The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-02-21
NEWS OF THE WEEK
 IN CHURCH AFFAIRS
By ID. V. F RANGES

New York. February 2O.-(special)-1t has been generally felt amongst mission ary circles that the crisis in the govern ment of Turkey means q move in the direction of better things. It should be nc surprise to thoughtful people that the progress should be slow and at times seemingly halting and uncertain, for though the overthrow of the former Sul- tan was thorough and complete, never theless no great movement is likely to progress to a satisfactory completion without many setbacks. Of the troubles of the Young Turks at the present time I note the following interesting sketch in recent periodical.
 "The Turkish government has many difficult problems before it and it's pres- ent situation is anything but encourag- ing The new grand vizier, Hakli Pasha, is the seventh who has held that position in the last IS months, that is since the first rising of the Young Turks. In inter- national affairs the Cretan question re- duires most careful handling, with Greece in state of chaos under the control of an irresponsible military league and with the prospects of intervention on the part of the great powers. The Young Turks are bound to lose prestige if they out rage patriotic Moslem sentiment by mak- ing concessions even to superior force. In Macedonia there is renewed racial un- rest. Moreover, it has as yet been found impossible to come to terms with the Christian churches and schools. The Ar laa gressive of clements in the empire, are not collaborating with the Young Turks because they feel that the authors of massacres at Adana have not been ade- quately punished.
 "The financial situation also is very far from encoura ging Large sums of money are needed for the commercial develop ment of Turkey. Foreign capital is a necessity. but the Young Turks are re- luctant to grant to any power any kind of economic monopoly. Hilm Pasha un- doubtedly lost his position chiefly because he was willing to grant to an English company a monopoly of navigation on the Tigris and Euphrates. Another sore point is the question of Ottoman railways. The powers are at loggerheads over the question of control, and in the mean time the poor peasants of the empire are being cruelty mulcted for the railways already built to secure the guaranteed revenue which must be paid to foreign stockholders.
 Tn an unostentatious way German financial influence is slowly becoming par amount Commercial travellers of Ger man firms are to be seen everywhere throughout the Ottoman dominions and the financial leadership of Germany seems likely to make that country an important factor in deciding the future of Turkish rule in Asia as well as in Europe"
 MT. John D. Rockefeller never forgets his affection for the city of Cleveland, where so much of his life has been spent. The latest evidence of partiality for the city of his youth has been shown in a donation of s100,000 toward the fund which is being raised for the erection of the new Young Mems Christian association home. It seems that some time ago a committee of business men was organized to procure $500,0O0 to be expended in erect nig and equipping one of the finest build ings owned anywhere by the Young Men s Christian association. When this com mittee approached MT. Rockefeller, he at once promised to contribute one-fifth of the sum required, provided the bal ance Of S4000O0 was subscribed in the city of Cleveland itself. In some sections of the country that would have been a quietns to the movement. but the Cleve- land men took it in entirely different fashion At a great banquet which was held to do honor to the handsome sub scription of MT. Rockefeller, so much en- thusiasm was shown that 1t was felt that | before the week was out more than the | balance required would be in hand One unique feature of the arrangements made | to give zest to the procuring of subscrip- | tions. or was 1t possible as preventative | to an over amount being subscribed r. | is an enormous clock which has been erected in the center of the public square, and upon one of it's dials is recorded | moment by moment the exact amount l that has been subscribed. With so much | ingenuity and enthusiasm enlisted no one can doubt the satisfactory result | of the enterprise. Some people think of London as be-
 hind the times; but very frequently we are brought to recognize that that is a l mistaken notion. When I was last in | London the number of buildings being | torn down to make way for loftier and more modern structures impressed me | as being in excess of anything l had ever | seen in this country. Just fancy me l Strand being widened and graced on
 either hand by modern skyscrapers' which if not quite as lofty as those with | which New Workers are so well acquaint- | ed, nevertheless have their upper stories | concealed in the clouds Cor should I say l London fogsJ quite as often as any of the | towering office buildings that grace Man | haitian island. However, the most recent thing that has attracted my attention is | the fact that while Engishmen boast | of their quiet day of rest and the chance stranger who finds himself in the great | metropolis of the world on Sunday | morning may come near starving to death | while he looks for an open reastaurant | or eating place, nevertheless the modern | craving for news has called into being the most unique arrangement that | think has ever been called forth by the | genius of man. Since February l. persons | having mail sent from the country or Saturday or arriving from abroad car have their letters opened in the London postoffices and the contents telephoned al
 a charge of cents for every 30 words The sender must address 1t to the cen tral telephone office, London, and marl envelope with broad line from tor 10 bottom in addition to enclosing enough postage stamps to cover the number ol words to be telephoned.
 Evidently our brother John has had z different experience with telephone op orators from ourselves. l can just fanc, having "central' open my letters ant give me tine contents according to her owl inpre ssion of what that contents ough 10 be. The only thing that saved man, Il well-meaning telephone girl from al
 M1zIII!Il
 Only One ''BR0Mo 0UINNE." that A n