Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-06
TURKS OPEN SYSTEMATIC WAR
ON THE GREEKS IN ASIA MINOR
Manifest a Purpose, by Means Adopted
Against Armenians. to Exterminate
PEOPLE Who Once Were Backbone
of Byzantine Empire.

higher fecundity Of the Greek set
tiers, combined with their industry,
their frugality, their 1ntellectual
keenness, and their community 1eel-
ing, helped always by the retrogfes-
sion of the Turkish population itself,
have contributed to extend the Hell
lenizing process more and more to the
country districts. In comparatively
recent times there have come to hSht
in the interior of Asia Minor large
settlements of Greeks who speak
Turkish and conceal the fact that they
are Christians, and for political rea-
sons pass as adherents of Islam. put
who are really devoted to Christianity
and have kept up their Greek national
feeling.
Asian Greeks in Schools.
To speak only of the increase in
numbers, wealth and material prog
ress of the Greeks OF ASA MINOR Minor
would give a. very erroneous impr es-
sion, for it is their intellectual ana
spiritual progress in the past, cen
fury that has been most remarkable.
In 1914 there were 1850 boys schoois
with 3,4O0 teachers and 1890 pupils
and $50 girls schools with i,ooo
teachers and 1900 pupils. In other
words, 10 per cent of the Greek in.
habitants of Asia Minor are in school,
These schools are all supported by
the Greeks themselves, the Turkish
government not only contributing
nothing to their maintenance put
frowning upon their existence; There
are also 1000 churches with s,5Oo
priests attached to them. These
schools and churches are the centers
of the national life, but in all the
large cities the Greeks have their
cies OF a cultural life. 1t is no won,
der that the higher professional
places in the towns of Asia Minor are
filed almost exclusively by GREEKS.
Teachers, doctors and engineers are
for the most part Greeks and among
the higher administering ana eng,
neering officials of the Anatollan and
Bagdad railways are found many
Greeks. Though conquered by the
Turk the Greek, in his turn, won the
upper hand by his intellectual su.
periority. When one realizes, that
only to rob the worker by all forms
Of taxation these people have sue
ceeded despite numberless persecu-
tions, in making so formidable an at
fort to secure these spiritual needs
it is easy to imagine what progress
in civilization and wealth awaits tnem
when an era of liberty and security
for them shall be introduced.
Turk Government Ruthless.
But this is just what the Young
Turk government is determined shall
not happen. They have declared that
all the populations of the empire
must be Turkified or disappear. They
have practically exterminated the Ar
menians and are in process of causing
the Greeks to disappear. After the
Balkan wars the method was one OF
forcible expulsion. The Greek inhab-
itants were simply driven out by the
thousands and their homes, lands and
property given to Turks who had
emigrated to Asia Minor from the
lands conquered by the Balkan states:
for one of the chief characteristics of
the Turk is his unwillingness to live
under alien rule. Since the COM
mencement of the great war. how
ever. the method is one simply OF de-
struction. and the Greek islands are
crowded with thousands of refugees
who have fed from the Turkish ter
ror When the peace conference does
occur is Europe to agree to this state
of affairs as an accomplished fact or
are these people to be restored to
their homes and guaranteed security
In life and property and liberty OF
action?