The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-02-14
THE ARMENIANS.
REV. LAWRENCE B. RIDGLEY
CONCERNING THE PROSECUTIONS
Text of the Letter Issued by the
Bishops of the Protestant Epis-
copaI Church OF the United
states.
ST. PAUL,s CHAPEL.


and [ have been treated always with
such courtesy by you, that do not hes
itate to ask space for a word in regard
to the editorial IN this mornings issue
in which you denominate as 'intemper-
ate and Inaccurate the letter recently
addressed by "sixty-two bishops of the
Protestant Episcopal church to the
adherents of the Christian faith in the
great nations of Europe.
If the writer of the editorial will eX-
anime the facts, he will recognize. L
am sure, that the rashness and mac
curacy were really on his part.
For, first of all, the letter of the
bishops makes no mention nor sugges-
ton OF a crusade" nor a religious
war" 1t may or may not be that the
day of such things is past, but the let
ter simply appeals to the Christians IN
every nation in Europe to unite to
save our brothers Ghe Armenian
Christians from death; and rescue a
Christian community from extinction.
If the writer of the editorial had TAX
en- the trouble to read the letter of these
same bishops to President Cleveland.
he would have seen. too, the method
proposed; which is to bring every
influence to bear upon the civilized ma
tions of Europe which may cause them
to present a united front in demanding
that such atrocities cease at once and
forever
If The Herald will do the bishops
the justice to publish their letter-a
very short one-I think it will be evil
dent that it is quite free from wild and
romantic talk about a revival OF ma
diaeYal "crusades" But perhaps your
writer has seen only reports Of the
letter. l take the liberty of enclosing
the document in full and asking if you
will be so good as to print it in your
columns. subjoined to this of mine.
SO much for the Importance of this
document. AS for its inaccTacy. 1
feel driven to suppose that your writer
has not read the facts about the Ar
menian atrocities. or else the facts
about the imperial prosecutions of the
early Christians.
1t is well known that the persecu-
tons of Dioletian, from a. D. 300 to
a. D. 905 was the worst of these. Yet
the greatest single act OF violence in
all the empire was the burning of
one village in Phrygia. Indeed there
is doubt whether it was d village or
only one church full of Christian wor-
shippers) The bishops were the spec
ial objects of attack, yet only nine were
killed in all the Diocletian persecution.
In Palestine. Eusebius can name only
niDety-two martyrs during that time;
though it is certain more we're killed
and many more tortured. Gibbon cal
culates the total number of killed in all
the empire to have been about two
thousand. He is not a fair witness,
and certainly understates the facts,
yet the strongest statements of Fuse
bus and Laclantius do not warrant a
historian in multiplying that number
very far. True, these deeds were at
tended with ingenious and horrible tor
lures, but, what are the facts today in
Armenia? Here we are not left to the
vague TRADES of excited orators or "pre-
JUDGED" theologians. We have care
fully prepared statistics from anthem
tic and reliable sources. A tab
ular statement shows that in the two
months f'om Sept. 80 to Nov. 80, 1895,
thirty-one massacres occurred. For
nine of them we have no details. In
the remaining twenty-five 1898 per-
sons are known to have been killed In
one district. q villages are known to
have been utterly destroyed. Besides
this, in the province of Van, out of
$50 villages nearly 500 have been de-
stroyed in this time.
1t is true that Turkish authorities
deny this fact, with some details in
other cases; but they Just as calmly
denied what we know to have been the
facts in the case of the Bulgarian
some years ago. And, even
putting aside all disputed statements,
the Turkish authorities themselves
give statistics showing that out Of an
population of ZIG, 200 in the
towns and villages Of seven vilayets,
10000 have been killed in the towns
alone, While they give no statement
Of the number killed in villages. Yet
the most sweeping work was done in
villages and there three-fourths of the |
Armenian population lived. The Turk |
ISL statistics admit that out of $500 |
villages in these seven districts, $500 |
have been destroyed Be it remem- |
bered, too, that the total area of Ar
tie larger than Utah.
The same Turkish statistics admit |
that 425,000 people in these seven dis |
Lr1ctS mentioned have been reduced !
to starvation While reports from eve |
witnesses show details of torture, mu- |
ilation, rape and wantonness that par
allel every horrid feature of the early |
prosecutions of the church
L would simply ask the writer of this |
mornings editorial to present from any
historical authority parallel facts I
-ouching the early prosecutions of the |
church. INC
L beg to call to your attention also. |
me TACT that the writer misquotes the |
bishops letter in this point. He quotes !
-hem as saying that the Arn1enians |
are suffering worse than the Roman I
sinpefors ever prosecuted, worse than
the martyrs of the early church ever |
incurred What the letter really says I
. tHlS- Even under the most bloody |
e4 among the Roman empe- !
'oIS, Sucn an atrociouS and wholesale |
massacre was never perpetrated. and I
no prosecutions of the early church !
sake" ~ le'
In view of the few bare facts have
lere stated. (selected from a preatar |
nass) L ask, sir, if this is not fr11e
ma most temperate statement on the
part of the bishops. If not win Won
Al n snow some contradictory facts?
beheve me sir. Very truly yours in
ne cause OF mercy and truth
LAWRENCE B. RIDGET.v
Priest in charge of st. Paurs chanel
Salt Lake City. oH''pei'
THE BISHOPS LETTER.
The following is a draft of . le++a,. :.
ended to be signed by ali the bist,oI III
- DC IorWarded at once to the Areh'
liishop or Canterbury, the Gar of Pms
sra as mead Of the Greek Church, the EN-
5eIor OIL Austria, as a representa tive |
CONAN prelate. and the Emperor of
body: u me
we, the bishops of the Protestant
aplScoDal church in the United Sfafas nf
America. most respectfully petifio 1ys7e IN IN
,ehalf OF your and our fellow Christians
ne ATmenians They have been suh''
s ss 20 70 the most cruel prosecutions bv
ne Turks, and. as we are well informe1
lnder the express orders of fha T,-,.i