Evening star., 1915-09-12
FRANCE IN SYRIA AND PALESTINE.

Dispatches from the Paris ministry of
marine announce that France has oc-
cupied the Is
Becoming Factors land of Ruad.
in the Great War. situated n,i,as ar t%e ,se
coast of Syria. Previous dispatches an
nounced the declaration by France of
a blockade of the coast from Samos to
the Egyptian frontier. Other dispatches
mention that Germany had seized Bel
gian railway societies in Syria and had
transformed them into German socie-
ties. Syria and Palestine are thus TAX
ing part in the drama which is being
enacted with particular reference to
the conflict in the Dardanelles and the
peninsula of Gallipoli.
Syria and Palestine, 1t will be re-
called. recently awakened much SYM
pathy because of the destitution and
laden with stores and ships to trans
port the INDECENT from Beirut to Alex
andria. Egypt.
Americas sympathy for Syria and
Palestine dates from the time in 1921
when American missionaries founded
schools and churches in the country
This American colonization had a retro
action in the 100000 or more Syrian
emigrants who have gone to North and
South America, one-half of them to the
United States.
In the eventual dismemberment of the
Ottoman empire France has claimed
since many years her share in the parti-
tion of Syria and Palestine. This part is
notably inferior to that claimed by
Russia, who would have Constanti-
nople. Armenia and the coast of the
Black sea: inferior to that of England,
who would extend her action over Mes
opotamia as far as Bassora, without
mention of her penetration into Arabia; !;
inferior even to the advantages which
may be conceded to Greece or to Italy
in the rich regions of Smyrna and
Adalia.
France will claim, in a spirit of
justice and solidarity that animates
her allies. the right to continue in Syria
and Palestine her historic mission. and
this with the consent and the often
expressed desire of the Syrians them
far back in history.
When. in the name of the commander
of the faithful, a solemn embassy came
to offer to Charlemagne the keys to the
terious doors of the orient that the
grand caliph, Haroun ell Raschid open
ed to the activity of the Franks?
Subsequently. in the time, of the cru
sades, the principality OF Antioch
acknowledged the supremacy of the
Frank over the lands which the crusad-
ers had acquired in 109S..
*x
This influence thus acquired by
France has been maintained by diplo-
matte relations since
1nnuence the Ottoman domina-
of France tion. under the capitu-
lations, the protectorate
OF Christian interests in the orient,
maintained through all the changes of
government by the ancient monarchy, by
the convention. by the committee of pub
lie safety. by Bonaparte. by the second
empire and by the campaign of 1860
in the Lebanon following the massacres
in Syria. During centuries of pacific
penetration. France has always main
tanned her field of action in Syria and
falestlne. multiplying schools, extend
ing the teaching Of the French lam
guage to the point that French is
language almost as much used in Syria
as the Arab From A1exandretta to
Jaffa there is not a center of any inn
portance where the works of France
nave not been affirmed by a marked
progress and a benefit
II was of Syria and Palestine that
ADdallah Amrou-ben-al-As said:
That the goods of this world are
dlVlded in ten portions; nine of these
are IN Syria and the tenth is the re-
mainder of the earth" But it goes
ions prior to the ravages of the Turk
ish regime.
Syria. situated at the doors of the
orient. between Asia, of which she is
part, and Europe and Africa, is a
INK OF these three continents. the rem
devious of all peoples and all ciyiliza-
tons. 1t is there that finish and cross
each other the ancient commercial
routes Of the world; there that have
jostled each other. in the course of CEN
turies, races, religions and passions
which have broken loose for the pos
session of that incompatible country
and thus there have been more wars
enan s, IN any other country of the world.
syria is the ancient Aram of the
Bible. but it has a still more ancient
origin in that Phoenicia, the principal
cities Of which were Arad, Tripol.
sybloc' Beryte. sidon, Tyre and AGO.
~
The Phoenicians, whose origin is not
clear, but who are classed as "Chanan-
ian," from the shores
fnOen1clanS OF of the Persian gulf
Eor11, r; esta ablished them
D. selves on the Medi-
terranean coast at the foot of the Leb-
anon toward the twenty-fourth century
BE. They founded maritime cities whence
they extended commerce westward and
colonized and traded in the Mediter-
ranean. the Red sea and the Baltic.
Their skill as merchants and naviga-
tors has rendered them celebrated.
Among their industries was the fabri-
cation of purple which they extracted
from seashells. They were skilled
workers in jewelry, furniture, amulets
etc. They initiated the Mediterranean
peoples in commerce and creat.ad an
Bile service to mankind. The Phoeni-
clan has played otherwise a small part
in history, because, as the historians
agree, 'of his too prudent neutrality
ana his too great readiness to submit
to the force employed by his neigh
bors." Nevertheless, the Phoenicians,
who were never nation, but a race,
did create powerful republic at Car
thage and maintained against Rome
the Punic wars unique in history.
Syria. in way, has attached herself
to France since the eleventh century
under the crusaders. That period was
followed by the Arab domination, when
the Turks, in turn, established them
selves on the ruins of the Abbasides
penetrated into Europe and founded a
powerful empire on the ruins of By
zantine at Constantinople.
These Turks are classed as of Fin
nish or Mongolian origin, brothers of
the hungarian and Bulgarian, all de-
scended from the hordes of Attila or of
Ghengis Khan, brother enemies At
the time of the crusades the Turks
had already founded the Seljoucide
dynasty and from the eleventh to the