American Missionaries In Turkey

by David Mattox

Cover picture is the Redhouse Publishing Company in Constantinople, Turkey.

Forward

This paper was written in 1995 by David Mattox for a class at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Humanities 490. David writes: … this subject has special meaning to me since my grandfather is the Rev. Isely mentioned herein and my Mother was born in Gaziantep, Turkey during the decade previous to World War II. It is one year since mother passed away, and I am only now coming to fully appreciate her life. Her part in this story ends when she was twelve and was sent back to the US, except to say that, she took what she learned in those first twelve years and proceeded such as to make the exceptional people of her missionary heritage proud!

I have gained a much more complete appreciation for the complexities of world politics during the period of the two world wars. I say appreciation and not understanding, since, as I study the personalities and politics of this era I realize that true understanding would be an elusive goal indeed.

What I have gain an understanding of, and deep appreciation for, is the dedication and commitment made by the brave men and women who have etched the story of the Near East Mission into the lives and times of all whom they met. There is no way to interpret the lives of these people except as being completely dedicated to excellence in what they attempted and committed to doing as much good as possible in an unbelievably harsh and cruel environment.

TABLE of CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................................................

MISSION to the NEAR EAST....................................................................................................................................

GEOGRAPHY of the NEAR EAST............................................................................................................................

PEOPLE of the NEAR EAST.......................................................................................................................................

POLITICS of the NEAR EAST...................................................................................................................................

THE MISSIONARY INFLUENCE...............................................................................................................................

CONSTRAINTS by the GOVERNMENT..................................................................................................................

MISSION HOSPITALS.....................................................................................................................................................

MISSION SCHOOLS........................................................................................................................................................

DAY TO DAY LIVES OF MISSIONARIES..................................................................................................................

CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................................................................

REFERENCES..................................................................................................................................................................

Figure 1: Dr. Shepard.............................................................................................................................................

Figure 2: Dr. Parmelee.........................................................................................................................................

Figure 3: Isley Farewell Ceremony...........................................................................................................

INTRODUCTION

This paper is a tribute to the people and organizations who for the last One Hundred and Sixty Years have supported the Near East Mission.

Throughout the last two hundred years there have been American Missionaries sent to many different countries throughout the world and different cultures within our country. Not all of these ‘Missionaries’ have had the best interests of the native populations at heart. In these pages there is no attempt to catalogue the various groups of missionaries nor to extol or judge their motivation. This paper deals specifically with the American Missionaries to Turkey (and adjacent Near East Countries); although even this narrow focus is too broad in scope to be covered fully, the few missions and missionaries studied demonstrate an amazing dedication and commitment.

MISSION to the NEAR EAST

The near east has received special consideration from Christian missionary groups due to its containing the ancient holy land.

The first American missionaries to the Bible Lands were Pliny Fiske and Levi Parsons. In 1819 they were given this commission by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions:

“From the heights of the Holy Land, and from Zion, you will take an extended view of the widespread desolations and variegated scenes presenting themselves on every side to Christian sensibility; and will survey with earnest attention the various tribes and classes who dwell in that land, and in the surrounding countries. The two grand inquiries ever present in your minds will be, WHAT GOOD CAN BE DONE? and BY WHAT MEANS? What can be done for Jews? What for Pagans? What for Mohammedans? What for Christians? What for the people in Palestine? What for those in Egypt, in Syria, in Persia, in Armenia, in other countries to which your inquiries may be extended?” (UCBWM 150 Years).

Thus began an almost continuous presence of American missionaries in the Near East. Fisk and Parsons spent several months in Smyrna so that it stands as the first Station of the American Board within the Turkish Empire.

The first American missionary to Turkey landed on the shores of the Bosphorus on June 9th, 1831 (Near East Mission). Beirut, Syria, Malta and Greece were also visited by the American Board Missionaries although some of these were turned over to other missionary groups.

GEOGRAPHY of the NEAR EAST

The Near East (and especially Turkey) comprise a very rich and diverse climate and culture. Two thirds of the country is coastline on the Black Sea and Mediterranean. The interior contains large mountain ranges. The southern and eastern borders with Iraq, Syria, Iran and the Soviet Union are mostly desert.

