Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-11-05
The EMPIRE OF THE TURK.
It Is Now Reduced to Five Provinces
In Asia Minor.


In a war geography bulletin just
issued. the National Geographic soci-
ETY. gives Il brief account of the five
provinces or districts into which AS
iatic Turkey may be roughly divided.
The bulletin, which is based upon n
communication to the society from
William Fl. Hall, says:
"Anatolia (thc name is from
Turkish word meaning the dawnD
lies between the Black and the Med
itcrranean seas. This district Is the
home of the greatest part of the
Turkish population, perhaps 7,OOO,-
900 in ALL Here is one case
where the people can be distinguish
cd from the government. Even the
so-callcd subject races have suffered
but little more at the hands of the
governing officials than the common
Turkish people.
when one remembers that all gov
crnment of the empire lies solely in
the hands of n group of not more
than 300 men. and that they impose
their selfish will on Turk and Chris
tian alike one readily understands
how n distinction can be made be-
tween people and government. In
spite of a constitution proclaimed and
n parliament summoned, the people,
whether of Turkish or other race,
have absolutely no voice in the az
fairs Of the nation.
Armenia, east Of Anatolia, extend
Ing to the region -of-the -9Caeeasus
and the Persian border. is the site of the
ancient Kingdom of Armenia The
population is not wholly Armenian
in fact. even before the war, the ma
iority of the people were Turks and
Kurds-but here the bulk Of the Ar
mcnian race was found.
ut is a rugged land. n succession
of mountains and valleys, where the
people have to contend with nature
for the establishment and mainte-
nance of their homes: but like all
highland countries. 1t has been the
means of producing religious. free
dom loving people.
"They were the first nation to en-
brace Christianity when. in the latter
half Of the third century. their king,
Tidrates. accepted the new faith, and
most of the nation followed him.
Throughout all the succeeding centu-
ries they have remained steadfast
against wave after wave Of persccu-
ton, until this last storm Of hate and
fannaticism has swept the greater part
from their homes and has destroyed at
least n million-two-thirds Of the en-
tire people.
"Kurdistan. a hill country north OF
the Tigris River. is the home OF the
brave, virile, largely illiterate series
of tribes and clans known as the
Kurds. They are the descendants OF
the Cardushi. who gave Xenophon and
his ten thousand so much difficulty
on their march across these same hills
on their way to the sea-
"Nominally they are Moslem in reli-
gion. but they have retained many
elements Of heather worship. Some of
their tribes are 'Yesdi.' or devil wor-
shippers. They are home-loving, fru-
gal, and capable of enduring great
hardships. They practice strict mon
ogamy and their women occupy an
equal place with their men in the
family life.
"The Kurds have furnished at least
one great man to history. for Saladin,
the chivalrous leader Of the Saracen
hosts. the compeer of Richard Occur
de Lion. was from this people.
"Mesopotamia. Upper and Lower,
vies with Egypt in claiming the honor
of being the home Of ancient civiliza-
ton. II comprises the valleys Of the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Here
hourished the Chaldean, Babylonian,
and Assyrian empires. The city OF
Bagdad, with all its glamour Of mys-
terry and magic. is in the heart Of Mes
opotamia.
This was the richest land in the
world. the granary Of the ancients;
vet, in spite Of all it has been, 1t
today lies largely Waste, the desert
sands have encroached upon the fer
tile fields. while the clogged canals
have turned other portions into
swamps and marshes.
What population is-not more than
one million-is Of Arab origin and
the Arabic language Is spoken
throughout. There Is. in fact, a very
distinct dividing line between the
Arabic and the Turkish speaking por-
tions Of the Ottoman Empire This
boundary corresponds with the line OF
the Bagdad railway from the Mediter-
ranean to the Persian Gulf. 1t Is for
the exploitation Of this rich land OF
Mesopotamia that the famous Bagdad
line was built.
syria, the region extending from
the Taurus Mountains to Egypt and
from the desert to the Great Sea-
needs no Identification. It is the land
Of the patriarchs and prophets and
aposties-'the Holy Land Its pop
ulation numbers about three and
half million, of Semitic origin. speak
ing the Arabic language. and yet with
so many races intermingled through
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