The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-04-06
Sultan Advances Hairi Bey, Min
lister of Pious Foundation,
to Post.
nl "a MNmouIsE Die EoNrENoY.

ny IA MAH0uISE DE TONTENoY.
@ tti.rAN MOliAMMLD has JUS, pro-
~ noted HART hey, his able and
extremely homes: Minister Of
Nnkt that is to say. Of Pious Founda-
tons. I" the loft! Office of Sheik -uI.
lslan. This Is a diSnitary upon whose
good ~ni his ,cnur" of the throne may
be SAT, t. rest ar while, on the
ono h&"G the Padi>hrh 'an appoint
and dismiss the Shell. -ul- Islam, the
( latter has |, In his power. by means
OF Fctvah. OF ecclesiastical edict. to
declare HIN unworthy Of occupying the
throne, ana OF dcposing him thcrcrrom
Indeed. Sultans Abdul Arts. Murad and
Abdul Hnmid were all three I'm turn
removed from the throne by means OF
t'e,vah of the Shcik- ul-Islam.
The Office OF the Shcik l-islam.
which dates from l44J. and endows It's
holder with the prefix OF "iIIrhuess.'
may be said to combine the powers
ana prcroeattvcs OF the priInate Arch
bishop OF Canterbury. and or the Lord
il!sh Chancellor In England The
shell; -ul- Islam is not only the highest
cccleaiaatical dignitary of tho empire.
but also the supreme head or It's en-
tire judicial system. since no can de-
clare any judicial decree, any impcriai
edict. or any statute enacted by tn.
legislature to be contrary TO the spirit
and letter Of the Koran. and consc-
qucntiy invalid IN the eyes OF all
True Believers.
In Turkey, canon law Is closely In
tcrninslcd with secular law. but IL
always superior TO the latter. and tho
principal interpreter OF canon ,aw.
whose Fetvuhs can never DO annullc cd.
. repealed, or appealed from. even by the
sultan, is the ShicIt-ul- Islam. who, un
like the other d!gnitaIicJ OF the realm.
is always t,rrayed in the flowing robes
-. l..
No undue Importance need be accord
ell TO the Official assurances published
at ST Petersburg. TO the effect mat
Foreign Minister Sazonon Is destined
to continue in office FOR some time 20
come. Such announcements are some
times misleading. For just twenty
four hours before tho issue OF the Inn
pcriHi rcscript appointing NJ Gorcilly-
kin 20 the prcrlieTahip, and relieving
Count (okuvtHou OF that Office. the
newspapers of the Russian capital
published in that portion or their
columns devoted to official Commuut-
cations. n statement issued from The
Prime Minister'S Office. that no changes
whatsoever in the government we're
contemplated
This mode OF procedure IL In nowise
unusual In Russia Thus. when Count
rergius Wittc Was deprived OF the
| premiership som" years ago, without
| any warming, all his colleagues learned
! through tho press that their rcsignR-
tious--which they had never rendered
| had been accepted, ana that the re-
! quests FOR permission to retire into
! private lifc-which they had never
! proncrcd--had been eraciously granted
! by Ills Majesty.
! the now Premier. GorcinyXin. on the
I last occasion OF his holding the pre-
mer.hip learned at the frontier sta
ton on rcturninr from . trip 10 Paris
that a successor had been appointed TO
his pii!ce. just eight hours previously
And then there MAS The case or 81
Stishinsky. who had JUS, removed from
his OWE private house into official
quarters. ana vas giving directions
about their being refurnisncd to his
| taste. wien ono of those present inter
ruptcd linn with an inquiry a. TO
whether hc had seen the O!iicial Ca
Zcttc tina, morning. lie replied itt- the
negative. and asked what that had TO
do with the furniture. whcrcupon his
intcTlocutor informed him that the Ga
zettc contained "a r.scr.pt OF tho car
stating that he, Stishinsky. had been
"graciously permitted 10 retire into pri-
waite life
During the first ten o. fifteen years
of his reign, Emperor William was IN
the habit of giving similar UNPLEASANT
surprises TO his ministers. They sell
b
! of the ruillotinc cutting short their
official career WAS about .ail The
first that they heard Of II wax through
a visit from the Ktiscrs principal pr-
vatc secretary, the late Baron Won
lucauUs. who would call upon them
! for the purpose of conveying a quiet
iutirnation that they no longer enjoyed
! their sONcreign's confidence, ihat they
hal ceased 10 please him. and that
their r.signalions which they had not
oncrcd--had been "graciously accepted
| by 49, Majesty"
lucanus used always to dress In
} black on these occasions. lust az ii
for Il funeral, and things at length
reached such pass that whenever he
! Was seen driving out of the palace
| alone in one Of the open court car
/ ringes, thus funercally array ed, II was
/ at once taken for granted that lac was
on his WAY to convey the imperial
bowstrinS to some Cabinet minister
! whose period of usefulness was at nm
! end. I.ucanus won in this connection
| the nickname of the kaiscr's "Blackic
| Man." and his apparition was looked
upOn as just rs fatal 10 the official
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