The narrow Straight of Bosphorous which divides Greece and Turkey has historically provided the most convenient route between Europe and Asia. Generally Turkey has a mild climate with sufficient rain to support forests in the mountains and agriculture in the rich river valleys.

PEOPLE of the NEAR EAST

Some of the most ancient roots of humanity are located in the Near East as are the beginnings of most major religions.

The Ottoman Empire grew in the ashes of the Roman Empire and held sway over much of the Near East until the late eighteen hundreds. The Ottoman empire grew through nomadic expansion and conquering of the small isolated tribal communities left in the wake of the Roman Empire. As such there was no specific race which held sway in the Empire and the children of conquered peoples often grew up to hold powerful office in the Ottoman Empire.

The rich deltas and rivers of the area provided havens for agricultural development. The harsh mountains and deserts maintained isolation between the various peoples and allowed the development of many very diverse cultures.

POLITICS of the NEAR EAST

During the nineteenth century the politics of the area were dominated by conflicts between Russia, Germany, Italy, England, the European governors in the Near East and the native people, governments and religions of the Near East. This was feed and encouraged by the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the instability of its political structure. The outer fringes of the Ottoman Empire were seen as rich prizes in the expansion of Russia and the European communities.

The rise to power of Germany in this areas was underestimated by many European countries including the English. The Ottoman Empire, which was centered in Constantinople, Turkey at the end of the nineteenth century thought it could use the emerging German power to restore it original domination over the Near East. In their bid for power Constantinople also courted England, and at the start of WW1 the Ottoman land forces were under the sway of German advisors while the Ottoman navy was advised by the English.

The English apparently did not trust the Turks. In 1914 Winston Churchill essentially stole two battle ships being built in English ship yards for the Ottoman Empire (Fromkin 56). The addition of these ships to the English fleet gave them a slight naval advantage over the Germans. Had these ships been delivered to the Ottoman Empire and fallen under the control of Germany, the outcome of WW1 could have been significantly different.

It appears that several Young Turk leaders learned in advance of Churchill's intention to seize the two ships. It was revealed many years later that these Ottoman politicians may have obtained an alliance with Germany wherein Germany promised to protect the Ottoman Empire in return for the Young Turk's promising to deliver to Germany the ships they already knew England had seized! (Fromkin 61)

The complete political turmoil of the region during this time is indicated somewhat by the fact that for a short time at the beginning of WW1 England actually fought against both the Russians and the Germans who were fighting each other.

By some miracle Turkey came through WW1 without being completely over run and divided amongst the Allies. The Ottoman Empire did not survive however, and Turkey was limited to the Turkish speaking regions under the rule of Atta Turk (Mustafa Kemal Pasha).

THE MISSIONARY INFLUENCE

Throughout the turmoil of one political crisis (and war) after another, multi-national missionary groups struggled to relieve suffering, provide education and when possible spread the word of Christ. These selfless individuals had multiple objectives in their occupation of the Near East countries. Primary may have been the desire to restore the Christian faith in the area. This objective was apparently blocked to a large part by both governmental restrictions on proselytizing and the prominence and structure of the Moslem faith.

CONSTRAINTS by the GOVERNMENT

The missionaries and their staff were generally restricted in the practice of their religion to family prayer meetings. Often their only chance to spread the Word of Christ was by including their local servants and friends in the family prayer sessions. These restrictions were more stringent in Turkey during the rule of Atta Turk (post WW1).

The reason the government appears to have tolerated the missionaries at all was due to their work toward the relief of suffering and in the field of education. Hospitals and Schools have been the primary focus of the Near East Mission.

There was some support from the American government which, "... commenced a program of legally asserting American rights in the occupied Ottoman territories, including not only those deriving from the Capitulation Agreements governing the rights and privileges of Americans in Turkey, but also freedom of navigation of the Dardanelles, protection of American missionary colleges and endeavors, and adequate opportunity to carry out archaeological activities and commercial activities. The most conspicuous interests asserted by the United States were those of American oil companies." (Fromkin).

