Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1437

 RELIGION AND EDUCATION 1081

Turkey. Recognised by the Turkish Government are the adherents of seven non-Mahometan creeds — namely: 1. Latins, Franks, or Catholics, who use the Roman Liturgy, consisting of the descendants of the Genoese and Venetian settlers in the empire, and proselytes among Armenians ; Bulgarians, and others ; 2. Greeks ; 3. Armenians ; 4. Syrians and United Chaldeans ;

5. Maronites, under a Patriarch at Kanobin in Mount Lebanon ;

6. Protestants, consisting of converts chiefly among the Armeni- ans ; 7. Jews. These seven religious denominations are invested with the privilege of possessing their own ecclesiastical rule. The Bishops and Patriarchs of the Greeks and Armenians, and the * Chacham-Baschi,' or high-rabbi of the Jews, possess, in consequence of those functions, considerable influence.

The following shows the population of Constantinople (1885), arranged in order of religious beliefs, viz. : Mussulmans, 384,910 ; Greeks, 152,741; Armenians, 149,590; Bulgarians, 4,377; Roman Catholics (native), 6,442; Greek Latins, 1,082; Pro- testants (native), 819; Jews, 44,361; Foreigners, 129,243. Total, 873,565. In the Turkish Islands of the ^gean Sea the population is mostly Christian : 296,800 Christians to 27,200 Mussulmans. In various parts of Asiatic Turkey the estimates are: Asia Minor, Mussulmans, 7,179,900 Armenians, 576,200; other Christians, 972,300; Jews, &c., 184,600 ; Armenia, Mussulmans, 1,795,800 ; Armenians, 480,700; other Christians, 165,200; Jews, etc., 30,700; Aleppo, Mussul- mans, 792,500 ; Armenians, 49,000 ; other Christians, 134,300 ; Jews, &c., 20,000 ; Beyrout, Mussulmans, 230,200 ; Armenians, 6,100 ; other Christians, 160,400 ; Jews, &c., 136,900 ; Lebanon, Mu.ssulmans, 30,400; Christians, 319,300; Jews, &c., 49,800. The Mahometan clergy are subordinate to the Sheik-ul-Islam. Their offices are hereditary, and they can only be removed by Imperial irade. A priesthood, however, in the strict sense of a separate class, to whom alone the right of officiating in religious services belongs, cannot be said to exist in Turkey.

The Koran and Multeka encourage public education, and, as a consequence, public schools have been long established in most considerable Turkish towns ; wliile ' medresses,' or colleges, with public libraries, are attached to the greater number of the prin- cipal mosques. But the instruction afforded by these establish- ments is rather limited.

The number of mosques in the Turkish Empire is 2,120, of which 379 are in Constantinople. The number of the clergy is 11,600. Connected with tlie mosques are 1,780 elementary schools, where education is supplied gratis. The private revenue of the Evkaf (church), previous to the war of 1878, was 30,200,000 piastres (251,000Z.) per annum, but they have now been reduced to