The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-11
CHRISTMAS DAY
AMONG The TURKS
ONE OF MURDER AND RAPINE.
NO "PEACE ON EARTHs IN THE
sULTAN'S DOMINIONs.

YuIetide the Season When the
Christians Are Most Likely to BE
Prosecuted, Maltreated and MUIR
dered by Their MOhammedan
MISUNDERSTANDING Syria and
Macedonia Three Bloody Grounds
at Christmas Time, and the Blood
lest of All Is Armenia-CuriOus
Ceremony of "Baptizing the Crosse
ON Christmas Day Often Leads to
Fierce Fights and Cruel Massa-
cres.
By Guy T. Viskniskki.
1t is not given to every man to
spend his Christmas in peace. There
are thousands of Christians through
out the world who view the approach
of their great festival day with fear
and trembling. To them it is day
of reckoning with their foes.
They know that in all probability
they will be called upon to fight for
their lives or those of their loved
ones before the day is over. In that
event, they know full well that on the
morrow, when they take up secular
work once more, many a familiar face
will be missing from the market
places. Probably the yataghan will
have fallen on a next door neighbor;
probably it will have stricken down a
relative or dear friend. There is no
telling. 1t has been so Christmas
after Christmas these hundreds of
years in Armenia, Syria and Mace
donia, where the Turk rules and lets
the blood of the Christian dogs at
will; and for aught the sufferers know
it will be so until the end of time.
Bloody Country.
Armenia is the bloodiest of all
these three bloody grounds during
Christmas week. The Kurd, that fierce
Sunni Mohammedan, who is respon-
sible for the Armenian massacres that
appal civilization from time to time.
seems to take especial delight in in
terfering with the Christmas celebra-
ton of the people who have been his
victims for years.
Not that the Kurd commits his big
gest massacres then. That would in
deed stir up the Christian nations too
much, and the Turkish officials are
too shreWd for that. But he Itarries
the Armenians right and left, invades
their homes, breaks up family gather
ings by violence and resort to arms,
and desecrates the churches, scatter
ing the congregations, and, if resist
ance is offered, making good use of
his firearms, placed in his hands by
the authorities.
Fight for Their Religion.
Usually there is more or less de-
cided resistance where two or three
Armenians are gathered together for
the celebration, and as a result from
all over the province for days aft
er Christmas reports reach the CEN
Ters of atrocities committed in
town and village and mountain fast
ness. But because no three or four
hundred, or a thousand Armenians
have been put to the sword in one
community, the world at large hears
nothing of this priest stabbed to death
IN Ramsa, as he was on his way to
celebrate early mass on the great day,
or OF that father in a village in an
other part of the province who was
struck down toward evening while en-
deaVoring to keep a band of raiding
kurds from breaking into his house to
heap insults on his family.
Baptizing the Cross.
On of the greatest Christmas
pleasures of the Kurd and his Turkish
abettops is to find out what church
has secretly decided to risk the cere-
mony OF baptizing the cross in a
river and then lay in wait at the ap-
pointed spot and scatter the little con-
gr,ega alton to the four winds of heaven.
owing to the fatalities attending
thls ceremony, because of the inter-
ference of their enemies, the churches
throughout Armenia have pretty gen.
orally given up this ancient ritualistic
practice, baptiZing the cross in a font
IN the church instead. But every once
III while congregation is strongly
seized with the desire to hold the
ceremony in all it's old-time glory,
ana plans are laid accordingly in Sc
cret. The congregation is always
certain that this time everything has
peen Kept so quiet that the Kurds will
not learn of the rendezvous, and so,
Drlght and early or Christmas morn
ing before sun up, in order the better
10 escape any spying eyes, the MEM
Ders steal to the river side. But be-
Tore the ceremony has fairly be-
gun the enemy generally appears, and
II the poor Armenians escape with
Hothlng more than a few slashes of
the yataghan they consider themselves
lucky.
Murdered During the Rites.
Several years ago the members of
country church within the shadow of
mount Ararat. and only a few miles
from the monastery of Etchmiadzin,
Mhere the CATHOLICS, or primate, of
the Armenian church has his seat de-
termined to baptize the cross in the
rlVer at all hazards. To that end they
armed themselves with rifles and re-
VolVers, and with the dawn of Christ
mas set out for the baptism much
etter the fashion of our Puritan fore
iathers going to church with flint
locks over their shoulders as protec-
Ton against Indian attacks.
Ihey got to the river safely. and
mao almost reached the concluding
chant of the service without interrlp-
non when suddenly, out Of a deep
suley several hundred yards away.
mere came the crack of rife. and
me next instant the black-robed and
.itered priest was groveling in the
earth. The women and children turned