MISSION HOSPITALS

The provision of modern medical care to the people of Turkey was central to the Near East Mission. This was done through visits to people in the villages, establishing hospitals in the larger communities. The hospitals provided an educational setting where local people were taught to be nurses and doctors.

Numerous dedicated individuals stand out as representatives of the selfless work done in this area.

Dr. Shepard arrived in Turkey in 1882 and took charge of the medical department of the Central Turkey College at Aintab.

The twenty-fifth anniversary of the coming of Dr. and Mrs. Shepard to Aintab fell on the 10th of October, 1907. Many friends desired to make it a notable occasion. A telegraphic call came to the Doctor from Aleppo the day before, and he hurried off with the remark: "That patient's life is worth more than all this celebration." The exercises were postponed until the 17th. (Goodsell)

Figure 1: Dr. Shepard

Dr. Shepard was a graduate of the University of Michigan and Cornell University. He was trained as a physician, surgeon, dentist and had taught school in country districts of northern New York. He traveled central Turkey on horse back tending to the needs of the Kurds and other village people. He was honored by the American Red Cross and the Turkish Government for his relief work after a massacre executed by one Abdul Hamid.

There is confusion as to when Dr. Shepard passed away. Rev. Goodsel reports, "Dr. Shepard died of typhus 18 December, 1915 in Aintab, Turkey." But the American board records Dr. and Mrs. Shepard as attached to the Aintab mission in 1925. It may be that Rev. Goodsel is mistaken since Dr. Parmelee reports "An infected louse brought me typhus fever and I took to my bed in December 31st, 1915. We were a sad group at this time, for Dr. Atkinson had died of typhus fever at Christmas, and a week before that the Henry Riggs' sweet little Annie had succumbed to a severe throat infection."

Spiritual results can never be tabulated. Further, the figures given at any one time take no account of the results of previous years, for former members of churches, schools, etc., pass to their reward, and only their successors are enumerated. However, as an index in part of the results of the first century of work, the following statistics of the Missions for 1913 are given:

Missionaries, 198, of whom 58 ordained, 135 women ; 13 physicians.

Native laborers, 1,299, of whom 210 preachers, 897 teachers.

Churches, 163, with 15,348 communicant members and 65,240 adherents.

Sunday Schools, 331, with 32,525 members.

Schools, 450, of which 4 theological schools, 9 colleges, 50 boarding and high schools, and 387 others ; students in colleges, 1,826 ; in boarding and high schools, 4,346 ; in others 19,800 ; total, 25,911.

Hospitals, 9, with 18 dispensaries ; patients, 39,503 ; treatments, 134,367.

(The American Board, Fifty-Two Weeks)

Dr. Ruth Parmelee was appointed by the American Board in January, 1914, to go to Turkey as a medical missionary. " ... Miss Susan Shipley (Philadelphia Quaker) offered to pay on year's salary ($400) ...". (Parmelee)

Figure 2: Dr. Parmelee

Dr. Parmelee's autobiography is filled with accounts of the tribulations of a country at war. She recounts travels to the villages to treat women and adapting to their customs and manners so as to be allowed to help them. She recounts being forced to pack her bags when ordered out of the country by the military and how her faithful Turkish servants accompanied her to the border to assure her safe passage. When word reached her that her deportation order had been rescinded, she immediately turned around and returned to her station!

During the period around 1915 Dr. Parmelee worked to reduce suffering in the Armenian population which was being deported by the government which was controlled by the Young Turks. Apparently the Armenians were being deported due to the fact that there was a large number of Russian Armenians fighting in the Russian Army against Turkey. Dr. Parmelee reports how a group of about 800 leading Armenian men were rounded up for deportation, imprisoned, tortured and finally taken out as a group and massacred. The remaining population of Armenians (mostly women and children) were rounded up for deportation. They were pressured to become Mohammedans and attractive women might be taken in to be wives to Turks or Kurds. The children of these women would be killed outright. (Parmelee)

For a short period at the end of WW1 the American missionaries left Turkey, but only when Turkey severed relations with the US in 1917. Dr. Parmelee returned to the US by the round about paths dictated by the War. She visited her sister in Butte, Montana and then went to Johns Hopkins Hospital to continue her postgraduate work. Turkey capitulated soon after this, and in 1919 Dr. Ruth Parmelee steamed back to Asia. She was officially a member of the Near East Relief effort, the "American Women's Hospitals" Near East Relief and a medical missionary for the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions.

