Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-08-03

they have planted schools and founded
commercial houses their keen love of
trade is everywhere the path to wealth, and
oflen the intelligent Greek merchant will
devote even during his lifeline large sums
of money TO endow school or college.
The story of tue Greek brothers Z0simas,
or Zosimadis, is illustrative Of this intel
lectual race. They were seven in number,
merchants and traders, who had made a
vow TO live unmarried aud devote their
fortunes TO the good Of their country and
of mankind. They spent yearly large sums
in educating Greek youths in foreign coun-
tries, published the finest editions of the
classics, or encouraged contemporary au-
thors TO write and publish, established
printing presses, and advanced knowledge.
They gave 100000 annually TO the schools
of Yanina, their native city. Yet they
lived with extreme simplicity in the midst
of great wealth little cheese, few OIL
ives, were their daily fare. They shrank
from all public notice their good deeds
were done, as far as possible, in secret and
when the Russian Car would have shown
them some public honors at st. Petersburg,
they modestly left the city TO avoid his at
tentions. The last of the eminent brothers
died in 1912, and their ex1mple of classic
virtue shows that the genius of Greece has
not wholly faded from its sacred soil. 9th
er Greek merchants have been almost as
| generous as the ZOsimadis and the Pas
kalis, of Moscow, and Santello, Of Trieste,
have, among many others, given large en-
dowmenls to the Greek public schools.
Next in power, intelligence, and num-
bers TO the Greeks are the Armenian Chris
tians Of Turkey. 1t is supposed that there
are 1000 600 Armenians in Asia and nearly
half a million in Europe. In their native
land, between the Euxine and the Caspian,
in that high and chilly region where Turks
and Russians are now madly fighting for
the possession of Erzerum a1d Kars, the
powerful and manly race of Armenians,
stalwart, industrious and brave, has exist
ed unchanged for ages. They were con-
verted in the fourth century 10 Cbrstiani-
ty; at later period they adopted the mon
ophysite doctrine, and are looked upon as
heretics or schsmatics by both Catholics
and Greeks. An Armenian Patriarch re-
sides at Cunstanlinople. And the busy la
bOrs OF the papal missionaries TO convert or
suppress the rival sect have often brought
disorder and danger to the Armenian
church. Once they carried of The Patri-
arch Avedik TO Marseiles and st. Mar
guerite; and the fate of the Armenian priest
is sometimes conloundeG with that Of the
Man in the Iron Mask. A story told Ivy
s.g. 81, ,l..a al.
Turks have enforced, even as late as 1913,
their oppressive laws. He wko falls away
from Islamism is, or was, liable 10 death
and the penalty has been imrosed in the
nineteenth century. A young Armenian,
twenty-five years Of age, had voluntarily
become a Mohammedsn but remorse
awOke, he returned 10 the Christian faith,
threw of his Oriental dress, and came back
10 Constanlinople, hoping 10 escape in dis
guise the consequences of his abjuration.
Unhappily he was discovered, tried, con-
| demned hv the Turkish court, and on the
25th of August, 1913, Ovaghian-for that
was his name-waS executed for his aposia-
sy. The horrible deed awoke too late the
attention aud indignation of the foreign
ambassadors TO the Porte. They protested,
threatened, demanded the repeal OF The
law by which the young Armenian had
suffered. Sir S. Canning even embarked,
| with all his suite, for England. The Turk
yielded, and the law has been repealed.
y portion OF the AImenians have been
| converted to tie Roman Catholic faith (; but
tLeir priests are allowed to marry, aud the
Western ritual is not carefully followed.
or The other Roman Catholic converts, the
fruits of the laOors of the Propaganda,
some are Melchtes, or United Greeks,
some Maronites, others Sclaves and Alba
mans. The whole number of Roman
Catholics in the Turkish Empire is thought
TO reach $4,000. Among all these Eastern
sects-and It is result of their long serTi-
tude-religious differences are the source
of bitter ennty. Intolerance is the char
acteristic of all subject races, and the Ar
menian and the Greek, the Roman Catho-
lie and the Protestant, are always at vari-
ance. The Armenian accommodates his
people who embrace Proiestahtism the
Roman Catholics intrigue at Constantine
pie for the suppression OF all rival sects.
The Turk looks with placid scorn upon
the contests Of subject people whom he
has been Taught from his infancy 10 govern
and despise.
One Interesting class Of Turkish slaves
are the Jews and it is remarkable trait
of their painful history that nearly all of
them are immigrants from Portugal and
Spain. Expelled from the East and their
native scenes by Crusader or Turk, they
had found a home under the shelter of the
Spanish Mosens. The conQuests of the
Christians and the pitiless cruelty of Span
ish inqnisitors aud kings drove the Israel
ties from their Western refuge. Once more
they settled in the East, and Constantine
pie and Jerusalem were filled with the
wand cling exiles from the farthest West.
The Turks received them with tolerant
contempt. The dog of Jew" was no
more to the ruling caste than ''the dog of a
Christian" The Jews fiourished aud grew
numerous under the Moslem protection,
and hated by Greek and Armenian, held in
a rigid suhjecton by their masters, still,
with one or two periods Of persecution,
lived in comparative tranquility. Yet they
number in all the Turkish Empire, only
about 10000. So small, so ahject, in its
native seats is that gifted race whose ideas
and usages have civilizel barbarous Goth
and cruel Hun; and the number of Jews
in the city of New York alone is ten times
that of the whole Jewish population of
their sacred city. In Constantinople there
are about 10000. But 1t is noticed that the
Jews of the East have never reached that
ease and opulenee which have followed
them in England or America. With some
exceptions, they live in poverty and ignor-
ance. The Turkish Jews are, il is said,
sfationaru and nnnrOpresSiva They have