC world. No other land possesses so
many antiquities of such priceless worth.
4 is the battlefield where for more than
airty-fve centuries contending civiliza-
A-l AAA4 lu>llAc EellelolS uuQeF AMBITIOUS
leadership have met in bloody conflict
There is hardly a section that has not
seen directly connected with some we'll
rnOwn historical parsonage. or race, or
hat has not been given the setting to
some event Of worldwide renown.
The ruins OF massive castles and fort
reEses. meats and walled cities, that tell
u former strength. OF pride and OF
sonfiict. are found in almost every part
u the empire. Inscriptions in many
languages adorn the cliffs or are built
-uin- Fragments OF ancient roads with
arches OF bridges and OF aqueducts stin
standing are as old as our Christian era.
telling OF the engineering skill of the
aarly posseSsors OF the land.
In the soil thrown up beneath ones
feet are found gold. silver. bronze and
.cpper coins. with dates varying from
slx hundred years before our Christian
IRA to the coin Of the ruler of the realm
today.
The ancient city OF the Trojans, for
zen years defended BY Priam against the
snally successful assaults OF Agamemnon
and his Greeks. was upon what is now
Turkish soil Many OF the scenes pic
tured IN the Iliad and the Odyssey have
heir staging I'm what Is now modern Tur-
Key Assyria and Babylon and Ninevah
here arose into prominence. welded their
sewer and recrossed this country. Here
Cyrus met his great defeat and Keno
phon made his immortal retreat. all with
n Turkey. Alexander the Great. born in
Macedonia. conducted many OF mis- great
campaigns. fought with Darius and de-
ieated him. occupied SidOn and annexed
Babylon and Ninevah 90 the throne OF
Greece. and died in Babylon while plan
ming the conquest OF Arabia: all in ter
rftory now subject 20 the sultan.
At the time Of Christ much OF Asia
Minor was a Roman province. Ruins OF
Roman roads and Roman bridges in many
parts OF the countries extend TO the
northern borders OF Mesopotamia. while
Roman coins and Latin inscriptions are
TOO common 10 be noticed. II Is safe to
say that there Is no other part Of the
world which presents 50 much OF inter-
est 20 the student OF classic literature
and life as TO the territory now covered
81 the Turkish empire.
The same Is true in no less striking
measure Of the literature and life record
ed IN the Bible. Probably all Old Tesla
nent history except that part which was
enacted in Egypt belongs TO the geogra-
ply OF Turkey: and Egypt was. until re-
cent years n part of that empire. The IT,
g-is and Euphrates rise and flow through
their length upon Turkish soil Chaldea.
Haran. Mt MOriah. Sinai. the wilderness,
Nineveh. and the promised land are a
part Of the present Moslem empire. Tur-
KEY includes the land % the prophets and
the kings OF Israel. and from what is to-
day her domain the Hebrew poets sang;
there too. the temples were built. the
choren race vas scattered. enslaved and
restored.
Except for one brief sojOurn OF our
Lord in Egypt. His entire life was passed
on what Is now Turkish territory. With
few exceptions the apostles lived labored
ard wrote and died in regions now ruled
By the sultan Of Turkey. The great for
sign missionary Paul spent but little time
outside OF this country. while the site
Of the seven churches of the Apocalypse
II in Turkish territory. The most of our
Christian scriptures were written In the
same country. passing from there 10 the
west
The land ofTurisey may well be called
me cradle OF classic and Biblical literature
OF the Jewish and Christian religions as
well as that OF Islam. All of this. how
ever. be Il not forgotten. refers only to
The territory covered today by the Turk
lEh empire and not at all TO the empire it
self"
Isn't Il an interesting book? Every Sun
day school teacher and teachers OF geog-
raphy could use the information in this
cook. TO great advantage. and anyone who