The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-04

at 2:30 o'clock. Mrs Chamberlain, the
president of the Board, spoke of the
I"Carrie and Annie the missionary yes
sell which stopped here a few months
ago on her way 80 the South Seas Mrs.
Theodore Richards also spoke about the
vessel, a schooner of only 80 tons bur-
den, and compared ii with the big II, 900
ton liners, dilating on the srnaIlness of
the cabins and the absence of railing,
which was especially dangerous, as
there were several children on board
The treasurer's report and several let
tiers from friends in other parts were
hereupon read, and Mrs Chamberlain
announced that at future meetings ex
ira contributions would be raised for
special. missionary work, each to be
preceded by paper read by one of the
members.
Mrs. Crockett of Hauula a sister OF
Mrs. Henry Castle, and who is at pres
ent staying at the Castle residence at
Manoa, nereupon read the following
essay:
Until few years ago few people
were acquainted with the eventful his
| tory of the Armenians, or realized
their present significance and future
/ possibilities Recent events, however,
| have forcibly directed the attention OF
the whole civilized world toward this
| interesting people. The geographical
limits of Armenia have varied greatly
in the various centuries or Its history.
| At present it comprises an area of
about 10000 square miles, and occupies
| the northeastern part of Turkey In
Asia, lying southeast of the Black Sea.
1t is a high tableland, well watered by
five large rivers, two of which are the
| Tigris and the Euphrates, and con-
tains several large lakes. 1t is cross
ed by three lofty chains of mountains,
the higher peaks of which are evident
ly due to volcanic agency. The eli
| mate of the mountainous region Is
very severe, winter lasting from Octo-
Der to May, while the summers are
short and warm. In the valleys the
climate is more temperate. In some
parts of the country the soil is very
fertile and produces rice. hemp, fax,
tobacco, wine, cotton and fruit IN great
variety. In the mountains are found
iron, copper, lead. salt and naphtha.
!
Kars. Moash, Bagazed, Van Batoum
and Bitlis.
! The political history of Armenia has
been one continuous struggle for ex-
istence for nearly two thousand years.
Their Oldest chronicles record the fact
that in ancient times they were gov
erned by independent kings, who at
forwards became tributary TO the AS
4 syrians and Modes. With short inter
walls of independence. the country fell
a prey, first to Macedonia, under the
i conquest of Alexander the Great and
4 then to the Parthians. In the time of
| Trojan the greater part of the coun-
! try became a Roman province, al
though continually attacked by Persia,
remained such until go A. d. Then,
for two hundred years, followed the
contest of the Grecian and Mohamme-
i dan powers for the supremacy. FL
nally, in 1879, Armenia was partition
ed between the Greeks, Turks and
Kurds. Since that time 1t has been a
victim to the stronger and more say
age nations that are adjacent. Invad-
/ ed in the sixteenth century by the
i Turks, and again in the seventeenth
Il by the Persians, ii was divided into
three parts for the second time-be
tween Russia, Turkey and Persia The
political vicissitudes of the country and
the prosecutions of the Turks have
driven out many of the inhabitants, SO
that today Armenians are found scat
tered all over Europe and ASIA
II The Armenians have shown this ex-
Il traordinary power of resistance, not
only in preserving their national life,
but also in keeping their religious in
tegrity for fifteen hundred years
Theirs is the ioldest national church in
existence. Founded at the time OF the
first great Ecumenical conference at
Nicaea in the fourth century, it now
counts several millions of followers
and although completely surrounded
by the tumultuous waves OF Monam-
mechanism, it was for a long time the
only force in Asiatic Turkey to urge
the people to charity. selr-control and
self-improvement,
American missions were established
in Armenia in 1881 and the mission IN
situations have been a most important
. factor in the redemption of the peo-
pie.
The Armenians are noted for their
peaceable and enterprising character.
Today they are the leading bankers,
merchants and skilled artisans; they
are prominent alike in trades, manu-
features and agriculture, and show a
deep interest in education. Mrs. Isa-
bella Bird Bishop says of them: They
are the most capable, energetic and
pushing race in Western ASIA pnysic-
ally superior and intellectually acute.
they are a race which can be raised
in all respects to our own level" But
this same progressive quality OF the
Armenians led the Turks to fear the
possibility of an Armenian insurrec-
ton at some future day, and it was
this suspicion, combined with religious
fanaticiSm and lust of gain which
reused in the Turks a savage violence
against the whole Armenian race.
These causes combined to bring about
the terrible events of '95 and 80, which
reached a climax in three dreadful
days. in August, SO. when in Con-
stantinople from seven to ten thousand
Armenians We're killed. L might speak
of the Wanton destruction of little
children and of the unnamable OUT
RACES offered to girls and women who
We're then killed dragged away into
Turkish harems, but the details OF
these atrocities are too Notwithstanding
= to linger upon. Many of those killed
iwere Christian pastors and workers,
iwhose death story was most pathetic.
. | When offered choice between Moham-
4 Il, IL 90 3,