TURKISH IGNORANCE AND INTOLERANCE.
By Editor
WE were glad to report last month that the censorship upon the press in Turkey had been relaxed somewhat, but we learn from other sources that the restrictions upon books and other printed matter are, in some parts of the empire, at least, growing more severe. The index expurgatorius is growing rapidly. Libraries have been compelled to cut out leaves and paragraphs from their encyclopedias, histories, and other standard works. Some books are altogether proscribed. Intelligent people the world over will smile at learning that Milton's "Paradise Lost" has now been added to the list. The right of missionaries to tour their districts has recently been called in question, though this right is plainly given them by the capitulations. All this is transpiring because of the mistaken notion entertained by the Turks that missionaries have some political ends in view. It seems difficult for the Turks to believe what is so manifestly true, that these missionaries seek to promote education, good citizenship, and the peace and order of society. Manifestly, their labors promote the prosperity and welfare of communities in which they live, and, for its own interests, the Turkish Government should favor in all ways their peaceful enterprises.—Missionary Herald.