Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-10
Armenia.

Af"en1u,
Map of Disturbed District in Asia Minor
toms, another the head of the mint: and ne
made an American, Mr.. Eckford. the chief
of the laval arsenal. Under his reign the
Turks had to respect the rights of Chris
tians.
He had a reign of just thirty-one years,
full of Incidents and weakened by a dis
astrous war with Russia and the rebellion
OF Mehmet Ali, the Pasha of Egypt.
A Reformcr.
His son, Abdul Medj:d, came to the
throne in 1s39-a boy of sixteen. He en-
deavored to push forward his fathers de-
sign to Europeanize the government. He
issued the celebrated constitution called
the "Hatti-Scheriff Of Gulhane." He intro
ouced many Armenians into government
employ. The old Turkish party, the I'M
ohangeable Moslem, was Disguised with his
reforms, IS was Russia. A reaction became
ruled, to the terror of the ryahs. But the
great English ambassador, Sir Stratford
Canning took the sultan under his pro-
lection. and many important improvements
were made in the administration, and gen.
orally in favor of equal rights to the Chris
tian subjects.
The Crmean war saved Constantinople
fIcm the grasp Of Russia, but the peace of
Paris, through the treason and ambition of
Louis Napoleon, rejected the policy of Eng
land and gave Turkey over entirely to her
self, forbidding all interference from any
one of the signatory powers From that
time onward the condition of the ryahs can
hardly be said to have improved. Abdul
Medjid died after a reign of twenty-five
years-'39 10 81. Abdul Aziz. the successor,
was stupid and brutal. He got the finances
Tito hopeless entanglements by excessive
loans at ruinous interest, and by palace
squanderings. Russia made him her tool
for the ruin of the empire. June 4. 1876, he
was found dead in his chamber, having
te en- assassinated or having committed sui
eide. There were two parties to that ques-
ton, but all agree that he died, and his
ms ory may as well perish.
A FnnaticaI Mussulmnn.
We now Gene to the present reigning
sultan, Abdul Hamid. He has always been
regarded as fanatical Mussulman. He
came to the'throHe with the Unborn resolu-
ton to exercise all the power of the sue
cesscr of the prophet. He is skillful dip
lomat. He believes in the supreme power
of lying. He covers up all that he does by
falsehood false testimony He can al
ways bring any number of witnesses TO
prove that there has been no violence
where hundreds have been slaughtered.
He secludes himself in his palace, Is seen
by very few; but those who are called to an
interview pronounce him most fascinating
man.
He very early took upon himself the en-
tire care of his empire. He resolved to
govern 1t alone. He went into every de-
partment-army, navy, naval construction,
public works, education, finance-in order
to have everything exactly right. Finding
a great many Armenians in these depart
ments he cleaned them all out and put in
Turks-often an incompetent man for a
competent. If his ministers did not please
him be changed them, and then changed
item again a still worse habits his send
ing commands direct superseding the Or
ders of any of his cabinet ministers, with
OUT their knowledge. The favorites of the
mo- n hue. boot
of the grand vizicr without notice. More
than one has n~dismissed and degraded
for demonstrating. If things did not work
smoothly under this new regime, his in
dignation was excited, and another over
turn of officers would follow This per.
sonal administration of every departing Mt
has caused general confusion and dissaris-
faction, and poverty and ruin.
Against Schools.
The department Of education early at
trsCted his attention. He saw that his
ryahs were better educated, more inteli-
gent and more thrifty than mis- Moslen;
subjects. He resolved to change all that.
He began to impose laws upon school
houses, text books and teachers. No school
house could be repaired without govern
ment permission, which was never given
no new school ouse could be built School
books once approved and bearing the i'm
perial seal were subjected to new censor
ship and utterly defaced, and thousands of
dollars worth destroyed Many schools
were shut up under frivolous pretenses.
At the same time, convenient school houses
We're built for Mussulman schools, and a
great impulse was given to Mosem edu-
cation. The ryahs. If they complained,
were exhorted to profess the true faith,
and these benefits would be theirs. Abdul
Hamid has all along had an eye to the con-
version of his ryahS.
But more stringent means must be used.
He could operate, for the present, only
upon the Armenians-the Gregorians and
Professionals. They have no defender. The
Greeks are protected by Russia, and the
Catholic Armenians by France Not one
of them is to be touched Englands pro
lection of the Armenians amounts to moth
ing. Complaints are made, immediate re-
forms are promised, England is satisfied
and the persecution continues. He has
played this game with England for many
years.
The Kurdish Robbers.
Sultan Hamid very early saw that the
Armenians must be dealt with after an
other fashion. He made little progress in
his efforts to unity his empire by gathering
the wandering sheep into the one fold. On
the eastern borders of his empire lie the
Kurdish mountains, and along their base.