Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-02-18


n the desert by the Turks, there to meet almost
certain death A whole of people is being
homes, and forced to make 6OO-mile
march into a strange and inhospitable land Wild
mountain tribes being uneashed in their rear ana
allowed to kill and ravish them. Food is scarce ana
the through a country in the summer
time.
This incident that is taking place the back door
of Europe obscured by that which is greater
and hand. The powers that rule Turkey have
a decision, fraught with dire possibilities if
that nation retains sufficient power to execute it. They
have determined that Turkey shall exist for the Turks
alone. races. all religions but that of the
Moslems are to be driven out or eXterminated
The Armenian tragedy is the first. In May the
initial orders of removal went forth. Into given
region would the command All Armenians were
to arise and wak-men, women, children, young and
old. At Tarsus the Mediterranean, at Bergama by
the at Unieh the peninsula the Black
the order has been received and the population is
moving.
Two of Armenians winding into the
semi-desert of Mesopotamia-one the wild, arid
regions at the headwaters Tgrs the other into
the valley of the upper Euphrates THESE inhos
pitable inhabited only by wild and nomadic
tribes. Few o. the refugees can survive.
Not always there opportunities flight. Thera
regions in which the and the old given to
the sword of the Turk and the thrust into the
harems. This has happened at Tan and at Mardin.
But there is limit to the need of harem slaves, and
the masses are on the move.
Last month cavalcade of hurrying fugitives paused
for the night in the outskirts Tarsus American
missionaries morning found that fifteen
mad been left behind by mothers could longer
carry them At another point the fugtives had. to
climb into the high and being almost with
out clothes the missionaries certain of them
quilts to protect them from the cold. mother
ceived quilt but asked whether passed
the mountain she should discard the babe
she had not strength carry both. All along the
re ba Offerad SaIa for
The Armenians occupy that portion of Asia Minor
which extends farnest Europe. They are Just
across the straits from Constantinople hear
the boom Of from the Gsllipoli peninsula This
neck of land between the Mediterranean seas
500 miles wide and 500 miles long 1t is a high
broken plateau difficult Of Lying here almost
in the cradle of civilization fountain source
of the dominant races of the world a without
a law, almost without roads. The people who farm it
dwell in villages for protection They go forth in
groups in the morning till crops that numbers
may serve as protection against marauders.
The majority of the inhabitants of the region are
Turks. There are in addition the wild tribes
mountains, the Kurds. These not Moslems,
used by the Turks to their purposes.
Unthinkably bloOdhrsty they have but to be passed
hint and they ready to,swoop down upon any
Element and slay and loot until they surfeited
Then there are the Armenians greatly in the minor
ity victims and Kurds. The usual
figure set the number of the Armenians is million
and half but there probably not more than
million of them
The Armenians nave dwelt here since the dawn Of
history They greatly superior wild bloody
peoples among whom they live. They likely
to dwell in the towns than in the country. They
merchants artisans craftsmen the backbone of the
communities. They quite strongly the Jewish
type. of their blood is believed to have come
from the Ten Lost Tribes
1t may have been this Jewish strain that caused
them persist the centuries religion