Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-05-15
ANCIENT CHALDEAN FOLK
TO HAVE INDEPENDENCE
Out OF Turmoil OF International
Conflict Voice of New Nation
Will Shortly he Heard.
ONCE GOVERNED MILLIONS
These People, Whose Numbers
Have DwindIcd Through Nearly
1000 Year of Persecution, Rep
resent Smallest Nation i'm World.

resent Smallest Nation in World
NEW IoRk, May l4.-Out Of tn
turmoil of international connic; tn
v"ic" OF "a new nation will short.
be heard. For. according to the Rev
J. Maven. who is now visiting ,hi
country in the interest of his pcopl
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Frcncl
government has just now ~conscnte,
I" turn yer the territory il now oc
cnpicS by mandate. in Upper Mcsopo
anna. to the remnants Of this an
| Gent tribe.
1t is an Interesting fact that thcs,
pcnr!c. whose numbers have dwindlc,
through nearly 1000 years of pcrsc
outipn. Will represent the smallcs
nation In the world. when they ar,
hna'iE given complete autonomy II,
the f'reErh They will number as :
nation less than 800 600 souls.
y number OF these are now IN train,
Ing under the Frcnch military an.
thoritics at NlcNaudrcttc, for Will,
being placed finally III an Independents
position with a government of thCt'
own. :hcy VIII SIN he surrounded by
thrlr ola enemies. and p~rccaution is
the order Of the day in that wild,
land OF many conflicting racial and
religious opinions.
Through many centuries his an
clcht race. TO whom we owe many -.
E-' 80" - ~ " III i'TsfslS III tlN4li-
|alion. has fought for the mere rrivi.
leg" Of remaining Christians
t"r centuries, while their numbers
nav" steadily decreased. these pcopi.
nave resisted their enemies until to-
day by a curious circumstance q.
world strife, they glimpse tina; spirit
OF freedom and national independents.
which the earliest members of Their
rae" irSt CAV" ia the world.
Was War thnpInin.
~f"'h'r Maven. who represented
mas people at the Paris peace confer
"uc". where he made a plea for thci,
ais" served during the world war as
rharltiu general for the allied pris-
"ncrs OF war in Turkey.
IN his, book just translated into
latinr the history of this intcrcs, ~,
reonl". and their strucCl" for iudc-
n~.md"ncc. refers fcclingly ,o thcjr
SuiicrinGS during N world war
when more than quarter Of a million
wcr" slain while lighting in the al
He'd cause or ~inassacrcd 10y their long.
standing enemies tn" Turks. tn,
INur'iS. ,hr i'"rsiHuS and the Arabs
Finally. today the CHaldcan army
now organizing and ia training. viii
lily II ilaE OF tn" new chIldcan gov
'~'ninynt So. for TIA" first time Sine,
inns historic rae" Of people were
placed in scmi-slavcry. beginning
with their ConIucrurS. the Modes and
i~'"rShlnS. - few centuries before
'hr'St. the dignity OF personal gov
eminent control Will hc restored to
them.
The restoration Of Independent,
S~0Nernm"nt FOR those people will hc
OF especial interest TO historians. in
hSinuch as chald"a may he said To
have been at one time the seat 81
tn" worlds learning, giving 10 tn.
world nearly 1000 years before Christ
sciences and arts we enjoy today. N
Guiding the first written expression
of thought.
Further proof Of their contribu,
Christianity." said Father Naavcm
lies III tho fact hat the C~haldcans
We're the irSt race. apart from tho
Jews converted at Jerusalem to re.
CciNc tho faith at tn" hands Of the
Ah.Sti"s. Thrir language was tha:
spoken by Christ Himself. and In
which the first Of the o u Gospels
We're written.
ton they proved themselves the Ercat
champions Of learning, and their uni
vcrsitics at NiSibiu and the famous
EdcSsa iiourishc,i gloriously until tho
ninth century. After their conversion
"a christianity they drew largely
uron the literary resources Of Greece.
and In their turn handed on the torch
Oh learning towards tn" Arabs.
Once Governed Millions.
Iuw"riS the "nd OF what We cal
the Middle Ages Tho Chaldcan Ctiri-
.l,n HiG iui!,.i'iion over more thar
'@p,our,uo Of people in not only tlcir
native country, hut in China. .I:tpar
and india, where the ~ChaIdcan mis-.
met with great success
i.N"n In Ii.'a today there are NOR,
tl3r 100000 pcOp!" whp speak IN,
Chal6"an language and use its lita-a.
turc.
When the war broke out" sal,
Father Naaycm. "Ihc young Turk,
vented their fury upon all Christian
@lcm%nrs m Turkey r.
cvcrywhcrc proclaimed. and TO re
aliZc this ambition they employed al
II" ~sonrc Of their fanatical PEG.
pie. The most trivial prctcNts were
seized pom to justify a general per
mccamc the field of slaughter. bu
also the lands OF the A~Ssyro-Chal
dean. via Assyria. M~csopatamia
Persia ana Adcrhicn.
"Iut the bravery Of these sons -
Observation-Disclosures has been 20
niZcd 10y the allies and by the en-
tirc world. The emmy himslf IVA.
larnd to rspct this ancicn; people oH-
turtles.
FOR a year and ~ half the Assyro.
chald"ans were stratcGticaily an ai'
To tn" British, who during this time
manshah to lIamadan in the direc-
ton Of Baku. In fact. all through
the war the Chaldcans were aiding
the allies in some field OF action.
~ Observation-Disclosures SAID
Father Naaycm. are looking hope
fully to the day when they may live
their lives according to II light 90
their ancient ancestors. peak th"i'
own lanruaGc aud worship as they
SOC MT. In this. tho chaldcans cN'
Drrss the hope that the British gov
i'm NcsoDatamia Will Co
operate in this step being taken hy
France to restore this ancient nation
and eliminate Thu" possibility OF some
OF the ChaldcanS returning t" thciI
mountain homes in kurdiStchn
where no hope Of future progress "i
real security could be held out t.
them"