The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-20

not older, than the Jews, the Assyrians,
the Babylonians or the Persians. Their
own chronology dates the foundation OF
the Armenian kingdom as far back as 254O
B. c. Polybius (75 B. c. states that they
were known as a nation more than twenty
hundred years before Christ. He narrates
many incidents OF their contact and war
fare with other historical people to prove
this, notably the Phenicians. with whom
they warred and whom they defeated in
the time of Abraham 1920 B. c.. Ar
menia and Mount Ararat are mentioned
and described in the early books of the Old
Testament, in Herodotus. Strabo and
other ancient writer's. 1t may well be said
to have been the cradle of the human race
and strange to tell the race has been pre-
served in q remarkable degree OF purity
down to the present day.
From the description given in the sec
ond chapter of Genesis, many authorities
locate the garden of Eden within the
bounds of Armenia. According to Arme-
MAN tradition, Belus, the ruler of the
Babylonish empire and the builder OF
the tower OF Babel, claimed sovereignty
over the country and came with an army
to enforce his authority, but was defeated
and slain. The Armenians were led in
this conflict by Haig or Haik, a son OF
Iagrenan, the RrdluSOH Vi apueIi anu lIOIIl
him the land was called Haiku or Hagas-
doni Semiramis later conquered Arme-
tnia, but the people made successful re-
volt against her successor, Sardan apalus,
regained their independence, and, conquer
ing in their turn, spread the bounds OF
their control from the Caspian Sea on the
east to the river Hays and Cilicia on the
tus (now TrebiZond) on the north to the
borders of the Assyrian empire on the
south.
The kingdom reached the height of its
glory under Tigranes the Great, whom
Iucullus calls the king Of kings, and OF
whom Cicero speaks as having made the
republic of Rome tremble before his arms.
Tigranes became an ally of Rome and so
remained until his death, 55 B. G. His
son, Artavasdes, inclined to a more indie
pendent policy, provoked war with Mark
Antony, and was captured and beheaded
at Alexandria, 80 B. c., and the country
passed under the control of the Romans,
and then began period of anarchy and
discussion, which continued with little in
terruption till the time OF Chasroes the
Great, A. D. 232.
His son Tirdat began the persecution OF
the Christians but afterward embraced
Christianity under the influence and teach
ings of st. Gregory the illumination. This
aroused the luminosity of the Persians
ana the UtCdlllS IiIc htlu vi dlInOSl
uninterrupted struggles between that ma
ton and the Armenians and their sup
porters, the Romans, till A. d. 428, when
Armenia passed under Persian rule and
ceased to be kingdom.
From 42S to 632 under the Persians it
was the scene of most cruel and persiste Mt
prosecutions against Christianity. From
632 to 839 Greeks and Mohammedans con-
tended for the mastery, while the native
princes added to the misery and confusion
BY their iealousies and contention. From
743 to 1919 two separate dynasties ruled
over different parts OF Armenia proper
until they succumbed TO the Byzantine
Greeks.
In the latter part OF the eleventh Gen.
turv large number of Armenians, under
Raphen, fleeing from their own country,
took refuge in the Taurus Mountains, in
Cilicia, and there formed a new Armenian
kingdom. This kingdom lasted three cen
turtles, made alliances with the King OF
Cyprus and the Crusaders, and forming
the last bulwark of Christianity in the East
rendered most signal service to that cause
and civilization. They battled with the
Crusaders against the Saracen with zeal
and fidelity that gives them more than a
mere claim on the support OF Chrlstendom
of to-day.
What life of struggle they have had for
1900 years. Inoffensive and worthless oil
itself, the country has for centuries-ln-
deed from before the dawn OF history