South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-11-11
STU ALTON GRAVE WITH
DANGER FOR 4. -

hanger OF being drawn into the Euro
Dean embroglio since il swallowed the
turk. than at any time since the out
break Of the war we have been try
ing Il Christianize Turkey for the past
hundred years but she Is still Moham-
medan. Denominations here at home,
back OF such attempted Christianiza-
tion. own considerable property within
The sublime porte's domains. and
while they deplore the war ON the con-
tinent, and would have Us keep out Of
il at all hazards, yet. since the porte
has declared his entrance into the war
zone to be a holy conquest" you can
expect most anything in the line Of
resentment
There will be but one eye left on
Turkey now. and that upon the mis-
sionaries at work there and the prop
critics that they have accumulated for
their respective churches at a cost OF
millions OF dollars many OF which
may refuse to see that with Turkey
attached 10 the entente, any interfer-
ence on the part Of this country will
quite surely be regarded by Germany
and Austria-Hungary as slam at
them and in favor Of the allies.
We have no bouquets laid away for
the "Unspeakable Turk in this con-
nection. but the good missionaries in
the levant are perhaps as well pre-
pared TO die as the majority of the
millions might he who might have 10
light the entente alliance. should We
undertake a forcible rescue. In the
name OF humanity they might well
become martyrs 70 the saving and yet
the horror Of the Christian massacre
that threatens them is appalling.
II the present disturbance In the
land OF the sultan develops into a mas
sacre OF Christians and the torture or
death OF American missionaries Turk
ish history will be repeating itself
II was 10 years after the first Amer
lean missionaries built an altar in
destruction OF the detested Christian
invader. More than $4,000 lives were
sacrificed 10 the religious hatred of
the Turk That was in 1922.
The number OF American mission
aries increased in the far east and
their work prospered. But in 1850
the Turk rose again in his blind hatred
OF the cross, and wrecked cities and
killed men and women and drenched
the fields OF Kurdistan with blood.
Fully 10000 lives were lost in the
HISTORIAN massacre" of 1850
Ten years later 1000 lives were
sacrificed 20 appease the blOod-thirst
II the Turk when the Massacre of
Lebanon" appalled, the world with the
atrocities, the fortunes practiced by
the followers Of the Crescent.
In 1875 a massacre in Bulgaria in
the threatened massacre OF Christians.
were slaughtered like cattle gave
civilization and Christianity a setback
in the Orient from which IL took many
years 70 recover.
The horror OF the Armenian mas
sacre" OF 1894 in which i. 900 native
Christians and several American mis-
sionaries were killed is fresh in the
minds OF America.
In 1909 the Massacre Of Adana" set
Turkey ablaze from Constantinople to
Adana with the flame Of racial perse-
cutiol and Moslem Turk continued
the riot OF arson, murder and torture
against Christian Armenia until thous-
ands OF lives had been taken and
thousands OF dollars worth OF property
destroyed
The last blood sacrifice demanded
~
Dor was when Albania, oldest of the
nations-it was a nation five centuries
before Christ was bOrn-and Bulgaria,
were terrorized. whole families We're
annihilated. schools were destroyCd Il.
teachers. doctors, ministers, everyone
capable of giving instruction TO the
benighted native was tortured or
exiled from the country. or killed.
A % the present disturbance and
the threatened massacre IL Christians.
Leroy IT, Stafford of the American
board OF missions, recently appointed
as mission teacher in Albania. says;
THE sultan has wholesome
fear OF the United States. "a pro-
found respect for the stars and
stripes. lie knows what American
Interference would mean 20 his
holy war so while the European
war has checked III advance OF
mission work Ia Turkey due 10
unsettled conditions there. we are
hoping that the stars and stripes
wilt protect our mission workers
and their families n the Turks go
on another rampage for Christian
blood"
That letter was written, however.
before the sultan had Joined his troops
20 the armies OF Wilhelm and Franz
josef. The sultan. backed now by
Germany and Austria Hungary. may
have a less wholesome fear for the
United States than ne had q month
ago. II would not De az all surprising
II the situation would 1c regarded as
r Moslem oppoTtunity.
There are 10 American mission
aries OF which l96 are women and