Office of the Historian

Mr. Terrell to Mr. Olney.

Legation of the United States,
Constantinople, March 4, 1897. (Received March 20.)
No. 1198.]

Sir: I have the honor to inclose the copy of a letter from President C. C. Tracy, dated at Marsovan, February 24, 1897, which, in answer to my request for information, contains:

1.
A statement that no schools taught by Americans have been closed since 1893.
2.
A statement of the average attendance in the schools, showing that no Mohammedans are taught in them.
3.
Interference by the Turkish Government with books, (a) Imprisonment of pupils; (b) interference with pupils; (c) failure to give satisfactory firman; (d) that no colporteurs of American missionary publications have been imprisoned since the massacres, the period to which my inquiry referred.
4.
His letter also states the value of personal property belonging to American teachers, which I desired for future reference in case of spoliation hereafter.

My inquiry, to which Mr. Tracy’s letter is a response, was confined to schools taught by Americans. It will be seen that he claims as American schools five in which no Americans teach, but which are established with American money. Thus missionary enterprise has projected itself eighteen hours’ travel beyond consular protection, and established schools in which the children of Turkish subjects are taught by subjects of Turkey. The claim is often made that such schools should be protected by the United States against any control by the Government of Turkey.

I have, etc.,

A. W. Terrell.
[Inclosure in No. 1198.]

Mr. Tracy to Mr. Terrell.

Marsovan, February 24, 1897.

Sir: In reply to your inquiries of December 30, I will say that we have within the limits of our station, of all grades, 15 schools superintended by Americans and carried on with American funds. In three of these of high grade Americans are regular teachers in addition to the management of the institutions.

The value of the buildings is very nearly as follows:

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One college building $2,000
One college building 1,400
One college building 1,800
One college building 2,600
One college for girls 7,000
Shops and bath 700
Two house, $1,600 each $3,200
One house 400
Apparatus (college) implements (shops) 7,500
Apparatus in girls department 1,500

The value of personal property is as follows:

Mr. White 1,000
Mr. Tracy 1,000
Mr. Riggs 1,100
Mr. Kaljian 1,000
Lady teachers 1,200

2.
No schools closed by the Government since 1893.
3.
The average attendance upon schools under American superintendence is about 1,200, of which pupils about 400 are under constant American instruction. Of these pupils as many as four-fifths are Armenians, the rest mainly Greeks, with a few Germans and other nationalities, but no Mohammedans.
4.
As to unredressed injuries we mention the following: (a) Retention of text and other books in the custom-house, the same sometimes reaching us after months or more than a year, sometimes being lost entirely, though passed; (b) prevention of the attendance of pupils coming to our schools; (c) imprisonment of our pupils for days, weeks, or months, though no charges against them are substantiated; (d) interference with our mails, opening of letters and total loss of periodicals; (d) no satisfactory firman yet given.
5.
Nearest American consular post, eighteen hours.
6.
No American colporteur imprisoned.

Yours, truly,

Charles Tracy.