Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-11-13
BUREAUCRACY TURKEYS
RUIN, DECLARES RAMSAY
British Scientist Calls Its People
Now Most Downtrodden Peas
ants in World.

the planting OF the European
bureaucratic system among a people
with an age-old passion for self-gov-
eminent proved the undoing Of
Turkey. according to the assertions
i of Sir William Ramsay, British scjen-
list and scholar. in an address before
members Of the National Geographic
Society yesterday afternoon at the
Masonic Temple auditorium The ad-
dress, Asia Minor. the Highway Re-
| tween East and West" was the OPEN
ing one OF the 1s20-21 lecture series Of
, the society.
AS result Of the importation Of the
bureaucratic system, the speaker said
have lost heavily in well-being. COM
fort and happiness in the past half
century. and are now the most down
trodden peasants in the world. The
dominant problem in the near east
the lecturer declared, is economic. not
The Turks, in whose country the
speaker spent forty years of study
and exploration. were described by
him as the most tolerant of peoples
in religious matters. Jews, perse-
cuted in numerous Christian coun-
tries Of Europe. he declared. had
found an asylum in Turkey from the
middle ages until the present day.
while Christians also have been treat
ed with Justice and consideration un-
ueT praCllC8lty All
The massacres OF Armenians under
Abdul Hamid were ascribed by the
speaker to the economic misconcep-
tons and inherent cruelty of that
ruler rather than to religious mo-
itives. The massacres. in his opinion.
by a word from Russia. but the old
Russian imperialism thought to profit
by the destruction of the inhabitants
Of land over which il hoped to gain
control. The 5ealous;es OF the coun-
tries which surrounded Turkey were
the cause of many of the disorders in
the latter country. the speaker saiA
Many of the illustrations exhibited
! by the lecturer showed the route of
1.-THE railroad which the Germans un-
Idertook 10 construct from CONSTANT
nople to Bagdad-a link in the famous
1 Berlin to- Ba gdad' system. The COM
pletion of this road. he said, will en-
phasize the importance Of Asia Minor
las the bridge between the east and
the west He gave it as his opinion.
however. that IL the route between
Asia and Europe just north of the
tCaspian and Black seas through
southern Russia should be controlled
by Germany much OF the Importance
iof the Asia Minor route would be lost
and the world war would have been
fought in vain.
Other Illustrations showed archeo-
logical excavations on the site OF old
lAntioch, the Roman metropolis Of
Asia Minor during the prosperous Au-
GUSTAV era.
Sir William Ramsay was introduced
1by Gilbert Grosvenor. president of the
National Geographic Society.
The speaker was introduced at the
evening lecture by Rear Admiral Col
by NJ. Chester, one Of the board OF
trustees of the National Geographic
Society. In acknowledging the intro
lduction. Sir William paid high trib-
ute to Admiral Chester's work in the
near east. declaring that he believed
had Admiral Chester's scheme for rail-
fway development in Asia Minor (out-
lined early in the twentieth century,
been carried out the plan would have
gone far toward avefting the world
war. 't< ~. sf ~ -'