St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-11-20
THE SULTANS ~NOBLE FIGHT. >
A Reply by Rev. Cyrus HamIin to r. Hop
kinson Smith.

Reply by Rev. Cyrus HamIn to r. Hop
kinson Smith.
EDITOR OF THE New YORK TRIBUNE.
SIR Another communication of f.
Hopkinson Smith, in "The New York
Herald" of Nov. 1, has been brought to
my notice, containing personal references
and misstatements which | think it
proper to correct. But, first of all, it is
to be hoped that "The Herald" is amply
rewarded for its championship Of Abdul
Hamid-caIled by the poet Watson
Abdul the Damned" and by Gladstone
abdul the Assassin" This successor of
Mahomet has earned the universal
execration of the civilized world, and
"The Herald" should be magni6cently
rewarded for its Quixotic daring. 1t is
more hopeless, however, than the brave
knights attack upon the windmils
Who is Mr.. F. Hopkinson Smith We
know him only from his Oriental cor
respondence. He published a letter,
months ago, attacking the American
missions in Turkey in manner that
drew upon him so much rebuke and ridi.
cule that, had he been a wise man, he
would not have dipped his pen in worm.
wood and falsehood again.
Mr.. Smith is evidently man who is
accustomed to affirm as true things
which he knows nothing about. For
example, he asserts that warned the
Board of Foreign Missions" etc. | made
no such reference to the Board. Ny
object was to make known the absurd
and wicked revolutionary movement as
trick of Russia. 1t habits origin there
Is it honorable to misstatc entirely a
mans object in such case?
"The missionary element in Armenia, y
with headquarters at Roberts College
in Pera," etc. There is no such country
in Armenia. There is no such college as
Roberts college. A college was founded
by Christopher R. Robert of New York
mot Marshall o. Roberts,, and its name
is Robert college. 1t is not the head
quarters of the missionary element" II
has no connection with it, nor has it haC
from the beginning. 1t is not in Pera
but in Rumell-Hissar.
"The land on which Roberts Robert
college stands was a present from the
Sultan. He also donated large amount
of money from his private purse" | pur
chased the land, and paid for it, fourteen
years before Abdul Hamid came to The
throne. He never gave us penny from
his private purse nor foot otland. Tit
previous Sultan, his uncle, Abdul Aziz
after seven years Of unjust refusal, gave
us leave to build, and by sacred impe
rial order placed the college under thu
power of the United States. He likewis
gave us neither a penny nor a foot o
land and we had to pay for the chang
of titles anG for the laying out and map
ping of the road made necessary by tn
terms of the imperial order.
The thirty soldiers circulating nigh
and day around the college" we ar
glad to say, has an element of truth il
it, with some imagination. There ar
fifteen soldiers encamped in one OF tn
college buildings; and when the presiden
requested their withdrawal they chos
to stay, saying they were comfortable
We do not blame them for preferrin!
that pure air and magnificent scener
and pleasant housing to their dark an
filthy barracks where vermin are apt t
be their most lively accompaniment!
"The Rumanians, their nearest neigh
bors." Here is some marvellous geogrs
ply. We have supposed the Russian
and Persiaus were their nearest neigh
bors." We have been in Rumania, bu
we had to go hundreds of miles. III
Armenian would have to go throug
Russian territory to get there. But NJ
Smith can easily reduce any geograpl
ical distance to point. II Rumania c
any other land has excluded these terro
stricken lugitives it did an act of inh'
manitv and an eternal disgrace.
We have noted the above errors, SON
of slight and others of great importanc
as specimens of Hopkinson Smiths wri
ing without regard to fact or trut
while claiming to have exact knowledg
His word cannot be trusted in anything
But Hopkinson Smiths colossal igno
ance of Turkey and her populations, ar
especially of the two parties IN the mel
the Turks and the Armenians, amaz
, one, and makes his magnificent effort
J enliehten the world extremely rldiculor
The Sultan has so few defenders that
/. can pay very high for such chvaro
defence; and we hope that Mr. Sml
received compensation that will email
. him to bear joyfully the contempt viii
his ignorance incurs. We have lived
years in Turkey. We spoke the CHI
languages needful, especially t
Armenian, Greek and Turkish; and N
Smith will not be offended if we {
tighten him on some points.