The blight of Asia : $b An account of the systematic extermination of Christian populations by Mohammedans and of the culpability of certain great powers; with the true story of the burning of SmyrnaHorton, George
History
The blight of Asia : $b An account of the systematic extermination of Christian populations by Mohammedans and of the culpability of certain great powers; with the true story of the burning of Smyrna
Horton, George
Christians -- Turkey; Fires -- Turkey -- İzmir; Greeks -- Turkey; Turkey; İzmir (Turkey) -- History
In proof of the statement that many eminent followers of Christ are
not in entire sympathy with certain missionaries in their policy with
regard to the Turks, I am quoting again from the Reverend Ralph Harlow.
The following extracts are from an article and two letters written by
him. The article appeared in the _Outlook_ of October 25, 1922, and in
it, among other things, the author describes an interview with the late
Theodore Roosevelt:
“At that time, I had just returned from Asia Minor where I had
witnessed the fearful deportations on the Bagdad Railroad, and
could give him first-hand information of the awful atrocities
going on. He asked me a number of questions, continually
shaking his head and saying, ‘terrible, terrible, terrible.’
“Then with a tense expression on his face, he said, ‘Mr.
Harlow, the greatest regret that I have as I look back on my
administration is the fact that when the awful Adana massacre
occurred, this government did not take steps against the
outrage on civilization!’”
A further quotation from the same article indicates that the men on
destroyers did not fully share the pro-Turk sentiments of their officers:
“I have just listened to the contents of a letter sent by one
of our boys on an American destroyer at Smyrna. He tells of
having to stand by while the brutal Turkish soldiers seized
beautiful Christian girls and tore them screaming from their
mothers and outraged them right on the public quay of Smyrna.
He saw these brutal soldiers shooting down helpless women
with children in their arms, unarmed men beaten to death by
the butts of these Turkish soldiery. And then he tells of the
anguish that he felt because the orders of our government were
such that he had to stand by, helpless, before such atrocities.”
I have been told that many such letters were written by our navy boys
at Smyrna to relatives and friends in the United States. In a letter to
me, Mr. Harlow says that he believes it to be his duty to tell the truth
about affairs in the Near East, and he continues:
“Doctor MacLachlan and Reed demanded my resignation and said
that I ‘endangered the college.’ I resigned. I have been made
to feel that I ought to keep still, but justice seems to me
greater than buildings and institutions. At the time of the
Lausanne Conference and after, I claimed that our American
Board (of Foreign Missions) ought to have stood four square
against the wretched treaty. Dr. Barton did not like the
openness of my criticisms and I lost a position as Board
Secretary through his opposition to me.”
[Illustration: American Consular Building, Smyrna, before which Turkish
soldier poured inflammable liquids. It was completely consumed.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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