The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-06-28
TALK ON ARMENIA.
Miss Sommn Jenanyan Heard in st.
Lukc's Parish ROoms.-A Charm.
ing Young Woman.

The ladies who neglected the inVi-
tatiOp to visit st. Luke's parish rooms
| yesterday afternoon and hear Miss
Semma Jananyan speak in behalf of
| the widows and orphans of massaCred
ArmenianS missed a great treat. Any
one more distinctly charming than this
pretty little Armenian would be diff
cult to imagine. She is young and
graceful has a dark, Vclvety skin,
where a pink flush comes and goes
She speaks English with an attractive
| foreign accent.
Yesterday she wore the Oriental
dress Of her people, the rich red and
gold skirt and a purple velvet Jacket
embroidered in gold over a silk bodice
over the back of her crisp waving hair
was loosely caught in turban fashion
square of turquoise hucd gauze. She
is the niece of Rev II. S. Jenanyan. Of
Philadelphia, who has frequently been
heard in this city, and whose wife is
an American lady.
Miss Jenanyan spoke most interest
ingly of the customs and home life OF
her people, who througS the centuries
of persecution have held fast the
Christian religion. She said that in
many towns the poor Armenians have
no priest, no teacher church or schools
and have not had these from time i'm
memorial, yet from father to son, gem
GRAFTON after generation, is handed
down the tradition: Christ died for
me. | must die for Him rather than
! deny His name" Often uneducated,
! they know little more of the doctrine
of their religion than this, yet they
believe that an Armenian must suffer
for his faith and suffer they do
Their Ditiful story Of woe was told
most affectingly by this young girl,
who heheld many members of her fam
! lily die by the sword of the Turk. and
| seeing her father struck down and left
| for dead, and although he still lives,
is hopeless cripple from his horrible
| mutilatiOns. The description of the
! fears Of young Armenian girls, 5000 Of
/ whom We're taken from their homes re-
| Gently, was graphically given.
Miss Jenanyan herself was long in
! gaining confidence of safety in Amer
| lea. Here in Scranton. months after
| her residence in this country, she had
terrible fright. My aunt told me to
! go to the pOstoffice and mail a letter.
| said she in her soft. pretty tones,
| while she awaited me at the corner
| of the street | started out trembling
/ and near the door ! met a policeman
! who carried a Rg stick. Wild with
| terror ! flew back to my aunt, telling
! her that the officer was there. 1t was
| only by the utmost persuasion that |
| would afterward leave her side and it
was with the same fear that | saw the
! postman on the street"
Such is the constant alarm of a girl
/ in Armenia because of the dreadful
| Turks, against whom no Armenian
| dare raise his hand, no matter what
! the provocation. Her story Of their
| brutality to her poor blind brother was
/ a sOrrowful one. She displayed many
/ pretty pieces Of needewOrk wrought
| by the widows of massacred Armeni-
| ans and also CuriOs, including pieces
! of alabaster from Tarsus and vicinity,
! which was her home. These were for
sale, the money going TO the fund for
! the widows and orphans in the refuge
| which is being established.
Miss Jenanyan is at the Lackawanna
| Valley House, where she is glad to
meet the ladies of the city, who will
| find her most interesting and will ad-
mire the pretty Oriental articles she
displays.