Rev. and Mrs. Merrill N. Isely arrived in Turkey in 1920. They spent eight months in Constantinople studying Arabic Script Turkish and then they were posted in Aintab to help re-establish Central Turkey College. For one and a half years the High School was maintained for both Moslem and Christian young men, until the Christian population emigrated to Syria at which time the school was closed.

Reverend Isely continued the teaching of English to interested young men, meeting in the Commercial High School after hours. The Iselys worked with Harold and Beulah Pence to introduce modern agriculture to the area. Boys from the villages were encouraged to come to Aintab to work and learn on the mission farm. They were taught reading, writing, figures, farm methods and rudimentary Science of Agriculture. The mission farm introduce to the area: Guernsey cows, Rhode Island Red chickens and Italian honey bees. (The American Board: Greetings from Gaziantep)

Mr. Isely became business manager of the Asariah Smith Memorial Hospital in 1937. In addition to the duties imposed by the hospital he continued to teach English and tutor young students intent upon college. When one of his pupil friends went blind he learned (and taught) Braille. This blind student, Bay Mitat Enc, later obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois and was a leading educator for the handicapped in Turkey. Dr. Enc established a School for the Blind in Ankara and served on an advisory committee for the Ministry of Education. Mr. Isely helped start an organization for the aiding of the adult blind.

Mr. Isely was distressed by the bareness of the hills of southern Turkey. He interested the National Forestry Dept. to undertake a reforestation project. In 1953 a Tree Club was started with an annual Arbor Day celebration. This idea caught on so well that the Turkish Government ordered each province to start its own forest project.

"... these fragments do tell quite a bit about the Rev. Mr. Isely's years in Turkey. Inexplicably, I could not find comparable record cards for Mrs. Isely" (McMillian).

Mrs. Isely in addition to teaching the mission children worked in the hospital as a dietitian and for 20 years in the operating room as a "Sterile" nurse.

During World War II the Isleys and other Aintab missionaries sent their children back to the United States and remained in Turkey for the duration of the war.

During their final year in Gazientep the Iselys were released from their duties at the hospital so they could concentrate on special projects and deepen contacts with his many friends. A farewell ceremony was held for them on 18 May, 1961. A rise, or hill, on the Duluk baba Mountain was named Ayzli tepe' in honor of Reverend Isely and a street parallel to the main street was named Ayzli Caddesi (Isely Avenue).

Figure 3: Isley Farewell Ceremony

MISSION SCHOOLS

In addition to the medical mission, the educational mission has been consistently pursued by the Near East Mission. The records of the American Board show 450 schools and nearly 26,000 students in mission schools in the Near East in 1925. (The American Board: 52 Weeks)

The 1982-83 Annual Report from the Board of Governors shows 1850 students in mission schools in Turkey alone.

Education of the masses is seen by the missionary groups as a primary and necessary means of developing self-sufficiency and political responsibility in the local population. The medical missions trained local people to be nurses and midwives. Promising students were given as much training as possible locally and then encouraged to attend college to become doctors.

Many students of the excellent mission schools attended college in the US and not a few eventually held important positions in the Turkish Government.

DAY TO DAY LIVES OF MISSIONARIES

The missionaries in Turkey were forced to deal with continuous political squabbling and outright wars from the middle 1800's through the end of World War II. The times that their lives could settle into a peaceful routine must have been all to short.

Numerous accounts are present in the references regarding occupation of the mission grounds by military troops. The missionaries worked as diligently to help the solders as they had to help the peasants, but it is obvious that the did not appreciate the many conflicts and resented the addition suffering thus imposed on the local populations.

Dr. Parmelee recounts going for several years without keeping any written records during a period when writing was consider subservisive. Dr. Shepard was present to help the few survivors of the Armenian massacre and helped bring the criminals who executed it to justice.

