Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-24
THE ARMENIAN MASSACRE.
DR.. StrOng's Address on the Subject
at the Church of the Covenant.

Instead Of the regular Sunday night serv-
ice at the Church of the Covenant last
night meeting was held, under the auspi-
ces of the Evangelical Alliance, to protest
against the massacreCof the Christians by
the Turks in Armenia. The meeting was
opened by Rev. Br. Mcknight, who invoked
a blessing upon the ruler of the Turks that
he might have wisdom, grace and justice
in his treatment Of these people. Rev. Dr.
Hamlin read letters of sympathy from a
number of ministers I'm this city and from
President Green of Columbian College and
President Rankin of Howard University.
Senator Frye of Maine introduced the
speaker of the evening, DIR. Josiah Strong
In his introduction, Senator Frye said that
the people of this country have now to
answer the solemn question as to their
duty TO mankind and to what extent they
are their brothers keepers. This question
has been forced upon the people by the ter
rible condition of affairs surrounding the
Christians in Turkey. If only one-half the
reports are true they ought to arouse all
Christian nations to demand that these
outrages stop now and forever and that
reparation be made Senator Frye said 1t
was his opinion the United States govern
ment should join in a holy crusade in be-
half of the oppressed Christians of the
sultans domain
DIR. StrOng's Address.
DR.. Strorg, who is general secretary Of
the Evangelical Alliance in the United
States said that the greatest principle Of
the Alliance is that of religious liberty
and 1t now feels called upon to vindicate
that principle.
Dr. Strong said there are three sources
from which information could be gained
regarding the acts of the Turks in that
rortion of the sultan's empire where the
outrages have been committed. Two
sources the Turkish government and the
Armenian revolutionary party, may be
considered as somewhat unreliable. 1t will
be remembered that the truth OF the Bull
garian atrocities of 1870 was suppressed
by the Turkish government and efforts
made to conceal the actual conditions Of
affairI. Full information regarding the
case comes to hand when a missionary
gets out of the country, or when an &C
count Is slipped through without being
opened by the Turkish officials.
Intolerance of Mnhometanism.
Mahometanism has always been intol-
ell ant toward religions. The Koran itself
inculcated in it's believers the spirit of mas
sacre and destruction of all unbelievers.
The Turkish government exercises a strict
censorship over all literature that comes
into the empire. and the texts of the Sun
day school lessons have to be revised to
make them conform to the Mahometan
idea. The Christian has been the victim of
numerous massacres in that country. I.eav-
ing out the early slaughters of Christians
the whole world is familiar with the hor-
rcrs committed in 1870 when 1900 Chris
tians, mostly women and children, were
butchered by the Turks.
DR.. Strong said that the safety of the
400 American missionaries is at stake, I'M
less this government takes action of some
kind in the present case. If this govern
ment cannot act directly there is a way of
reaching the object just as effectually
in an indirect manner. Great Britain as
one of the treaty powers can help the
Christians by insisting that the Turkish
government shall do justice and the United
States can bring the force of public opinion
to bear upon Great Britain. If religious
liberty is a principle with us and not mere
~ Il luxury we should protect 1t.