Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-28
ALUMNI OF ROBERT
College Graduates in High
Places Throughout Orient.
HELPED BUILD UP Bull GARIA
Only One Turk Has Received Di-
ploma in Past.
RESTRICTIONS NOW REMOVED
Non-Sectarian in Its Teaching.
Part of Government System
Of Education.
RESTRICTIONS NOW REMOVED
BY WILLIAM E.. CURTIS.

Chicago RecOrd-Herald.
CONSTANTINOPLE,A August %, 1910
You will find the graduates of Robert
College scattered pretty thoroughly over
Turkey. Armenia and the Balkan states"
said Dr. Caleb F. Gates. president OF that
institution. in reply to my inquiry.
You will find many physicians. attor-
neys, teachers, bankers merchants, Ship
ping agents. clerks in the Imperial Otto
man Bank, in the post Office service of
Turkey and in the counting houses of
Constantinople and other cities. Several
of our students are merchants in New
York.
"One of our graduates of the class of
70, DR.. Zenos, is professor of theology
in Mccormick Seminary at Chicago. DIR.
Mangasarian of the Chicago Society of
Ethical Culture graduated in the class
of 1876.
Our first class, graduated in 1868, was
composed of two men. both of whom
have since become distinguished. One of
them Is Prof. Hagopos Djedjizian. who
occupies the chair Of Armenian language
and literature in Robert College. The
other is Petco Gorbanoff. who has occu-
pied several prominent positions in the
government Of Bulgaria and is now vice
president Of its parliament.
Helped Upbuild Bulgaria.
"Our graduates have played a most i'm
portant part in the building up of Bull
garfa. We have furnished at least two
prime ministers. Constantine Stoiloff and
Todor 1vantchoff; four ministers of for
eign affairs, three secretaries to tho king,
one secretary to the Bulgarian cabinet
three attorneys general, two ministers
OF public works. a minister of commerce
and agriculture. a minister of the in
terror, minister of finance, q minister
OF posts and telegraphs, a director of the
state railways, three ministers of Justice,
comm1ssary general for the Bulgarian
army, the administrator Of the Bulgarian
National Bank, the administrator of the
State Agricultural Bank, no less than
twenty-five members of the Bulgarian
parliament and ten or twelve members of
the diplomatic service of that country
you VIII find among the list of our
alumni the names of two members Of
the deputation which selected Prince
Ferdinand to he the sovereign of Bull
garis and offered him the crown. Both
commissioners to the ST Louis EXPOSE
Stanichef, are Robert College men.
I'VE have furnished ten or twelve pro-
fessors for the colleges of Bulgaria. nu.
merous superintendent of schools, teach
r.
geons In the army.
You will find our alumni teaching In all
the American schools and colleges through
out Turkey. in Armenia, Macedonia and
other provinces. Most Of our Greek gradu-
ates have gone into commercial life and
several have been remarkably successful
They are the sons Of Greek merchants
In Constantinople, Athens Patras and
the islands of the Mediterranean. Some
OF our Greek students have come from
Russia also
The Armenian graduates have gener-
ally gone into professional life, and have
been remarkably successful In medicine.
law and education. Two of them are now
studying engineering in Edinburgh"
Only One Turkish Graduate.
What has become of your Turkish
graduates"
I'VE have had only one Turkish gradu-
ate before this year, and he is now a
teacher. Under the old regime, Moham-
medan boys were not permitted to attend
Robert College. They frequently came,
but the government ordered them away.
AT one time we had two nephews of for
mer Sultan Abdul Hamid, but they remain
ed only few weeks. AS soon as he heard
they were studying in a Christian col
lege he sent for them. and we never saw
them again.
But since the new order of things,
we have more applications from Turkish
students than we can accommodate. We
have fifty-four Turks now on our rolls
and I reckon we turned away more than
hundred last fall.
Among them is a nephew Of the
superintendent Of education and grandson
Of the sheik of one of the orders of
dervishes The Turkish government Is
sending five students here. selected by
the department of public instruction.
THE head of that department said to
me:
Take these young men and make
good Americans of them II you want to-
teachers for our schools Train these
men.
1--WE need good men in Turkey. Make
them good men,"
College Is Non-Sectarian.
do you teach the Christian religion?
asked.
I'VE are absolutely non-sectarian. but
try to practice the Christian religion.
We do not ask our students to become
Christians, but every student who enters
this institution has an opportunity to
learn what the Christian religion is, and
can accept it if he pleaSes. he is never
asked to do so.
I'VE have MOhammedanS, Jews, Armen-
ians, orthodox Greeks, Persians, Rus
slams. Bulgarians. Servians, Bosnians.
Egyptians, Germans, Englishmen and,
altogether representatives of fifteen diff
ferent races and five different
religions. Every one Of them is
required to attend daily prayers and the
regular religious services on Sunday.
They sing Christian hymns: they hear
Christian prayers; they listen to Chris
tian SERMONS, according to the creed of
the Congregational Church. The sermons
are usually lectures on morality, rather
than doctrinal expositions.
THE students thus get the truth con-
corning religion in the chapel Sunday, as
they do in the classroom concerning
science, history and geography on week
days. They can make such use of it as
they please.
I'VE have never had any complaints
concerning the preaching. The Jewish |
and the Moslem students are often among
the most attentive listeners to the SER
mons and the most punctual In their at
tendance upon prayers. But we never |
ask their Impressions; we never discuss |
doctrinal questions with them; We never |
invite their confidence; we never inter- |
fere with the faith they profess.
Part of Turkish System.
Have you received any congratulations
from the Turkish government upon your
recent legacy"
"Oficially, no; but unoff1cially several |!
members of the government have sent us |
their congratulations. Robert College is |
DAD vH<~A 80 49,