The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-11-17
nr charsIs A. Payne n Lecture Be-
H fore reachers Association Last,
Might Tells Of
Turkey.
TRAGEDY OF ARMENIA
speaker Tells Why Massaores Are
Being Committed, But Says
Rstributlon 10 Sure
TO Follow.

part Of the world. spreading over a
wide area, with its great city Of Con-
stantinople. its old city Of Damascus,
its mixture OF Mohammedan and
christian religion, was the subject of
the Illustrated lecture given by DR..
Charles A. Payne last evening before
an audience which crowded the ca
pacity of the assembly room of Keo-
kuk high school to the limit. This
gas DR. Payne's fourth appearance
under the auspices of the Keokuk
Teachers association, a fact which
he commented on at the beginning of
his talk and fact which he said he
was proud of telling in his other
engagements.
The tragedy of Armenia was touch
ed upon by the speaker who outlined
some of the reasons for the butchery,
the unhappiness and the anspeakable
brutality being visited upon these
people. especially within the last
year and half. In the Armenian
massacres in the past the Kurds have
had the leading part. This has been
through q spirit of revenge for the
Armenian's getting the best OF the
Kurds In their trading. In the last
year and half, however, the atroc-
tiles, DR.. Payne said, had been d.
rected from the authorities at Con-
stantinople. The people, he said,
were being massacred at fearful
rate. The wholesale butchery is &C.
complished something after this
fashion:
The men Of the village are ordered
to report for military duty. This in
itself is very tragic moment for the
ones left behind. The men are march
ed off to the mountains and killed.
Then word is sent to the women and
children that they are to get ready to
move to some other part OF the en-
pire. They are herded together by
the Turkish soldiers and Arabs, and
driven off to the mountain and desert
countries. They suffer cruelties on
the way. such as seeing their children
. killed or being prodded to death with
bayonets. At night, surrounded by
their captors, they suffer unspeak-
able atrocities, the speaker declared.
The girls and women are sold often
times for a dollar. According to
figures available. 100000 Of these
people have been killed or have died
Of hunger and exposure.
Retribution TO Follow.
'srhe had Turks are In the saddle"
DR.. Payne said, ''but the cry Of
Armenia Is not falling on deaf ears,
and is bound to be heard, and the day
Of retributon will come"
At the opening of his lecture DR..
Payne spoke of the fact that Jerusa-
lem, the city of the Holy Sepulcher.
/. is held by the Turks. He hoped after
the world war that Jerusalem would
not be under Turkish power. In
this city OF the Holy Sepulcher
the Turkish soldiers stand guard.
These soldiers duties are to keep
the christians from fighting each 9th
er over their diversified claims.
The lecture last might was an H.
lustrated one, and DIR. Payne showed
number of slides both interesting
and instructive. Some were made
from photographs he had taken on
his trip through this land. Damascus
the Oldest city, was the first place
visited. There is considerable beau
ty here, due to the care taken of the
terraces, and the like. The burial
ground is wierd and when one con-
siders how many Thousands of people
have been buried here, 1t is easy to
believe that the ground is made up
OF the dust Of millions OF bodies.
Not Primitive But Old.
The speaker said one must not get
the idea that Damascus was prim-
tive like Mexico. It is simply old.
and dts civilization is old, far out Of
reach OF any Of our civilization in
this country. The wells of Syria
were shown. some of them dating
back to the time of the Bible. The
old fashioned methods of planting.
blowing. harvesting and grinding
grain were discussed and depicted.
Dr.. Payne showed some pictures OF
the natives. He said that the native
soldier sent out to guard the party
caused them more anxious moments
than the possible robbers. The sol
der goes riding along at breakneck
pace and his gun hobs up and down.
and there is danger of the piece be-
ing discharge and killing the wrong
person.
q $,SY-