The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1922-10-05
Armenian Student
Tells About Turk
Says Smyrna Massacre Was
No Surprise to Him; Ex-
poets War in the Flu
ture.

Armenians in C~onstantinople during
this summer felt that the Turk were
about to strike at their countrymen,
SO the Smyrna massacre was no sur
prise, according to Meguerdich Papa
zian, one of three Armenian students,
now attending S. d. State college here.
Papazian left ConStantinople in June
and knew then hat the Turks were
anxious to make another attack on
Armenians whenever the opportunity
came, he declared.
The Turk is like a serpent that
sleeps in winter and comes out in
summer" he said. They are friend
ly and kind when bitten themselves,
when under the power Of another
country, but the minute they become
conquerors they coil and bite" In dis
GUESSING the Smyrna massacre the Ar
menian said that the people of his
country had anticipated such an out
break for a long time. Refugees, peas
ants and business people in Armenia
and Contsantinople realize that they
dle hcNcl SAFE I1oIh lllC No oiu
that they may expect at any time an
other tragedy similar to hat Of Smyr-
ma, he said.
Turkey must be getting help from
some other country, Papazian believes,
or she could never keep on fighting as
her supplies have been exhausted long
ago. Last year he worked in a rail
way station at COnStantinOple II
heard there that the Russian bolshe-
wiki were sending ammunition and
other supplies to Turkey.
Describing the people with whom
he has had intimate association dur
ing most Of his life, Papazian said,
The Turk himself is not a fighter IN
less his religion is involved, and of
ticials rouse the ignorant people to
arms by telling them that their re
ligion is endangered. The Turks be-
Iieve that the ArmenianS are the u
of Turkish miSfortunes, because of
Christianity, but we students know
hat the business ability of our Ar
menian merchants and the revolution
against Turkey in 1895 make the Turk
also hate our country. Some day there
will be serious trouble between
France and England over Turkey, and
it is not far distant, either; hen the
Turkish officials will side with the
power that offers the best proposition.
Diplomacy is the Turks characteristic
that has kept him going so long. He
is friendly to England and France now,
but trouble is coming over the Darda-
nelles."
This student has spent most Of his
life in Constantinople going from his
country to attend an A~mericanized
school in the Turk capital. After the
Balkan war, Papazian was forced to
join the Turkish army and later for
two years was exiled in a small village
near Suez. The Turks feared he was
a spy because Of his school books and
knowledge of English. Later he was
put at the front with the Turks as a
second lieutenant, but in 1918 he es-
capped and joined the Eighth regiment
of Armenians, who fought the Rus
slams n Turks in the mountains.
Students Of Armenia are not safe
in Constantinople; our lives are al
ways in danger because the Turk
wants to destroy u leaders," he said.
Il shall not return to my country to
teach until | nave my naturalization
papers and am a citizen Of your cOun-
try. The Americans are adored by the
Turks, but one never knows when the
feeling will change. At present your
countrymen are perfectly safe over
there, but we never are.
"All hat we Armenians want is
freedom; we hope America will take
our mandate. Your freedom is won
derful, but we can eve hope for it
in Armenia until Turkey is put where