St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-04-10

are III extreme sulISlluH Nv" H""f.
cold and nakedness. Multitudes beyond
the reach of foreign aid must inevitably,
perish before spring. AS to the rest OF
us. our supplies of food and money are
RAPIDLY diminishing. We can prosecute
no business, we are not at liberty to earn
our daily bread, and for even the most
fortunate the Ia ure has only the prospect
of starvation, little later than our poor
brethren. We hear the announcement
that order and peace are being restored,
but to us these are empty words.
The terrible and wholesale massacres
at Ooria and Biridjik occurred long sub
seuuent to the most solemn and emphat-
ic assurances that nothing more OF the
kind was to be apprehended; long after
the commission sent out from Constan-
tinope to carry the message OF peace and
reform to Armenia had reached its field
of labor. Massacres are not now as ire
ouent as they were lew months ago,
but the attitude of restless hostility on the
part of the government towards us, the
ferocious aspect ofour Moslem neighbors
has not a whit improved.
They seem to be eagerly watching for
an opportune moment in which to hnIsh
their bloody work and rid themselves Tor
ever of this troublesome demand Tor re-
form. May we not rlghttu'ly offer our
fare well message to our lellow.men!
First-To our Moslem fellow country
men.
We desire to express our deepest graft
tude to those of you who have sympa-
thized with and helped us in these days OF
calamity and bloodshed. To those who
have robbed and massacred us and plum
dered and burned our houses, we have
chiefly feelings decomposition. You have,
perhaps, done these terrible things in
what has seemed to you the service OF
your religion and government.
Second-To our Sultan, most dread
and potent sovereign: Apparently you
have been persuaded that we are rebel
lious people, deserving only utter and
speedy determination. For such as you
this work Of destruction is no doubt an
easy one, the more so as we have had
neither the means nor the disposition to
resist it. In this work you will no doubt
soon and easily win from your admirers
the proud title of Faith" the Victori-
Gus. For ourselves we can only make
our last and solemn protest that we are
not and never have been rebels
For, your majesty, we fear the glory
of your triumph will not be little tar
nishcd when it is known, as it surely vii
be- that your victory has not been II
breaking the power OF your enemies, but
in crushing out the life of your loyal anc
inofensive subjects. who, when they see
the widespread and indescribable ruir
and horror which your imperial anger
has caused, can scarcely persuade them
selves that such fury and wrath could bC
poured upon the heads of so feeble PEG
pie, even had they been in armed rebel
lion.
Third-To the European powers W.
have not been an importunate nor tur
lent people. We did not incite the Cri
mean war, nor any of the subsequent
wars which have shaken this empire. L
is not of our will that we were begottel
to a new political life by the treaty o
1856.
Our complaints and appeals have beer
based solely on the sentiment OF human
ity and the common rights OF man. |
was you who arranged the "Scheme @
Reforms and urged it upon our Sulta
till he was irritated to the extent that h
seems to have adopted the plan ofrid
ding himself finally of this annoyance b
discriminating us as people, and nov
while he is rclentlessly carrying out thi
plan you are standing by as spectator
and witnesses OF this bloody work. w
wonder it sympathy and the brother
hood of man aud chivalry are who'll
things ofthe past, or are the material an
political interests dividing you so grea
that the massacre ola whole people is
secondary thing In either case, Nv
who are about to die salute you"
Fourth-To the Christians OF Americ;
Although we have cherished strong pr
JUDGES against your mission work anon
us, recent events have proved that OIL
Protestant brethren are one with us, an
have shared fully our anxieties and OF
perils. You have labored through the
to promote among us the peace and pro
peritv OF the Gospel,
1t is not your fault that one result
their teaching and example has been
excite our masters against u.s. You ;
least know the situation too well to b
lieve for a moment that we are beil
punished for political sins.
So far as we have been the occasion
the bloody massacres which have con
upon US, our crime, in the eyes of Il
Turk. has been that we have so fully a
cepted and so far adopted the Christie
civilization of the West. The Turks
government breads and dislikes nothiI
so much as the ideas of progress wifi
, you have sent us
A short year ago and nobody cou
: have believed that at the end of this 10
r century a Christian people could, on {
=, count Of their loyalty, be exterminat
by a Mohammedan power. Yet, ju
this fearful tragedy is being consumn
: ted today. We see no signs of relenti
on the part ofour destroyers and no ha
is reached out to rescue them. We ha
} only to say farewell to any who ha
: loved and cared for us and prepare OF
selves for the butchers knife, honored
closing and sealing our national histo
! of 40 centuries with our blood.
D Relief in Six Hours