The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1896-01-17
THE ARMENIANS.
DIR. TALMAGE's SUNDAY THEME.
He Makes An Eloquent Appeal In Be
half of This Prosecuted People.

menia. III Kings xix, 81.
In Bible geography this is the first time
that Armenia appears, called then by the
tableland, 1000 feet above the level of the
sea, and on one OF its peaks Noahs ark
landed, with its human family and fauna
that were to fill the earth. That region was
the birthplace of the rivers which fertilized
the garden OF Eden when Adam and Eve
lived there, their only roof the crystal skies
and their c8rpet the emerald of rich grass.
Its inhabitants, the ethnologists tell us. are
superior type of the Cauc asian race. Th sir
religion is founded on the Bible Their
Saviour Is our Christ. Their crime is that
they will not become followers OF Mohammed.
that Jupiter Of sensuality. To drive them
from the face Of the earth is the ambition OF
all Mohammedans. To accomplish this.
murder is no crime, and Wholesale mas
sacre is a matter OF enthusiastic appro-
pation and Governmental reward.
The prayer sanctioned by highest Moham-
medan authority and recited every day
throughout Turkey and Egypt, while styling
all those not Mohammeduns rs intidels is as
follows: 20 Lord Of all creatures! o Allah.
Destroy the intlde's and polytheists thine
enemies, the enemies of tho religion. o
Allah. make their children orphans and deflle
their bodies. cause their feet to slip, give
them and their families. their households
and their women. their children and their
relatives by marriage, their brothers and
thelr friends, their possessions and the race
their wealth aud their lands as booty to the
Mosiems, Lord Of a.! cl.stures!' The life
or an Armenian in the presence of those who
make that prayer is OF no more value than
the life OF u summer insect.
The Sultan OF Turkey sits on q throne i'm
personatinS that brigandage and assassnu-
tton. At this time all civilized Nations are
In horror at the attempts OF that Mohomme-
dan Government to destroy all the Christians
OF Armenia. l hear somebody talking us
though some new tn n, were happening, and
that the Turkish Government had taken a
trn Upl\ ncfn Of
No, no. She Is at the same old business
overlooking her diabolism OF other centur-
les. we come down to our century to find
that in 1922 the Turkish Government slew
6V,OoO anti-Mosems. and in 1850 she slew
10000. and in 1860 she slew IL .OOO and in
1876 she slew 10000. Anything short OF the
slaughter OF thousands OF human beings does
not put enough red wine into her cup Of
aoomination to make it worth quafflng. Nor
1s this the only time she has promised re-
form. In the presence of the warships at
the mouth OF the Dardauelles she has prom
Ised the civilized Nations OF the earth that
she would stop her butchories and the inter-
ternational and hemispheric farce has been
enacted Of believing what she says when ali
the past ought to persuade MS that she is
only pausinS in her atrocities to put Nh
lions OF the track aud then resume tho work ,
Of death
In 1920 Turkey in treaty with Russia prom
lsed to alleviate the condition OF Christians
but tho promise was broken. In 1889 tho
property without reference to religion and
the promise WAS broken. In 1911 at tho de-
mand OF an English minister plcnipotcutiarv,
the Sultan declared after the public execu-
ton OF an Armenian ut COnStant:noDle
that no such death penalty should again be
inflicted, and the promise was broken. In
1850 at the demand OF foreign Nations the
turkish Government promised protection 20
Proiestants but to this day the lrotestunts
at Stamboul are not allo wed to build Il church.
although they have the funds ready aud
the Greek Protestants, who have n church,
are not permitted to worship in 1t. In
1856, after the Crimean War, Turkey prom
ised tina: no one should be hindered in the
exercise OF the religion he professed, and
that promise has been broken. In 1878. ut
The memorable treaty OF Berlin. Turkey
promised religious liberty to all her subjects
in every part OF the Ottoman Empire, and
the promise was broken. Nos once in MI the
centuries has the Turkish Government kept
her promise OF mercy. so far from any i'm
provemcnt, the condition OF the Arm.nians
has become worso and worse year by year,
and all the promises the Turkish Govern
ment now makes arc only Il gaining OF time
by which she is making preparation for the
complete determination OF Christianity from
her borders.
Why, after all the National and contincn-
tai and henlisphcric lying on tho part Of the
Turkish Government DO not the wtrships OF
Europe ride up IA close as is possible to the
palaces of Cons.antinople and blow that
accursed Government to atoms? In the
name of the eternal God let the nuisance of
the ages be wiped OF the face OF the earth!
Down to the perdition from which it smoked
up sink Mohammedanism! Between these
outbreaks OF massacre The ArmenianS suffer
in silence wrongs that are seldom. if ever
repeated They are tnyed heavily for tho
mere privilege OF living, and the tax il caliod
'the humilintion tax" They are compelled
to give three days entertainment to any
Mohammcdan tramp who may be pass
ing that way. They must pay blackmaI
to the assessor, lest he report the value of
their property too highly. Their evidence
in court is OF no worth, and il fifty Armeni-
ans saw wrong committed and one Mo-
hammedan was present the testimony OF the
one Mohammedan would be taken and tho
testimony OF the fifty Armenians rejected
In other words, the solemn oath of a thou
sand Armenians would not be strong enough
TO overthrow tho perjury OF one Mohammc-
dan. A professor WAS condemdei to death
for translatinS the English "Book of Com
mon Prayer into Turkish Seventeen Armc-
mans We're sentenced 20 fifteen years i'm
prisCnmcnt for rcscuiuS II Christian bride
from the bandits.
This is the way the Turkish Government
amuscs itself in time OF p"a"". Ihrse arc
the delights oi Turkish civilization. But
when the days o: massacre con". then deeds
are done which may not be- unveiled in any
refined assemblagc. and i! one speaks of tho
horrors. he must do SO in well poised AMI
cautious vocabulary. Hundreds OF villages
destroyed! Young men put in piles of brush
wood, which are then saturated with kero-
sene and set on fire! Mothers. in tho most
solemn hour that ever comes in woman's
life, hurled ont and bayonctcd. Eyes
GougGd out and dead and dying hurled into
the same pit. Tho slaughter of Lucknow
and Cawnpur. India, in 1857, rclipscd in
ghastliness! The worst scenes Of tho French
revolution in Paris made more tolcrabe i'll
contrast In many regions of Armenia tho
only undcrtakcr, to-day are the ja"Sais and
hyenas. Many OI the chiefs of the maSsacrrs
were sent straight from Coustantnopic to do
thcir work anu having returned wcrc deco
rated by the sultan. 70 four of the worst
muricrrrS the Sultan sent silk banners. in
delicp.e appreciation Of their services. Five