The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1896-02-07
A DENSE CLOUD
Obscures Light of Christianity
In the Turkish Empire.

DID, was an eyewitness Of ne Armenian
massacres in the section around HarpooC'
where he is located as missionary, ana Is
we'll fitted to discuss the matter. He
sends the following letter from the scenes
of the masSacres which is published in
The Congregationalis today:
In such disaster us has come upon this
country it is impossible to secure accurate
information. Even where ali attempt Is
made to secure reports in village they
are sometimes much exaggerated, and In
some cases there is an underestimate. The
reign of terror is not yet over, and many
of the prominent Christians whose lives
are spared scarcely venture from their
hiding places, and oftentimes do not
know what has befallen some of their
nearest neighbors.
The deSoaton is almost universal.
Even the Christian villages that have been
spared have suffered so much in one way
and another that in ordinary times they
would be considered to have met with
calamity The reports of deaths in our
own field that have reached us amount TO
some $1,000, We now know that in many
cases they have been much exaggerated,
but there are large numbers of villages
from which we l. 80 heard nothing except
that there have been plumber and massacre,
and we are confident that if we had all
the facts our reported aggregate would be
less than the reality.
There is another feature of the case OF
which we are just learning, and that Is
the death of children. This has not previ-
ously been reported. Men, when they
found their own death was inevitable,
have killed their daughters to save them
from fate worse than death. Even
mothers in their flight cast away young
children, and some were thrown into
streams to save them from the Turks. In
some cases families who had secreted
themselves strangled their infant children
lest their cries should reveal their loca-
ton.
The forcible conversion to Mohamme-
danism is perhaps the darkest side of this
awful picture Many men have died as
martyrs Gregorians as we'll as Professionals.
They would not for "a moment listen to
the proposition to save their lives by
changing their faith.
A still larger number, some through the
natural fear of death and some out of re-
gard to their families, have protested
conversion to Islam, and have submitted
to it's rites and are practicing its worship
in the confident expectation that relief
will come from this pressure. Some of
this latter class are among our best breth
rem, and our hearts are rent and torn by
the recital of their distress.
The pressure in the cities is not open
and strong, although in the height of the
massacre it was severe, but in the villages
it still abides though believe the govern
ment has taken some mild steps to relieve
1t.
Christian public worship is suspended
almost everywhere. Even where the
Christians have not changed their faith,
and where churches and chapels are not in
ruins, they are afraid to meet lest their
coming together might invite attack.
Very few houses of worship remain unin-
jured Where they have not been burned,
they have been badly damaged and are
unfit for use. Some have been converted
into mosques.
Five pastors and four licensed preachers
have been killed, another preacher is
wounded, u pastor is in prison and most OF
the remainder are fugitives from their
places of labor or are afraid to show them
selves in public. There seems to be spe-
cial luminosity against Professionalism.
No Professionalism.
In some places the Turks declare that
they will not tolerate Professionalism any
longer-that they will recognize hereafter
only one Christian community. There
has also been a large sacrifice of Gregorian
priests Many places have neither priest
nor preacher. In some cases the priests
have accepted Mohammedanism.
1t is cruel, relentless Mohammedan
crusade, such as one could never have
dreamed possible in this age of the world.
/ have even heard of Moslems catching
the blood of Christians in their hands
and drinking it as a draught refreshing
to their souls. Thus it will be seen that
Christianity is under dense, dark cloud.
The government makes a desperate eff
fort to lay the blame of all this on the Ar
menians in it's official report. presume
that the same charge has been made by
the central government for this region,
although the Christian population were
like frightened sheep, and, in the hope of
relieving suspicion and averting disaster,
they voluntarily surrendered their arms
to the government before the raid
In all the massacres the plundering and
burning of houses and the firing of sol
diers in this vicinity, ! have not heard
that single Kurd or Turk was even
wounded, or that a Christian offered any
resist ance. This attitude of the Christians
doubtless saved a great many lives.
Nevertheless, the mayor of this city had
the effrontery to tell me the other day that
the riot in this city was caused by an Ar
mepian firing gun, and the chief of police
at the same time said that the massacre in
Malatia began by an Armenian barber
cutting the throat of Kurd whom he was
shaving. An Armenian did cut Kurd's
throat but not until he saw his brother
and others cut down at the door of his
shop and realized that the Turks and
Kurds had begun massacre in the streets.
In Malatia and Arabkir the Armenians,
when driven to their houses and churches,
saw that no quarter would be given, so
they defended themselves as best they
could, but this, doubtless, greatly in.
creased the mortality on their own side as
It still more exasperated the Turks.
For months past we have received fewer
and fewer American papers and maya
zines. and those which did come had torn
out of them all reference TO Turkish poll
tics Now our papers have stopped alto
eether, except now and then one that
never refers TO political matters.
We are, however, extremely glad that
our letters reach us for the most part.
HnsaWNc