212 WORLD-POWER AND EVOLUTION 



who had been killed by a few armed Christians. As I went into 

 the interior from Adana, the news was just spreading. We heard 

 a city Turk relate it to some countrymen. "What," said the 

 countrymen, "hang a Turk for killing a Christian ! Impossible !" 

 That was no pose on their part. It was actually beyond the 

 limits of their thought that a Moslem should be punished for 

 killing a Christian in the same way that a Christian would be 

 punished for killing a Moslem. 



As I went farther into the interior, to the most Turkish portion 

 of the country, I inquired repeatedly as to the effect of the new 

 regime. 



"What do you think of the new constitution.?" I would ask. 



"Constitution.'*" they would answer, . "What does that mean.'*" 



"Oh, I mean this new liberty, this new government. What 

 difference does it make in your village.'*" 



"Ah, yes, now we understand. This liberty? What do we know 

 about it? They tell us we have it, and all will now be right. 

 Perhaps it will. God grant it. But we see no difference. Oh, 

 yes, the officials do not take quite so many bribes as formerly, but 

 that won't last. They are afraid now, but you wait. They want 

 money as much as ever. They seem to want more soldiers than 

 ever, and they take our sons to die in Yemen. We don't mind 

 being soldiers, but Yemen! Allah be merciful! Men die like flies 

 there." 



Then they went on to talk about the new government. "Did 

 we vote for a man to go to parliament? We don't know what you 

 mean. Oh, the big meeting in Stamboul? Did we send a man? 

 Oh, no, we heard that they sent one from the city, but we had 

 nothing to do with it. Why do you ask all these questions? How 

 can we tell about liberty? We don't know what it means. We 

 don't know anything. You are from the city, you have read 

 books. You ought to tell us, and not ask us to tell you. What 

 do we know except that we are poor and God is great. God grant 

 that we get enough to pay the taxes and live this dry year." 



