The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-11-01
HIS PLEA FOR HIS PARENTS
ExILED SON TELLS OF ARMENIAN
 HORRORS.

Rev. George Bassoom at Epworth Church
 Asks Aid to Bring His Father and
 Mother to This Country-Sister and
 Brother and Other Relatives Massacred
 -Speaker's Narrow Escape from Death.
 Rev. George s. Barsoom, A. M., of Harpoot, Armenia, addressed large audience at Epworth M. E. church last evening. The speaker, @ handsome black haired, dark complexioned young man, made a touching appeal to his hearers for aid for suffering Armenia. The purpose of the addresses which he is making about the country is to se- cure the means of bringing his father and mother here from Harpoot, Ar menia, where they are in danger of their lives and have already. suffered much.
 Mr. Barsoom Is at present a student at Johns Hopkins university, where he is fitting himself to be a medical mis- sionary.
 In tones sad and subdued he told a story of suffering, in substance as fol- lows:
 His father was a well-to-do resident of Harpoot, Armenia. He, himself,
 graduated from an English college at
 Constantinople. While there he, with several of his companions, competed for prize before one of the high officials of Turkey at Constantinople. He was
 successful and this fact aroused the envy of the Turks, who attempted to kill him. He escaped, however, having
 been stabbed several times, and came to this country, where he has been about four years.
 His parents since the Turkish massa- cres have been renewed have suffered greatly. His father has been plundered of all of his property. About a year ago his brother and sister were both killed.
 His sister was captured and taken to the mountains, where, after weeks captivity she met her fate and his brother was killed at his place of busi- ness. Since then his father and mother have been helped somewhat by the mis- sionaries He heard from them last two months ago and the letter, a mothers touching farewell to her son, was read last evening.
 Speaking in general of the Turkish atrocities and Armenian sufferings, he said that not thousandth part of the story had ever been told. Only God can ever tell the whole story.
 If l were in Turkey to-day" said the speaker, land the Turk came and demanded of me that I give up my faith, I should say take my life and give me Christ Yes, my friends, we must be true to our faith. Turkey is worse to-day than ever before in times of massacres, for she kills her victims quietly"
 He then showed how great had been the atrocities of the Turks and how false had been her many promises of reform
 "She has never kept single promise and she will never be satisfied until the last Christian in her realm has been exterminated. The indifference and in- activity of Christian nations toward these atrocities he ascribed to the in- fiuence of the great commercial inter- ests of European countries at Constan- tinople. The fact that Turkey is heav- fly indebted to European nations and the apprehension as to who would pay the debts if the present Turkish gov- ernment was overthrown and also the faithlessness of the nations in their dealings with each other." He said he believed that the people
 would accept Christianity if the present sultan were deposed.
 "The American people," he said,
 should appeal to public opinion of the civilized nations. You have Monroe | doctrine, by which you will always abide, but the doctrine of humanity is
 higher even than the Monroe doctrine.s