Armenia: its present crisis and past history

Preface

WHILE in Cairo last April, during my trip around the world, I received a letter from the editor of one of our American daily papers, requesting me to go into Armenia, and write from the ground, for his journal, an account of the condition of affairs that existed among this persecuted people, as contradictory reports had been published in America. This little work, that I now offer to the public, is the result of my observations and experiences during a two months' stay in the Ottoman Empire. I am indebted to a number of persons for many of the facts contained in this volume ; but as, in every case, information was given me with the distinct understanding that the names of my informants should not be used, I am prevented from giving due credit to these heroic men and women, whose noble work for the suffering Armenians would be greatly hindered if word reached the Turkish officials that they were expressing through the American press their knowledge of the state of affairs in Armenia. In the preparation of the historical portion of the book, I was fortunate in having the aid of an Armenian professor of Armenian history in Constantinople. His translations from the original enable me to present for the first time in English certain important data bearing on the national life of a people b PEEFACE.

whose history, so singularly checkered with glory and gloom, must elicit the interest and sympathy of the ciyilized world. May these pages hasten the dawning of that mormng when the dark shadows on the pathway of the Armenians will be lifted and the clouds in her sky be rifted ; and when the sun of a new day will bring life, light and liberty where now reign death, darkn^s and despair.

Part I. Present Crisis

PAGE.

The City of the Sultan 13

Its }^ame and History 14

Life and Scenes 15

The Town of Scutari ,-. 15

The Mosque of 5t. Sophia 16

Curious Sepulchral Chapels 17

The Bazars and their Crowds 18

The Agony of the Armenians 20

The Carnage of Shepik 22

Eachel weeping for her Children 23

Heart-rending Sights 25

Cruelty of Kurds and Soldiers 26

Tortured for Taxes. 28

Turkish Tyranny 29

Official Rottenness 30

Books and Press Censorship 31

Administrative System 32

Oppressive Taxation 32

Justice with a Vengeance ' 33

The Massacre at Oorfa 35

The Victims at Biredjik 37

Islam or the Sword 38

Lady Teachers Captured 38

Distress and work of Eelief.. 39

A Bit of History 41

8 CONTENTS.

PAGE.

Their Keligion and Clergy 42

Culture and Education 43

Traders and Farmers 43

Home and Family 44

An Unmixed Eace 45

Appalling Destitution 46

Grinding Oppression 47

Kurdish Bobbers 48

Pillage and Murder 49

A Piteous Account 50

The Outbreak at Severek 52

Moslem Sympathy. 53

Begging Widows 54

The First Mohammedan Massacre..... 54

Broken Treaties....... 55

TheTreaty of Paris,... J.%.S".!b 56

The Treaty of Berlin of 1878 .^ 57

The Cyprus Treaty 59

The Eeign of Terror under these Treaties 59

Belief for Armenians 61

Aid to Befugees 62

Industrial Help 63

Distribution of Money and Clothing 63

Appeal for Contributions 65

Danger of Epidemics 66

A Hopeless Condition 67

AtStamboul 69

Atrocities at Zile 69

The Savage Turk 71

Piles of the Murdered 73

Official Estimates 74

Turkish Statistics for Seven Districts 75

The Situation at Gurun 76

Distribution Prohibited 77

Attitude of the Powers 80

The Work of Belief 81

A Colonization Scheme , 83

CONTENTS. 9

PAGE.

Do they Wish to Emigrate? 83

Will the Sultan allow it? 84

Would it be Practicable? 85

Going to Cyprus 87

Destitution Increasing 87 ^

American Missions 89

Letters from Eelief Corps 90

The General Distress =....... 92

Renewed Massacres 93 -

Utter Desolation 95 ,.

Foreign Mission Work 96

American Institutions., -, 97

Eobert College 98

Light for Asia... 99

No Conversions Possible 100

Civilizing Influences 100

A Recapitulation , « 102

In regard to Place,. 102 /

In regard to Time 103 i^

The Nationality of the Victims 104 j^

The Method of Killing and Pillaging 105 ^

Soldiers Participate 106 ^

Blood and Booty Estimates 107 >

The Motive of the Turks 108 -

Christendom's Apathy 109 v

Moslem Mendacity 110 ^"

No Provocation Given Ill *

The Spirit of Islamism ^ 112 *^'

Governmental Connivance • 112 "-"

Duration of Massacres 113 "

Turkish Toleration 114 ^

Religious Contention 115 ^^

The Latest Acts of the Great Assassin and his Followers... 116 ^^

An Intelligent Armenian Refugee in America interviewed.. 127

10 CONTENTS.

PA.RT II.

PAST HISTORY.

PAGE.

Primitive History 139

The Kingdom of Arsacid Dynasty 142

I. — The Eeorganization of the Government 143

II. — The Wars of Tigranes IT, and Mithridates against

the Romans 144

III. — Political Revolution in Persia and its Consequences

in Armenia... , 146

IV. — Christianity as the National Religion of the Armenians 1 47

V. — The Golden Age of Armenian Literature 148

Persian Dominion (433-640) 151

Arabian Dominion of Armenia (649-885) , 156

Kingdom of Pagratidae (885-1045) 158

Rupenian Kingdom (108Cpi375) 164

Armenians in Turkey 176

Zeitoun 179