Correspondence

A LETTER FROM TURKEY.

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

Sm,—The words, " The Progress of Turkey," though they look very well as a newspaper heading, are far from convincing to those who know the country, for it is not possible to be conversant with present conditions in Turkey without being forced to the conclusion that very little real progress has yet been made.

Let us be quite fair and give credit where it is due, for there is no doubt that the past few years in Turkey have been full of great changes. These have largely been brought about by the organizing ability and force of character of one man, who, like his contemporary Dictators, is an idealist with no thought of personal aggrandisement—a man with a keen desire to see his country taking her place as an equal of Western European nations.

Yet Turkey to-day presents a curious medley of progress,

stagnation and retrogression; as we glance at each of these phases of her present-day life, let us not forget that she is still in the making, and that while she is perfecting her progressive legislation, there is also time to overcome her defects.

Much has been written about the most wonderful of all the recent reforms, the new alphabet. This bold step will help to make her better understood by attracting foreign students to her beautiful and musical tongue. The old Arabic writing, remarkable as it was, has too long been a bar to expansion. With this reform came compulsory education, but it is istill true that there are thousands of children of school age among the- poorer classes who have never yet been inside a school.

The foundation of the new capital city at Angora is another master-stroke of longsightedness, and although it is as yet only partly built, it is decidedly a central and strategical position for the future.

The main roads are being taken in hand, and many of them in the interior are really good ; but the heavy traffic, espe- cially overloaded motor lorries and narrow-tyred carts, makes it very difficult to construct really durable roads leading out of the cities, and it will be long before perfection is attained.

Whether the freedom accorded to women can be described as progress is a debatable point, and so far it has affected only the upper and middle classes, the city and country poor re- maining much as they were. Certainly it adds to the possi- bilities of social intercourse between Turks and Europeans, but it is not apparent that much benefit has so far resulted from it.

The Army has been brought to a state of efficiency, though the rank and file are still ill-clad and worse shod, if indeed better fed than before. The Air Force is competent and daring if not numerous. The Navy is small and not very effective, though probably it is regarded as sufficient for the needs of the country. Vast sums of money have been spent in bringing the armed forces up to date ; in fact, they are the nation's spoilt darlings.

So much for some of the progressive reforms; there is also considerable stagnation. This is found chiefly among the peasants and poor town dwellers who are incurably con- servative, and do not appear to have brains enough to see the benefit to themselves of the many improvements that have been attempted. The women are the hardest to convince, and the law abolishing the veil is practically a dead letter as far as the lower orders are concerned. They have no ambition, and apparently no desire to be in any way different from their ancestors. With bread and olives to eat and a roof of some sort to cover them they are content.

The retention of Friday as the weekly holiday is another instance of this stagnation, at any rate in the cities, for it has the effect of strangling or at least of seriously interfering with trade. There are, however, indications .that this bar to pro- gress will very shortly cease to exist if the proposals now before the National Assembly go through.

Finally it has to be recognized that there has been a large measure of retrogression in Turkey. In place of the old abso- lutism of the Sultans, bad enough it is true, there has arisen

bureaucracy in its worst forms, with concomitant arrogance and graft. It is a sad fact that a Turk in office is frequently a good man spoilt. He is puffed up with his own importance, and uses what is often but a brief term of authority in a manner which disgusts and offends those who have any dealings with him.

Even those in high positions seem incapable of realizing what great benefits can accrue to the country through foreign business, and all kinds of vexatious and quite needless diffi- culties are put in the way of foreign merchants in matters of customs, shipping and trade generally. Under the Sultans trade with countries outside the Ottoman Empire was at least tolerated and even encouraged ; but to-day it seems to be the last thing wanted, because the Turk imagines he can produce almost anything unaided—a fallacy that is going to cost him very dear. The result is that money is scarce, the great ports of yesterday are great no longer, poverty and starvation are rampant and brigandage is common.

Taxation is very heavy and increasing, and sometimes peasants will confess that in spite of ill-usage and extortion under the Sultans they were better off then. It is still im- possible to get anything done without " bakshish." A bribe will often open a door otherwise tightly closed or allow a law to be evaded.

The abolition of reliekaws a national institution is generally regarded as another and move. It is true that mis- sionaries are now forbidden, but the trend of thought in modem Turkey is almost agnostic, and, to those who know a little about it, a devout Mohammedan is far preferable to deal with than the unbalanced and ill-informed person who knows little and cares less about Islamic tradition, and so has no faith either to guide himself or to justify any measure of confidence in him.

The real danger to Turkey to-day is pride before there is enough to be proud of. The abolition of the fez and compul- sory wearing of European headgear has not, so far, made any noticeable difference to the brain under the hat. One regrets, too, the loss of the old-time picturesqueness, but that is a small matter.

But we must not judge too hardly a country in the throes of new birth, and in spite of much that is to be deplored, there is evidence of a real desire for progress and reform, not only in the Legislative Assembly, but among all who are capable of large thinking, whether gentle or simple.—I am, Sir, &c.,

CORRESPONDENT IN TURKEY.