Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-10-10
Mistrltansuns Reaaina.
THE MEDIAEVAL TURK.
Better Than He Generally Gets Credit
for Being.

THE MEDIAEvAL TURK.
Better Than He Generally Gets Credit
for Being.
No people in the world are more
likeable than the Turks. They are
kindly, honest and generous-hearted.
They are gentle in their ordinary life.
Many Americans hearing these facts
for the first time find 1t hard to recon-
cile this view Of the Turk with the
stories they have heard Of his cruel
and blood-thirsty nature. How can
the Turks be kind and gentle" they
ask, when they commit such barbaric
deeds?"
1t is just at this point that the
Turk is so hard to understand. He
Is kind and gentle and Of winning
PERSONAL---VERY. he is capable Of the
utmost cruelty. When his religious
fanaticism is aroused, or when he is
putting down a rebellion he slays in
cold blood women, and children at
the breast; burns down homes and
shoots the inhabitants as they come
forth; violates women before their
own husbands, and carries the best
into captivity. A town thus ravaged
leaves little resemblance to human
dwelling place.
There are Bulgarians and Armeni-
ans living who have gone through
scenes Of untold horror. Naturally
they do not love the Turk. Yet the
English and Americans who live
among the Turks do like them-do
come to feel a real affection for them.
You meet a pacha who will capti-
vate you today by his kindness and
winning personality; and the next day
he may have prisoner tortured to
death with perfect unfeeling.
Whence these contradictions in his
nature? The assumption that he Is
a hypocrite-that his kindness is
merely put on, is not an explanation,
for 1t Is not true. The Turk really is
kind, generous, loving, and he is also
cruel.
Still In the Middle Ages.
The explanation lies in this-that
the Turk is still in the middle ages.
He is only half way up from savagery.
Like all Orientals, he holds his life
and suffering as Of little Importance.
This Indifference to physical pain is
characteristic of the east.
The Oriental does not differ in ma
ture from the Occidental. We who
inherit and receive from our environ
ment an exquisite sensitiveness to the
sufferings Of others, leading us to es-
hospitals, care for the suffering
and do away with all forms Of cruel
ty, must not be harsh in our judgment
of our eastern brothers.
It is only few centuries ago that
we, too, held life and suffering in lit
tie value. We hung men for stealing,
we quartered them for differing from
US in political opinions, we burnt
them at the stake in order to save
their souls. An offense to prince
meant more than ostracism from So
cietg-it meant a sudden removal
from this world. A grim age-an age
Of bloodshed and horrors, Of cruelty
and torture, gone never to return. We
have risen above it-from the Dark
Age Of Europe to the enlightenment
~ tho twantieth canturv
Yet even within two or three CEN
turies we could have found in Eng
land the prototye Of the modern
man, the kindly dignified merchant,
who could witness with calmness tor
ture, execution, burning at the stake.
That 1t is not Christianity alone that
has produced this twentieth century
gentleness, the religious tortures OF
the middle ages bear witness. In a
cruel age, Christiaity was also cruel.
In the name Of Christ people under
went tortures of every conceivable
form and perished at the stake. Re-
finement of feeling Is a natural result
Of q peaceful, segregated life. Our
nerves are too sensitive to witness the
shedding Of blood. We are not cruel
but our age Is none the
less cruel. We can let hundreds be
Ill OloCL ~
crease our stocks and bonds. We can
be coldly Indifferent to suffering
caused by us II 1t goes at a distance.
Yet this much has been gained
that physical gentleness and kindness
holds sway in the twentieth century,
and we do not have to fear the rack,
the sword or the stake. A difference
Of opinion does not necessarily mean
death, or even imprisonment. Our
feudal lords may exact revenue from
US in the price Of oil, beef, wool and
other commodities Of life, but they
have no direct power over our per-
sons. The highest gentleman In the
land may not wilfully strike the
meanest servant.
The Orient is still in the Dark Age.
Human suffering means little to
them. They have not yet cultivated
a sensitiveness to 1t. Numerous forms
Of torture still exist there, delightful
in their simplicity. In Samarkand 1t
has been the custom to throw crimi-
nails from a high tower in the center
Of the city, Another form Of execu-
ton was that Of dragging them over
paved streets behind swift
horses. Still more interesting death
awaited political offenders. There Is
a deep pit in the city full Of loathe-
some vermin. and a victim thrown
to them Is gradually eaten up.
Simple Means for Bursting a Trust.
In Teheran a few years ago there
were some men who succeeded in ef-
fecting a corner in wheat-Orientals
who had admirably caught the finan-
ciering spirit Of the twentieth GEN.
tury. AS the price of wheat went up
It naturally caused suffering among
the poor. Not being able to view the
subject in a scientific way, they laid
the blame of their suffering upon
these three financiers, and seizing
hold Of their persons, crucified them
upside down in the public square.
This Is said to be a very painful
death, as all the blood descends into
the head, bringing enormous pressure
upon the brain. Thus do the Persians
rebel against the enlightenment OF
twentieth century financiering.
One of the worst governors in Per-
sia, just before the revolution, ap-
the estate of a subject
This man had the hardihood to ap-
pear before him and demand his land
back again. The governor said:
why. you have a lot Of gall to come
to me and ask for your land. should
be interested to see just how large
your gall bladder is." With that he
had two Of his servants cut the man