New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-12
THE SULIAN'S" NOBLE FIGHT.'
A REPLY BY THE REV CYRUS HAMLIN
TO F. HOPKINSON SMITH.
HE POINTS OUT HIS MISTAKES IN FACTS. AND DE
FENDs THE MISSIONARIES AND

HE POINTS OUT HIS MISTAKES IN FACTS. AND DE
FENDs THE MISSIONARIES AND
THE ARMENIANs.
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Another communication Of F. Hopkinson
Smith, in THE New-York Herald Of November i.
has been brought to my notice. containing personal
references and misstatements which think II
proper TO correct But first of ALL II Is to be hoped
that THE Herald" is amply rewarded for Its cham
pionshp of Abdul Hamid-called by the poet Wat
son Abdul the Damned" and by Gladstone Abdul
the Assassin" This successor OF Mahomet mas
earned the universal execration Of the civilized
world and THE Herald" should be magnifcently
rewarded for its Quixo;ic daring II is more hope
less. however. than the brave knights attack upon
the windmills
Who is Mr. F. Hopkinson Smith? We know him
only from his Oriental correspondence. He pub
lished letter months ago. attacking the American
missions In Turkey in a manner that drew upon
him so much rebuke and ridicule that. had he been
a wise man, he would not have dipped his pen In
NORWOOD and falsehood again.
Mr. Smith is evidently man VINO IL accustomed
10 affirm as true things which he knows nothing
about For example. he asserts that warned the
Board OF Foreign Missions" etc. made no such
reference 10 the Board. My object was to make
known the absurd and wicked revolutionary move
men. as a trick Of Russia. IT had its origin there
Is II honest honorable TO misstate entireiy
mans object In such case?
The missionary element in Armenia" with
| HEADQUARTERS at Roberts College. IN Pera, etc
There is no such country In Armenia There II no
such college as Roberts College. college was
founded by Christopher r. Robert. OF New-fork
mo, Marshall o. Roberts). and Its name Is hooert
College II is not the headquarters OF the mission
airy element" 1t has no connection with IL, nor mas
II had from the beginning IL is not In ferA OUT IN
Rume- Hssar
1.-The land on which Roberts RoberD College
stands was a present from the Sultan He also
donated a large amount Of money from his private
nurse" ] purchased the land. and paid for It, four
teen years before Abdul Hamid came 10 the throne
He never gave a penny from his private purse
nor foot OF land The previous Sultan. his uncle.
Abdul Aziz. after seven years OF unjust REFUSAL.
gave us leave TO build. and by a sacred imperial
order placed the college under the power OF the
United States He likewise gave us neither n
penpy nor foot OF land and We had TO pay FOR the
change of titles and for the laying out and mapping
Of the road made necessary by the terms OF the I'm
perial order.
The "thirty soldiers circulating night and day
around the college we are glad to say. has an
element OF truth In 1t. with some Imagination.
There are fifteen soldiers encamped In one OF the
college buildings: and when the president re-
ouested their withdrawal they chose TO stay say
ing they were comfortable. We do not blame
them for preferring that pure air and magnificent
scenery and pleasant housing to their dark ana
filthy barracks where vermn are apt to be their
most lively accompaniment!
1.-The Rumanians their nearest neighbors." Here
is some marvellous geography. We have supposed
the Russians and Persians were their nearest
neighbors We have been In Rumania, but we
had to go hundreds of miles. The Armenian wouid
have to go through Russian territory to get there
| But Mr.. Smith can easily reduce any geographcai
distance TO point. II Rumania or any other lahd
has excluded these terror-strcken fugitives 1t did
tpb, NIT and
IGNORANT ABOUT TURKS AND ARMENIANs.
We ha noted the above errors. some OF slight
and others OF great Importance. as specimens OF
uonk,nson Smiths writing without regard to fact
| or truth while claiming to have exact knowledge
| His word cannot be trusted In anything But HOP
k,nson Smiths colossal ignorance OF turkey ana
her popuations, and especially OF the TWO PARTIES
| IN the field the Turks and the Armenians' ama]es
ono and makes his magnificent effort to enhshteh
,-,n.,a axtrenely ridiculous. The Sultan has 80
,au, defenders that he pay very high Tor such
| oh,valrous Defence and we hope that Mr.. omith
| received a compensation that Will enap'e MN "
h.or lawfully the contempt which his Ignorance IN
| our. We have lived thrty-fve years IN iurnes'
W. snoke the chief languages needful. especially
| tho Armenian Greek and Turkish; ana MT "'''''"
will not be offended II we enlighten MIN Oil 'o'"'
points. ..,-,,,e Armenians in Turkey7 They
VINO are .ne Of an ancient Christian people.
are tne in go or 100000 in Turkey They
| are a quiet industrious peopie, aivays con-
tsad them the most useful and INDUSTRIOUS PEG
i IN Turkey Five hundred years OF MSs,em p Sp
pression has taken away amDi.oh ID ID" nrorfdence
tney have usually by indusiE G rs ado better
smnnlv Of food. forage and 1uei .nail ar" Z. Ern
neopIe They scattered all through en- 'n are not
There is no department where they Ho ~
pre- often of one three. or one TO iopr' OF
| one TO forty. a. ..a They have never
They arr ~ hear arms and. II they had them.
you'd not know how to use them Ihey i far the he
| head centre. They couid nov t Rave an immense
| Turks hold all the roads ana nav an Hyht-
and n ai IN numbers the Mosems
ers ~ me against the Armenians. To suppose tnas
,Hn.e moor unarmed. quiet Armenian peas ains,
traders eyer eyer h1 10 Suppose them idioswheh
sucn aea', not They are a sensible, patient people
they have had no sympathy Wn the Sultan fol-
hev have protested their loyalty to him
| We has spurned them with the oasSe' ~ w
In destroying n ah,' HE Sultan deserves the sym
dthW ~ every right minded man 70, n,' srend
his country and b law f for him Hne to
doing y Here is the redoubtable AoaH Maslem,
Who can pull out .s At ieas peasant And Il
against one Tna b5nrnlnSHafter ootinghis habta
H son and his wife and nSt ch samae he ha
and shstsTs,sa n ssss w snd phi plucIy
done "a a. gram AIM simply coward and murG Sne
are three four hundred warG with
and children sn6 oc men winter: and the Chris
terror TO sna fet suerns a ane r, sh'
Efforts s,sn behalf MT SsTa Sarons
sSsts OF the mssonaries and Of be
and all the e emo IN England and America to fescH t
| md save the sufferers iFo'" ''
] arc p@' -, q, .,,o DEaIGN.