Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1913-04-11
AQUAKER HEROINE.
Mary Fisher Hailed as "She That
Spake to the Grand Turk"
RISKED LIFE TO SEE SULTAN.

English Consul, Fearful For Safety OF
Countrywoman, Resorted to Ruse to
Thwart Her Purpose, but She OUT
witted Him.
In 1857, when Sultan Mohammed ".
had removed his court to Adrianople, a
Quaker servant girl appeared one day
before the royal encampment demand
ing speech with the grand Turk about
the things of her religion.
The account of her journey, says q
writer in the Manchester Guardian, Is
worthy of place in history beside that
of the young Saracen who found her
way to her beloved across the breadth
Of Europe with the two words Gil
bert and London" for her passport.
But 1t is doubtful whether this seven
tenth century pilgrim possessed SO
much as two words of any foreign
tongue. The mysticism which was SO
! pronounced an element Of her religion
made nought of material obstacles.
She was not without precedent for
her journey, although up to this date
no Quaker missionary had succeeded In
reaching the capital of Turkey, being
invariably intercepted along the route
and sent home by an English consul or
ambassador. The mission which set
out from England in 1867 ''to convert
the grand seignior" consisted of three
men, all of them Irish, and three wom-
en-, of whom Mary Fisher was one, and.
according to contemporaneous ac-
counts, the only one who reached the
goal of their journey. They started
with the help of the newly formed gen
eral Quaker fund for the service OF
truth abroad.
Mary Fisher had learned on arriving
in Smyrna that the sultan was to be
found ut Adrianopie, and thither she
resolved to pursue her journey. But
the English consul. having tried In
vain TO disSuade her from an enter
prise which seemed to him both mad
and dangerous, put her on board Il ship
bound for Venice. When she learned
the destination to which she was be-
ing carried Mary persuaded the ship
master to set her down upon the near.
est coast. From this point there is no
further word of any companion, and II
seems certain that it was alone and Oh
foot that she performed the land jour
ney Of 800 or GOO miles along the sea
coast of the Morea, Greece and Mace.
dOnia and so across the mountains or
Thrace to the broad plain where Adri.
anople lies. watered by the river Ma.
ritSa. Here the sultan was encamped
with his army and the whole of his
vast retinue Of courtierS and attend.
ants. 1t was only after many at.
tempts that Mary found friend bold
enough to speak for her to the grand
viZier and tell him that "a woman was
come who had something to declare
from the great God to the sultan"
Ahmed Pasha belonged to an Albanian
family who for two generations sup
piled a grand vizier to Turkey and by
the magnificent gift Of organization
and their genius for government might
even now give the lie to the popular
estimate of Albanian capacity. He pro-
cured Mary Fisher an audience with
his master, and the following morning
she was ushered into his presence,
where three dragomans stood ready ia
act as interpreters between them.
The sultan, at this time a young
man of seventeen, received her with
all the honOrs accorded to an ambaSsa-
dor AS she stood "welghtily ponder
ing" how best to deliver her message
he spoke to her with encouraging
words, bidding her not fear, for all
present had good hearts and could hear
it. They listened gravely while she
was speaking, and then the sultan, ac-
knOWledging that what she had spoken
was the truth, desired her to stay in
his country, as they could not but re-
spect one who had travelled from so
distant a land to bring them Il mes
sage from the Lord God. When she
insisted on returning to her friends he
urged her at least to accept an escort,
rs he would not for anything that she
should come to" the least hurt In his
dOminions." But it was Mary's wish
to go to Constantinople az she had
come, without a guard, WHITTIER"
says the old history, "she came with
ont the least hurt or scoff.' ~,.
Mary Fisher returned to England,
her mission accomplished, TO be hon
ored ever after among her fellow Qua
| In 40 N a MI
Turk"
Wavs of Dumb Creatures.