St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-20
PLEA FOR ARMENIA.
Eloquent Address by DIR. Black a,
the Park Avenue Church.


DR.. George D. Black. of the Park Avenue
Congregational church. devoted last evening
to a discussion of the Armenian question,
and the result was stirring address. The
lecture opened with an account of the recent
massacres and with the statement that dur
ing the past seventy-five years 10000 Ar
menians have been butchered by Kurds and
others, under the express sanction of the
Turkish government The Ottoman en-
pire" continued the speaker, lis in
dition of anarchy much as were the Indian
tribes of this country in the early days. The
slaughter of Christian men, women and chill
dren however, within the past eighteen
months has no parallel for cruelty among
the American Indians. This butchery is done
by the Kurds principally, who are pack of
human hyenas.
Turkish Armenia is in size about equal
to the state of Iowa, mountainous country,
with climate more rigorous than that of Min
nesota 1t is renowned for Its scenery, and
has produced a hardy race of men. The pop
ulation includes Turks, Kurds and Armen-
pie, and being one-half Of the total popula-
ton. The Armenians a branch of the
Aryan race. and their civilization is of the
Oldest their history going back to the time
of the Greeks and Romans. Until 100 years
ago they were an independent kingdom
When they We're conquered by the Turks
Al that time the population of Armenia was
about 36,000,O00. The kingdom has since been
divided among Russia, Persia and Turkey.
and TO-DAY the Armenian people are scattered
throughout the world, several thousands of
Inem having taken refuge in this country
they were the first of the heather nations
to accept Christianity, the form of their re-
hgion being much like that of the Greek
church, though more democratic. The Ar
menlanS of Turkey are today the most in
teiilgent of the subjects of the sublime porte
and are people of great physical and moral
possibilities. The sultan is the religious as
well as political head of the Turkish en-
pire, and siEce the days of Mohammed if
has been the policy of Mohammedans to slay
with the sword all who oppose the nropress
of the Mosem faith
Inc good Mchammedans regards it as a
religious duty to kill the inidel, which means
any one not Mohammedan. The present
ruler, Abdul Hamid, who has been at the
| head of the government for twenty wears is
no worse, In many respects he is better, than
| his predecessors. His early life was snent in
! riotous living, but some time before accepting
] the throne he was converted, became a re-
/ cluse, and emerged from his retirement with
the enthusiasm and fanaticism of true fol-
lower OF Mohammed. 1t has 10 doubt been
/ his steady purpose to force Mohammedan;sm
upon all the peoples of his empire. With this
in view, several years ago he invited the lead
| erS OF the kurdS to his palace at CONSTANT
! nople, when the plan of determination was
! agreed upon. The Kurds are nomad peo-
pie, descended from Tartar ancestry, and
! their living is made largely by preying upon
the more thrifty Armenians. A pretext for
recent massacres has been found in the fact
ians, when the former had robbed and plum
! dered the Armenians. The cry was then
| raised that the Armenians We're in revolt
| anu lurKlSn SoidlerS were sent to suppress
| the insurrection. And what have not been
killed by the sword are in imminent danger
of starvation
What's to be done? The powers apDear
not likely to do anything for the relief of Ar
menia. England dares do nothing, and she is
! unwilling to let Russia take a hand. Should
England decide to keep hands off it is prob
| able that Russia would at once take posses
| sion of Armenia. But this would give Russia
| an opportunity to invade India in time of
| war. The sultan we'll understands the situa-
ton, and can make premises to both Russia
and England with no intention of keeping the
! promises. The government of Russia would
be infinitely better than the present govern
! ment; in fact, the Armenians north of the
! Caucasus mountains. who are subject to Rus
STA, are said to be prosperous and happy.
| Russia could no doubt handle the Turks bet
| ter than England. Turkey has passed beyond
| the point where it is able to fulfill the pur-
| poses of government, and the time is rapidly
approaching when the Armenian question will
have to be settled. The distribution of Ar
menia among the European powers is the
probable settlement of the question: