A History of Protestant missions in the near East

Protestant Missions in Turkey and Armenia 177
lent magistrates, or narrow-minded censors. Every forward
step had to be made against decided resistance. Progress was
necessarily slow.
Suddenly, without warning, a peaceful revolution took
place.
At about one o'clock on that 24th of July the telegraph
spread through the length and breadth of Turkey the
unexpected news that the Sultan had granted, " at the desire
of the people and by his own decree," a liberal constitution,
with a very large measure of freedom. Freedom of speech
and of the press, religious freedom, and freedom of travel
were guaranteed. The whole system of spies was abolished.
A Parliament with a chamber of commons and a senate should
direct the affairs of the country.
Even now, months later, it is not clear what were the
causes of this radical change in the politics of Sultan Abdul
Hamid. Certain it is that he was sorely pressed by England
and Russia with regard to the Macedonian reforms, and that
he was, with all his famous subtlety, at his wits' ends to baffle
again, as so many times before, the impatient powers. Equally
certain is it that the
" "
energetic Young Turkey party had
quietly won an enormous influence, especially in the army,
and that the Second and Third Army Corps were ready to
march against the Sultan, if he persisted in refusing liberal
reforms. It is also certain at last that not even the Sultan's
most confidential councillors, nor the foreign ambassadors,
nor the American missionaries in Constantinople foresaw the
event three days in advance. It is said that the Grand Yizier,
Ferid Pasha, had just stepped into his carriage to go to the
Sublime Porte for a meeting of ministers, when he was told
that he and all his colleagues had been deposed, and their
whole regime overthrown.
Whatever may have been the secret reasons of the sudden
change, it was hailed by the people with the utmost joy, even,
with loud outbursts of triumphant jubilation.
The event was
everywhere celebrated by great popular gatherings in city
streets, squares, mosques, and churches, with addresses by
Muhammadan and Christiaa speakers. Governors or other