American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-02-07
ARMENIA-THEN AND NOW

Many of us think of the Armenians
as a set of people always undergoing
massacre. AS fresh news about them
appears from time to time, we ask
ourselves wonderingly, Can there
still be Armenians left?' The tenac-
ity and yigor of this by no means
numerous race Is shown In nothing
better than in this, that even now,
after the last unprecedented outbreak
OF massacre and deportation, there are
still nearly four million survivors
scattered in Asia Minor, Persia, Sy-
ria and the Russian Caucasus. At
least 400 900 children who have no
fathers and many of them no mothers
are among these refugees. In them
Is the hope of a new Armenia, some
day perhaps to surpass in prosperity
and world usefulness the Armenia
OF ages long ago.
The history of Armenia is almost
as old az history itself. Armenia
claims to possess the site of the Gar
den or Eden-since even now the
country Is beautiful enough for Para
disc, and Its apples would tempt any
Eve, however fastidious. Ii also
claims after the flood the ark came
to rest on Mount Ararat, most beau
tiful of snow-clad peaks.
About 1000 b. c.. history speaks of
a district Armenian people dwelling
on the table lands near Ararat, con-
gquered in turn by the Babylonians,
the Modes and Persians, the Selenci-
dae and the Romans, with brief inter
walls of independence. Even under
| Communist M ~ Uuu unIargtnaI H. Al.
ancient o|rientals, the Armenians were
little interfered with as long as they
paid the required tribute.
In 80 A.. d. the interested figure
of Gregory the illumination comes
brightly into the foreground OF Ar
menia's medieval history, to influ-
ence permanently the future eharae-
ter and fate OF her people. Gregory
was baptised when a child, married
early and had two sons. Then he was
caught by the a of monasticism
that swept through Europe in the
middle ages, felt that he had a voca-
ton n bade farewell TO his wife and
the world, forsook the common WAYS
OF the men and entered a monastery.
His later prosecutions, years of pris-
on, visions and miracles, obtained for
him the reputation of a saint. He
converted T~iradates the King of Ar
menia and baptised 1000 Armenians.
Eight years later Christianity became
the state religion of Armenia, and to
this day the mummied hand of old
81, Gregory is laid upon the head of
every bishop at his consecration-a
remarkable instance of Armenian
reverence for tradition.
The golden age of independent,
christian Armenia soon passed. At
this day the ruins OF the once great
city OF Ami, excavated in the last CEN
fury, show to the world a dim reflec-
ton of by-gone splendor. Conical-
rooted churches and massive walls
40 to so feet high, thanked by many
round towers and defended by deep
gorges, present remains dignified
even In ruin. Decorative stonework
sculptures and f~rescoes indicate a
culture and art development of no
mean order. But in the seventh CEN
fury arose in the east the power
which proved fatal to many another
nation besides Armenia. and which
still lifts its crescent t~hreateningly
against the cross-the power of Is
lam. The followers of the Prophet
Mohammed swept across Europe
from Mecca to Gibraltar and finally
the Ottoman Turk became the domi-
nant race over a vast empire in Eu-
rope and Asia.
From that time to this the Arme-
nian has lived under his sway, often
~peaceably enough, often unprecedented
but still separate, distinct, unab-
sorbed, stubbornly Christian. The
Armenian had no national state to
rally round but he had a church. In
this clinging TO the thurch and thus
clingtng to his nationality through
centuries lies the secret of the Ar
menian's success. No outburst of
persecution has succeeded in shaking
him from his national faith. Through
thick and thin, fair weather and foul
the Armenian has stuck to his church.
In business life the Armenians
we're successful, They were also in
dustrious farmers and made Asia Mi
nor a well farmed district. Although
their ability In money making did
not help them to popularity with the
more indolent and less successful
Turk, the Armenians on the whole
had no particular trouble save po-
litical and social injustices, before
1876. Then Abdul Hamid ii came to
the throne, engaged in the Russo
Turkish war, and signed the treaty
of San Stefano, in which Russia en-
gagged TO carry out reforms for and
to protect the Armenians, England
thought this treaty gave Russia too
large a finger in Turkeys pie and
too much Eastern Influence to be com
Portable, so Gladstone forced the sub
stitution OF the Treaty of Berlin in
1878 for that OF San Stefano, by which