The Cradle of Mankind; Life in Eastern KurdistanWigram, W. A. (William Ainger)
History
The Cradle of Mankind; Life in Eastern Kurdistan
Wigram, W. A. (William Ainger)
Kurdistan -- Description and travel; Kurds
The larger arch opens into the Sanctuary, the veil of which is never
withdrawn except for the celebration of _Qurbana_. The smaller opens
into the Sacristy, where is also the font. _Ex voto_ offerings of
aromatic herbs hang from the tie beams; and the Church is lit only by a
tiny cruciform loophole at the west end, so that the interior is almost
pitch dark.
No. 11]
Very soon, however, the real problem of the relations of the Armenian
and Ottoman began to come up again in a slightly different form.
The Young Turk ideal was an Ottoman Empire; with equal rights no doubt
for all who were content to become Ottomans, but Ottomanization for all.
The Tashnakists (who kept up their organization, observing, in answer to
all protests, that it was as necessary for them as was that of the
Committee of Union and Progress for others) were Armenians first and
foremost; and further were anxious to set about the immediate
realization of a programme that was wildly Radical, not to say
Socialistic, in its objects. Confiscation of all landed property;
disendowment and disestablishment of the Church;[125] universal suffrage
(which was to include female suffrage by the way), and the abolition of
all religious teaching in schools, were some of the planks of their
"platform." All authority, save that of the nation, was disowned; even a
parent was not to exercise any power over his son. In fact all the
reforms that even a Socialist admits must come in gradually in the West,
were to be administered _en bloc_ to an astonished East.
Even a schoolmaster's authority was declared anathema according to the
modern dogmas, and attempts were made to act on this hopeful doctrine.
Thus, a certain missionary in the town forbade his Armenian pupils to
smuggle revolvers, and other contraband dear to the heart of every boy,
into the school premises. Having reason to suspect that the command had
been disobeyed, he began a search in the boys' boxes; but while in the
stooping attitude necessary for the purpose, he was vehemently assaulted
_a posteriori_ with hat-pins by his pupils, and was solemnly forbidden
by the Tashnakists either to cane or to expel those guilty of this
_lèse-majesté_. The first punishment was derogatory to the dignity of
the young rascals as free-born Armenian citizens; the second deprived
them of their natural Right to a good education. Further, it was
solemnly argued, "if we do not send our boys to your school what will
become of you? The funds have been subscribed by the friends of Armenia
for our teaching, not for your livelihood." To manage a school under
these conditions was obviously difficult; and to quote John Dryden, "the
sons of Belial had a glorious time." But at last the absurdity of the
_impasse_ forced even the Tashnakists to be a little more reasonable.
"We work for those who come a hundred and fifty years hence," said Aram
proudly to the _Vali_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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