Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-03-12
ARMENIA.

| After stating that be had received mum
ber of warnings not 10 meddle with re
ligion, politics or the Armenian question
while in Turkey. But being an Arm enlal
Yankee and good newspaper man n
could but disregard The advise and By IN
ouiry and noseing around he elislted many
| facts from which We take the following:
The Armenian perple1ity is no new
thing, II has bothered the European na
tions a long time. The source whence i
| springs has kept the Christians OF all ns
| tions in stew of thousand years.
not only goes to the bottom of The exist
| ence of the Armenian rs an individual
but i; began with him when the indl
yidual was set part of a nation Ions
since swept away by the cruel followers o
| the blood-red crescent 1t Is wider thar
the interests Of the Armenian, tor it In
wolves the lite Of the Ottoman empire as 4
] Religions institution and of the MOhamme
| dan religion. 1t reaches 10 the utmost ex
tent of the world il its influences. Il
keeps Russia and EDglad glOwrring q
| each other, because each is afraid tht
| other will assume some privilege in Tur
kew on the strength of offering projection
| 10 the unhappy victims OF Turkish Jury
Because Eng and dare not engage III wa
with Germany while Russia ID ready Il
take advantage OF her tue moment she IA
other fees to attract her attention th'
| Armenian question keeps peace IN South
Africa. Because England would not dsr,
| 10 entertain foreign embodiment in tht
new world, with the Russian bear waiting
to gather up any British plunder in The
| Orient that is not carefully watched, GIea'
| Britain could not talk sassy To Uncle Sau
when be told Ter to keep OH the iorolddel
| territory in Venezuela.
In all of the turmoil the Armenian Ii
| the fellow who is doing the suffering
Except that be is tortured and killed, hir
| family outraged and his children shaved
| the Armenian nevertheless is really but .
small character in the tra- edy for which
| he furnishes the victim.
The Armenian is not understood in
America He is rather invested by hi,
sympa.hlzers with virtues that ne does moi
possess and forgiven the vices that are
really his sympathy covers great dea
| in his case. he is Christian. But not d
protestant nor Roman like the orthodox
Russian His chulch is an offshoOt from
the ancient Greek church, differing mater
| tally FROM the parent stem, dnd from al
other Christian creeds. Yet he is one o
from pagan beliefs dates back INTO the
second Or third century. In the ages tha,
have elapsed since, he las been prosecuted
TO the bitter extreme. yet he has never
| faltered in his adherence 10 his faith. He
has not been prOselyted, although sur
rounded by the Mussuiman, the most re-
lentless of religious prosecutors. No mat
ter what the inducement or threat he has
remained true TO the doctrine of his
fathers
Asa nation the Armenian is o remem-
brapce. he will tell you that be ls oil d
race descended from Haik, through the
line of Japhef. the son Of Noah, and that
his people established themselves IL the
territory known rs Armenia fully 4OOC
wears age. He is fellow wholly ditfereut
from his neighbprs, the barbarOus Kurds
and Turks. His appearance is more like
that of the civilized inhabitant of West
ern Europe or America, while his language
ia in 90 wise related to that of his con-
querors. From the early days Armenia
has been the habitatlon OF sorrow. she
has been the spoil of the stronger powers
of Persia, Tartary, Rome. Greece, AssyTia,
the Turk, until finally the Ottoman Turk,
spreading westward in the establishment
of the strong military monarchy, gathered
Armenia IN out OF uduReI IIom huy uu1
himself aud his friends.
In the Ottoman empire the Armenian
has always been simply q conquered sub
iect. He never affiliated in religion or
custom with his conqueror. The two races
are as marked in their individuality and
differences az the white man and the To-
dian of America In the latter days the
msjority of the Armenians have deserted
the original Armenia, which now contains
scarcely third of the 1000, 900 who in
habit various sections Of the globe. The
greater number are in Russia, which il
fair as Russia has taken from Turkey a
big strip OF the old Armenia. Like the
Jew, the Armenian il h people, but not d
nation. The very land is parceled out
among the stronger modern powers
Graded in adYersity, the Armenian has
not deteIiorated from the fist stock. He
is an intelligent fellow, shrewd in bust
cial transaction. Long years Of oppres-
sion have shaIpened the wits Of these peo-
pie, likewise making them diplomatic, for
they are submissive and patient under thf
wrongs of their governors. When that
much is said of them, about all is said that
the inhabitant Of the country will permit to
their credit. The truth is that the Arme.
niau in his own country bears rather
unsayory name. not only among Europeans
about him. five OF the half dozen will eau
zion you to beware of him in any busines,
transaction. In confiding moment tha
European representative of large Ameri
can manufacturing establishment told IN,
that in an experience among them of q
wears ha had never known an hones
Armenian. A French commercial traveller
who goes far into Turkestan and all of tht
Armenian country, reviled them unmerci
| fully as we rode tn rough section of tn,
old Armenian territory in the same STATE
room together one day They will sub
init to any insult and aGy irdignity with 1
| smile, in the hope of cheating you before
you get ont of reach, he said. And to say
| The Armenian is To a considerable exten
| TO blame for the feeling which the Trrl
| snte rtains for him. The Armenian i. th'
merchant, the banker the money lende
| and the usurer of the empire, The way h,
| saliyates the Turk from time 10 time il
| only eaualed by the Way in which tn,
| Turk gets even in the eI,d."
| -
That however does not excuse in tn,
| slightest the horrible OutraR-s that hav,
/ been perpetrated for centuries, worse pro,
baby in the past year that at any TIM
| before; or certainly more talked of, per
| haps because better known. 1t is safe t
| say that, instead Of being overdrawn, tn,
stories of the Armcnian horrors are no
| half 40 bad as they would be were all told
| One innocent looking devil Of Turk, VIII
was pointed out 10 me at Trebizonde as
| fellow wko had killed IL Armenians durini
/ tie massacre there last fall was q youni
sprig OF about %, and not savage enough
TO give rise to the suspician that he EOui,
drown litter of superhuous kittens for hi
mother. His father, to make the fanil.
record for blood thirstiness complete, la
added four more victims To the l:st.
"Over in the country" said my inform
ant, "they found u number Il The poo
beRgars who had concealed themselves il
aWeIl. The devils poured oil over III
miserable wretches anu set fire TO then
th.r. in the hole" The same man con
tinded: II see the papers say 800 wer
killed here at TrsbizOnde. Fifty per cent
more than that would be nearer the rea
figure All kinds OF Internal torture wer
resorted to. Down there in the harbor q
MANY bodies were thrown in the waite
III at nobody will eat the fab any more.
In Constantinople the same thing Ia sal
of the fish taken ircm the point at tn
morth Of tho Golden Horn, off the oil
Harem palaces
To cut of the hands and feet of man
tie him up to the rafters OF his house, tss
of his ears. clip a piece off his tongue
dice q few bits of flesh from his body, pOu
vinegar on the wounds, scar him with
hot rsmrod, gonge ont an eye. and the
before him, As hR bung there dying ou'
rage his wife and daughters, WAS about a
mild form OF excitement ss you'd satisi
Turk during the nassacres. fhe tale
that come to ConstantinOple surpasa belle
and most of them are verified by the cor
snlar agents at the places Of the massa
IL. - L. -l...r