Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-08-20

II |
i Turkey concerning the situation
~ of Americans outside of Constan-
tinople; and some missionaries have
had to leave their stations. others are
being subjected to unprecedented an
noyances, and the German Anti-Am-
erican campaign Is being extended to
centers of mission work where there
are many Americans. The task of sue
coring the suffering natives grows
heavier daily Meanwhile, despite
wars alarms, notable milestone in
missions has been achieved by the
completion of the Arabic reference
Bible at the American Mission Press,
Beirut. Syria.
While mails have been irregular,
and the censorship strict, news of the
present conditions in Turkey has come
to America through various channels.
While no American has thus far been
killed or seriously injured, many an
noyances are reported, including the
searching of the persons of American
missionaries Most of them report no
mail or papers for weeks or months.
Barred From American Ships
When the U. S. S. Des Moines ar
rived at Beirut this summer the Turk
ish authorities refused to allow any
of the resident American missionaries
or educators to go aboard her, unless
they would consent to be completely
searched, both before and after visit
ing the ship Naturally, they re-
fused to consent to this indignity, and
the result was that nobody but the
Consul General was able to visit the
ship which was the only spot repre-
senting American sovereignty IN all
that region. Some of the Americans
are grumbling that they are treated al
most as prisoners of war.
Things are scarcely so bad as that,
however. The British and French and
Russian missionaries and other resi-
dents of the belligerent powers were
long ago interned at Damascus. Now
they have been sent far into the in
terror, to the city of Urfa, which was
the ancient Edessa, and shut up In an
Armenian monastery
Court martial now rules in Turkey,
and even Americans are subject to II.
One man was arrested.
No New Missionaries to Go
The American Board reports that,
.upon the advice of the American Am
bassador at Constantinople, and of
veteran missionaries on the field, no
new missionaries will be sent out TO
Turkey while present conditions pre-
vail nor will those on furlough in this
country be allowed to return.i Never
theless, while the Greeks and Ar
menians are suffering beyond words,
there is no intimation, says the board,
that the American missionaries them
selves are in personal peril. There ie
some mystery about the departure of
the missionaries, Dr. and Mrs. Smith,
from Diarbelier, apparently under
Government escort.
The American schools and colleges
In Turkey will not all open at the
usual time this Fall, says the Board,
owing to the disturbed conditions.
One of the American Board officials
sums up the situation thus:
The two uncertainties that con-
front the situation in Turkey are:
First. the success of the allies and
second, the relations between Ger
many and the United States 1t can
easily be understood that important
changes may come to our work at any
time through one or both OF these
events. Under no circumstances is
there reason to fear an attack upon
the missionaries; but In case of rup-
ture between Germany and the United
States before the allies reach Con-
stantinople, our work would probably
be seriously handicapped"
The New Arabic Bible
After seven years of labor a Penn
sylvanian, DR.. Franklin E. Hoskins, of
the American Mission Press, Beirut,
has completed the first Reference
Bible in Arabic.
THE task has been a double one;
the adaptation of a new set of refer
ences to the Arabic text and the put
ting of the whole First Font Reference
Bible into electroplates. The prepara-
ton of the MSS has occupied exactly
seven years. The making of the plates
will be completed in six years
"In close connection with this work
and forming an extension of 1t has
80 oil L.
plates of the various electroplate edi-
tions of the Bible in Arabic and parts
of 1t.
"One need not remind the careful
student of Missions that this is only
one of the big tasks in connection with
the Arabic Bible whose history extends
from 1914 till the present hour, The