The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-15
Mr.. WeSley'S Sermon on
Their MartyrdOm.
A Graphic Recital of the
Turks Prosecutions.
Patience of the Victims an Example
for Worldly Christians.

At the Park Street Church last evening
Rev. IL. q. Wesley preached about the
Armenian massacres, King his text from
Hebrews, XII, 35-3S. After recalling the
fact that the Armenians are the Oldest
nation upon earth, having occupied their
land for nearly 5000 years; also the earli-
est Christian nation, having been evan
gelized about the close OF the first GEN.
tury, Mr.. Wesley spoke as follows:
Ii IL the settled policy of the Turk TO
persecute the Armenians with the end In
view OF their determination, not only for
the purposs or pIunder and outrage, but
especially TO rid themselves of the trouble
some question of reforms upon which
Europe SO constantly insists. Islam does
not and cannot recognize as citizens OF
the empire any except Mohammedans.
Whatever the Sultan may promise he will
never keep any promise which will be
likely to give the hated "intidel" equal
rights with the follower Of Islam.
The Turk has ever been a prosecuting
nation; Greek, Bulgarian. Armenian,
HISTORIAN, Syrian, Christians have, in
turn, seen themselves massacred by tens of
thousands during the present century.
He is likely to promise anything he is
compelled to promise, but he is not likely
to give up his favorite pastime Of rob-
berry, oppression, cruelty and outrage as
long as he has power to thus indulge his
brutal nature with the consent OF Europe.
The recent massacres In Armenia be-
gan during the early part Of 1894, the
first massacre taking place in the Sassoun
district, Southwest Armenia, in August
and Septem ber OF that year. For months
previous PREPARATIONS were being made;
large bodies OF Turkish troops ana Kur-
dish warriors were massed within con-
diQta of ~
kerosene were accumulated at Moush, a
little north OF Sassoun; all being ready
the signal was given, the waiting troops
swept down upon the dofenceless Armeni-
ans who were murdered wherever found
and their houses pillaged. Scores of un-
offending young men were bound hand
and foot, laid In rows, covered with
brushwood, soaked with kerosene, set on
fire and burned alive. Hundreds were
tortured and mutilated so brutally as
not 10 be recognized by their own loved
ones. Men and women were outraged as
no tongue can tell. "not accepting deliY-
eranoe," becaus they woulo not deny
their faith. Scores of the wounded, plead
ing for mercy, were tortured to death
and their bo dies burned, TO hide all proof
of outrage and massacre, the fendish SOL
diery standing by and delighting in the
sufferipgs OF their helpless victims. In
two villages about 200 women and girls
after scenes which cannot be described,
each suffering, tortured, outraged captive
was hacked to pieces and slain. In an
other village 90 young women were given
the choice of becoming Mohm medans or
torture and death; not one of the 90 prov
ed unfaithful to the Christian faith.
Children vera tern to pieces before their
parents to force the latter to accept
Islam. Fathers and mothers were put to
unnameable suffering and compelled to
witness the torture of their sons and
daughters for the same purpose. and
strange as Ii may seem, few denied their
Redeemer. On the contrary, hundreds of
these poor tortured believers died hacked
to pieces, beseeching their loved ones to
be true TO the faith. Cases are on record,
and they are not few, in which parents
were compelled 10 eat the boiled flesh of
their martyred children.
These awful horrors were inflicted upon
the Armenian people because they were
Christians and would not deny Christ,
not because they had committed any
crime; in Sassoul alone ii Is estimated
that between 1000 and 5000 were massacr-
ed, many in manner no one would care
to describe.
The story OF these fearful crimes, reach
ing Europe, compelled the great powers
TO force the Sultan to agree to q mum ber
OF reforms by which liberty of conscience
and certain rights In local government
were granted the Armenians In the six
districts. But, almost at the same time,
cane the Constantinople massacre. Oc-
tober occurred the slaughter at TIeb-
izond by Turkish soldiery, who, at
given signal, began and ceased their
murderous work, though not till over
1000 Armenians lay tortured, mangled
and dead in the streets. In a short time
the whole Erzeroum district was literally
deuged with blood the waves OF death
rolling south, east and west from
Trebizond, without question according
to a carefully laid out plan, and, 1t is
impossible 20 deny with the consent and
knowledge of the Sultan and his govern
ment. No effort was made to stop the
massacres such as the Sultan would have
made had he been in earnest; on the con-
trary manysof the Turkish and Kurdish
officers, who were known to be leaders
in tho massacres were openly and highly
rewarded by the Sultan's orders. All
through Erzeroum the death work was
but a repetition OF the work at Sassoun
and Trebizond, If anything, more cruel,
fendish, merciless than at first: here
some were actually fayed alive in order
TO compel denial of Christ, Armenian
priests being especially selected for the
most merciless and inhuman tortures and
indiguities; Others were soaked in
kerosene and set on fire; others were
tortured ana cut to pieces, while living,
as not even uemous would attempt;
neither sex nor ago was excepted,
mercy was shown to none, babes of but
a few hours old were tortured as horribly
as were the middle-aged and the OLD.
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