New-York tribune., 1896-12-03
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
RESPONSIBILITY OF WESTERN NATIONS
FOR CRIME IN ASIA.

,n,,pSon,c - nvS " Palaces Centuries of Oppression
Mosem and Christian sultan AM anu and ont
rage. The Red Cross 10 the f'escu1; s,,r,i -; ~
Rev, Edwin Munsell Bliss, late damiin 81 3D..
Professor e. A. Grosvenor the Key hen'"l, Sv MISS
Faances F. Willard Fully illustrated. Pp "a.
Hubbard Publishing Company. fhiiade'phi"
THE RULE OF THE TURK. Revised ana En, n,
arged Edition of The Armenian oU,x Cris's Resi-.
dent OF Armenia Fully Illustrated. PIP XIX W.
G. p Putnams sons.
The interest taken in the Armenian a'roo'e'
has been so great that books on the supJec'
have been sold by the thousand. and the pup
fishers OF Dr. Bliss's work have protested sharP
ly against others who used COMMUNICATIONS Vi
his book to help the sale of theirs. The dispute
Is hardly less complicated than the story OF 'he
atrocities and. after ALL the real book III the
case was that OF Frederick Davis Greene, wnich
treated succinctly of recent events without at
temptinc 10 arraign Turkey for the whole past
OF the Armenian country. Not that Dr Bliss
book lacks attractions on the contrary. 1t is
deeply interesting. The history OF that portion
Of Asia where the massacres occurred is traced
by the author through the series of centuries IN
which the Turkish power has been supreme The
attempt to combin, two civilizations that of
Islam and that OF Christianity. is shown to nave
been from the outset, a failure. The book does
not make IL as clear as it might he made. that
at one time when the "Unspeakable Turk" was
trying to harmonize two civilizations Christians
in Western Europe were putting each other to
stake and faggot in order to keep one clviliza-
ton from quarrelling with itself The appeal to
history is very dangerous operation. because
soon the appeal gets into what the New
Testament calls times of ignorance it finds all
humanity alike cruel intolerant and hateful to
everything beyond its immediate circle. The
New Testament adds that God winked at some
abuses in those times of ignorance because hu-
manity did not know any better. But now that
the Western World has become knowing and
virtuous there is to be no more indulgence for
the East.
In general terms the Turkish Empire is divided
between Mahometism and Christianity. Semi
pagan faiths are held by some Of the tribes
But these have ma lie no direct impress on his
tory. If they had been really influential. the
disintegraton of the Turkish Empire must have
begun much earlier than 1t did When the COM
position of Turkey is considered. II is impossible
to account for the really strong government of
the Porte. Three strange communities. the
Nusairiyeh. and the Druses. in Syria. and the
Yezidis Satin worshippers. in Mesopotamia
are classed as sects of Islam. But they not
Mahometans The Nusairiyeh numbering per-
haps 100000. are really pagans In disguise. while
the devil worship of the Yezidis Is said to be
merely the popular accusation against tribes
whose rites are secret Add to these the Druses
the Armenians. the Kurds. the Chaldean Chris
tians. and all the other increments of the popula
tion In Western Asia and the wonder is not that
massacres occur. but that the Government at
Constantinople retains any authority at all. The
case Of the Armenans seems at a distance to
be not unlike that of the Jews in Russia. They
are a progressive race. and by reason Of their
commercial skill have grown in wealth. in num-
bers and influence to such degree as to awaken
jealousy Besides they have never forgotten
their National history nor given up their hopes
of independence. These hopes were intensified
by the Treaty Of Berlin. which promised not
only religious freedom but share in the official
life of the Empire. To counteract the ambition
of the Armenians. the Mahometan population
could think Of nothing better than massacre, and
the charge made by DIR. Bliss we'll others
is that the Turkish Government not only
nived at but deliberately fomented these out
RACES. He unites with Mr.. Greene In bitterly
critcising the attitude of Christian nations In
the matter. The impression given by both vol
umes in hand is that the apathy of Western Eu
rope due to diplomatic reasons. Harmonious
action was found to be impossible. Each Power
was jealous Of the rest and Mr. Greene gravely
accuses the United States Of parayzing Euro
pean efforts by ostentatiously raising the Venez-
uelan question at a most inopportune moment.
There is something impracticabe in all this crti
cism. What Power is willing to undertake the
task of policing Western Asia? If all the other
Powers should wash their hands of the task.
how would IL please the missionaries and other
people of Western origin to see Russia undertake
IL? Has France succeeded well in colonial
and provincial affairs that her supremacy would
be welcome? Has not England more in hand
than she can attend to? Are the United States
in position TO act decsively upon tribes hun
dreds of miles from the sea? Have they any
business in the affairs Of the Old World? Di-
plomacy incurs some very bitter accusati lions. but
IT has also some hard questions to put to the
rhetoricians.
1t is easy TO say that Armenia should be an in
dependent nation. But what is independence
worth if the people are not strong enough to pro-
tect themselves? The example of the Western
seceders from Turkey in Europe Is pertinent.
They won a separate government in each case
when they were too strong to be controlled from
Constantinople. 1t will be the same with Ar
menia The really wise measure Of Western In
terference was that of the Red Cross Society
When it is impossible TO protect people who can
not protect themselves the only thing left is to
relieve their misery. Even Turkish mmobility
and oppression had to yield to the Red Cross
But Dr. Bliss is skeptical. Abiding to the ap-
parent cessation of hostilites he remarks that
.it is a sharp stroke of business on the part Of
the Turk suspend his work of butchery for
time and allow his victims TO draw a few thou
sand pounds from the charitable people Of Eng
land and America by reason Of their unspeakable
wretchedness while he looks on complacently.
sure Of so much more plunder whenever 1t
pleases him to resume his bloody work.
DCTTON DEFENCE INSANITY.
rUU pRISONERS LAWYER ASKS THAT G.