MISS STONES CAPTIVITY

Evening Star, Issue 11682, 14 February 1902, Page 6

MISS STONES CAPTIVITY

NO NEARER RELEASE.

Press Association—By Telegraphs—Coypright.

CONSTANTINOPLE, February 13. (Received February 14, at 9.33 a.m.)

Miss Stone's ransom has been reiodged in a Constantinople bank. The brigands are afraid to negotiate for her release owing to the presence, through a missionary's indiscretion, of mimereus Turkish troops:

[lt may be of interest to know that the spiritual work of the American propaganda, conducted by missionaries from the United States who are scattered throughout the Sultan's territories, at such places in Asia Minor as Smyrna, Mush, Sivas, Tokai, and Tarsus, has received the admiring testimony of such travellers as Professor Ramsay, Lieutenant-colonel Baker, and others. Dr Ramsay says:—"The work of the American misskroesries has been to produce an educated middle class in the Turkish lands; arpi they have done it with a success that implies both goodj method iu their work and good material to work upon." Many English people who have not given special attention to this subject' wonder what Miss Stone and her colleagues have been attempting through long years in "Darkest Turkey." Ciri bono? is a very natural query, implying a measure of incredulity as to the practical utility of religious missions in Turkey. The fact is that the object of the American societies has been widely philanthropic. Men like Dr Kingsbury a*»d ladies like Miss Stone have had charce of enterprises which aim at preparing the races of the Near East for the inevitable crisis, which will iim>lve their conversion into autonomous communities when lite Ottoman debacle may occur.]