The American Board Mission in the Near East, Gaziantep, Turkey, was a pleasant place for the few years between the two world wars. Even though the school had been closed when the Christian population left the area, the days were filled with meaningful work in the hospital and on the Mission Farm.

The younger children of the Gaziantep missionaries were taught primarily by Mrs. Isely. They worked with the farm animals and played on the mission grounds. When the children reached high school age they were sent to Israel where the Board maintained a high school boarding school.

The outbreak of World War Two was of great concern to the missionaries in Turkey, even though Turkey was attempting to stay neutral. The decision was made that the Mission would remain in Gaziantep but to send the children home to America alone. What a heartbreaking choice this must have been.

The youngest of the Isley children were put on a train with the other young Gaziantep children and sent to Beirut to meet with their older brothers and sisters. After a three month stay in Jerusalem they were finally able to board a cargo ship destined for America. It was a long trip home for them as the ship sailed south to South Africa before turning west and stiking out across the dangerous Atlantic for South America. Caroline Isley Sayer recounts how the ship would stop for long periods of time and drift with the lights out and engines shut off. The friendly radio officer told the children that they were dodging German U-Boats. The ship finally reached the South American coast and traveled north to the America. It was seven months before the Gaziantep missionaries knew that their children had safely reached the United States.

The letters received in the states by the family of Rev. and Mrs. Isely show the time after the children were sent home to be days filled with challenges of meeting the needs of the mission and evenings spent writing to (and missing) their loved ones at home.

CONCLUSION

The contribution made by the American Missionaries in Turkey simply can not be measured. They reduced the suffering of countless souls over the one hundred and sixty years their work has continued. They have provided education to the children and encouraged the more promising students to attend college. They have set an example which has encouraged both the general population and the Turkish Government to be friendly to the United State.

I believe that it is in no small part due to these heroic and selfless people that Turkey is both a free nation and an ally of the United States of America We can be thankful that Turkey itself continues to be a stable balancing influence in the Near (Middle) East.

REFERENCES

Alford Carleton. Vagaries Of A Missionary Career. New York, New York: United Church Board for World Ministries, 1983.

The American Board In The Near East. Centennial of Constantinople Station. Constantinople, Turkey: Selamet Press, 1931.

---. Fifty-Two Weeks In The Turkey Mission of the American Board. Stamboul, Turkey: Souhoulet Press, 1925.

---. Greetings From Gaziantep. n.p.: n.d.

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The American Hospital In Gaziantep, Turkey. n.p.: about 1938.

Fromkin, David. A Peace To End All Peace. New York, New York: Avon, 1990.

Goodsell, Rev. Fred Field. Shepard of Aintab. Boston, Mass: American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mission, 1916.

Hermsmier, Mary Francis. Letter to the Author. 20 June, 1994.

---. Personal Interview. 24 May, 1994.

Isely, Merrill. Personal slide collection (two cases remain of collection). Mostly Europe.

Isley, Mildred. Weekly letters to her mother in Witchata, Kansas. 1922 through 1956.

McMillin, George. Letter to the Author. 18 Oct. 1994.

Parmelee, M.D., Ruth A. A Pioneer in the Euphrates Valley. np: USA 1967.

Redhouse Press. Redhouse Press: Istanbul Turkey. Phamphlet with front and back Cover Photographs by Ara Guler. Istanbul Turkey: Redhouse Press, 1990.

Shepard, Mary Alice. Doctors' Care: Medical Mission in Turkey. Istanbul, Turkey: Redhouse Press, 1970.

United Church Board for World Ministries. 150 Years in the Near East. New York, NY: UCBWM, 1969.

---. American Board Schools In Turkey: Annual Report From the Board of Governors. New York, NY: UCBWM, 1983.

---. American Hospital, Gaziantep Turkey. New York, NY: UCBWM 1973.

---. Record cards detailing Merrill Nickerson Isely's forty one years of service.

Uskudar American Academy. Uskudar American Academy: A School With A Mission. Phamphlet with front cover picture having one jigsaw puzzle piece being put in place. Istanbul, Turkey: 1991.