The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-26

. N
record of a remarkable career. which,
may be paralleled even In this gen
GRAFTON In Scotland, is very interest
ing and the author Is at his best in the
glimpses he gives occasionally Of the
man himself.
Turkey During the Last 40 Year,
The present day reader will find the
closing chapters OF Forty Years IN
Constantinoplc' by Sir EDWIN PEARS
IAppletonsD the most interesting OF
the book, since they deal intimately
with the events preceding and imme-
diately following Turkeys declaration
of war against the allied Powers. But
future readers will find the chief value
Of the volume in the account Of the
period following the revolution of 1908.
Of the results attained by the Young
Turk reformers and The reason for the
practical failure Of the movement.
Sir Edwin Pears went to CONSTANT
nople in 1874 and remained there. en-
gagged in the practice Of law. until De-
cember. 1914. when the pressure Of
evetts. coupled with the advice of his
friends. made 1t e%xpedient for him to
return to England. Stirring things
happened in Constantinople during
those forty and more years. things OF
which Sir Edwin Vas a cool and in
telligent observer. and of the impor-
lance of which he had a just and we'll
balanced appreciation. The reader
will flint and forgive an occasional
hit Of naiVete in his estimate of Incl
dents In which he himself figured. and
in his evident pleasure in any official
or unofficial recognition of his accom-
piiShmcnts.
Although the letters of the Amer
lean correspondent. MacGahen. finally
aroused England to action in the mat
ter Of the bulgarian massacres OF
1916. Sir Edwin claims. no doubt
| rightfully. the credit Of first col
Letting and sending home the dark
aud uSlN rumorS that caine on of
bulgaria in the spring III 10. His in
tcrest IN and appreciation of the Bull
carians awakened at this time seems
L. have persisted throughout all the
later years. His account OF the suf-
feringS uf bulgaria at the hands Of
tho Turks and her debt to England
incurred at that time make interesting
reading in the light of present events.
and call forth pessimistic comments
on tn" gratitude Of nations and their
shortncss of memory.
During the Russo-Turkish war Con-
stantinople was by no mo- "A place
r unmiNcl pleasur. in which to live.
The city WAS filled with Moslem ref
ugecs, destitute and diseased. bringing
with them the plumber from the Chris
tan Villages sacked in their flight.
They cucamped wherever they could
in the city. and offered their booty for
sale. Sir Edwin had "A commendable
Impulse to attempt to restore the
stolen church property to its rightful
owners, but this seeming impossible
he did the sensible thing. II pur-
chased a silver chalice for It's weight
in that metal" he says. "a hand
somcly embroidered altar frontal. so
purchased. decorated my wlfe's draw
Ing room for many years
Tn" rcputcd craftsmanship of Abdul
FIamid finds little sympathy from the
author. lie refuses to admit THAI the
Sultan at any time showed wisdom Or
sagacity in dealing with the foreign
Powers, or in meeting the crises OF
internal politics. "Hc had no sense
of proportion. Small matters were to
him as important as large ones. The
delay Of tel hours in quitting Egyp-
tian territory he regarded as 4
triumph. From the earliest period of
his reign to his last. years As Sultan
this pcttiness marked him.
The Berlin Congress Of 1878 APP
pointed a miNed commission to draw
M IA scheme of reforms for European
Turkey. The work was well done, but
by the time it wa finished the Sultan
no longer felt any W of the Berlin
Congress and treated the report like
a "scrap of paper" But as the years
went ON the physical situation of
Macedonia and the changed political
condition of her ~neighbors had their
effect on the spirit Of the people.
Greece. Serbia and bulgaria had OBJ
tanned their freedom and now offered
their sympathy and assistance to their
brethren still undcr the yoke. The
small body Of intelligent Turks who
had eyes to see realized that Turkish
rule would he lost unless reforms were
accomplished.
The preparations for the revolution
OF 1905 were accomplished with such
secrecy and executed with such eff-
cheney that the outstanding impress
sion left in the memory of Sir Edwin
seems to have been utter amazement
that the coup should have succeeded
without either himself or Abdul Hamid
knowing anything about IT.. I'VE Eu-
ropeans IN constantinople knew Of
the existence of the com .littee but
knew nothing of its ramihcations. !
myself asserted in the British press
that though the disaffection was gem
eral there IA apparently no ~organiza-
ton among the disaffected that gave
any prospect of success"
The flag of the revolution was first
raised In Salonica on July 3, 1905.
Events moved rapidly through July
until on the evening of July 22 the
Sultan published an trade declaring
that Parliament would he convoked.
The old Midhat constitution Of 1875
was assumed to be in force. During
the nine months following a delirium
Of joy %pervaded Constantinople. Abso-
lutism had been crushed. The hldeous
hostility between Moslems and Chris |
tians had ceased. Satisfaction and
hope were everywhere present. The
lover classes We're happy without
knowing exactly why. since for the
most part they did not know whether |
a constitution was u dignitary or n
new building. The revolution had
been a brilliant success It had pro-
II constitution, got rid of "A
Ministry, abolished spies and