THE ARMENIAN HERALD CONTRIBUTORS' COLUMN FOR AUGUST NUMBER Rene Pinon whose article, The Duty of Turk. He was in a position to review Neutrals to Armenia, appears in this the whole situation better than any one issue, is an eminent French writer, some else because he had serenity of mind and of whose works have been crowned by impartiality of spirit. the French Academy. He has specialized in International subjects and his works— Mrs. Bertha Sullivan Papazan, we are The Empire the Mediterranean, Eu of glad to repeat, is one of our regular con rope and the Ottoman Empire, Europe tributors. In this number she casts a and the Young Turks —have made of glance on the classic hymns of ancient him an undisputed authority on Near Armenian literature and finds that the Eastern questions. In 1916 he published poem of Professor Lelujian's, A in the Review des Deux Mondes a com Earth, contains the same prehensive article, on the suppression of Handful of elements of poetical technique and loft; the Armenians, which attracted consid spirit which characterise the ancient Ar erable attention and in which the author menian hymns. gave it as his opinion that the plan of deporting the Armenians was German in its essence, but that the execution thereof Mr. Aharonian's Homage to Thte, was Turkish. The present article is a which we present to our readers this translation from the original French and month, is another fine example of modern it first appeared in La Voix de VArmenie, Armenian prose. It is one of the bes of which M. Rene Pinon is the principal and most characteristic of his composi editor. tions. We shall continue to give to our readers, so far as space permits, other specimens of Armenian literature, for we Rolin-Jacquemyns' concluding part of are convinced that the reader is able to the masterly study on Armenia and In obtain from literature a more accurate ternational Treaties is published in this impression of the essential spirit of on issue. Although more than a quarter of race than he would be able to receive a century has elapsed since the eminent from other sources. We shall naturally jurist's papers appeared in the Belgian give preference to those pieces which, in Review on International Law, the facts addition to their literary quality, reflect and arguments therein have not lost a somewhat the present conflict. Aha particle of their strength. It was indis ronian's final appeal in the present work pensable to republish these articles for is being heeded at this moment in the the opinions of the disinterested jurist, Caucasus where the Armenians are still have great weight and authority, con defending themselves against the bar cerning the unreformed and incorrigible barities of the Turks and the Tartars. THE ARMENIAN HERALD VOLUME 1 AUGUST, 1918 NUMBER 9 TURKISH MACHIAVELISM HAVING ruthlessly slaughtered about a million of the defenceless Ar menian population, annihilated a large section of the Hellenic race and reduced considerably the Maronite and Syrian inhabitants of the Ottoman Empire, the Young Turks, satiated with blood and plunder, are endeavor ing by methods best known to them to ingratiate themselves with Amer ica and the Entente Powers. They are straining every nerve to make them and the survivors of their innumerable misdeeds forget and condone their inhuman policy in the past. The banishing of a tyrant like Abdul- Hamid and the proclamation of parliamentary institutions were not of a nature to modify the course of history in the Ottoman Empire. Turkey was rotten to the core, and charters of liberty and "Reform Bills" were unable to modify in the least the Turkish soul and Turkish mentality. As the poet once said, "While the world rolls on from age to age, And realms of thought expand ; Turkey stands without expanse or range, Stiff as a dead man's hand." More than a century ago a great French thinker and philosopher in an imperishable book, The Ruins, heralded the approaching fall of the Ottoman Empire, in these striking words : "The Hour of destiny has arrived; it strikes the ear; the catastrophe is about to begin." He predicted the uprising of all the subject races of Turkey—the Arabs, the Armenians, the Greeks and others. His descriptions of the condition of the Turkish Empire, the excesses of the dominant Turk, the sufferings of the conquered races, and the grievances of the latter against their un speakable 'masters' were as true in an aggravated form on the threshold of the present war as they were when the eminent philosopher penned them. Still the Ottoman Empire survived another century and its emas culation has been gradual. That tottering edifice would have been out lawed long ago but for the jealousies of the Great Powers of Europe. 467 468 THE ARMENIAN HERALD For more than a century they clung to that exploded doctrine of the Bal ance of Power with which was so closely bound up the "Integrity of the Ottoman Empire." The events of the last four years, the participation of Turkey in this world war on the side of the Central Powers, and against those very powers, like England and France, who shed their most precious blood in the Crimean War to uphold the "Integrity" doctrine, the dastardly extermination of all the elements of progress in her realm, have once for all shattered, in the opinion of all those who have studied seriously Near Eastern affairs, all hopes for the regeneration of Turkey. The liquidation of Turkey is, we may assert, already absorbing the attention of the liberal and democratic nations. The Young Turks know this and are taking all due measures of precaution to ward off the im pending danger. They are camouflaging America to heart's content ; at least they believe they have succeeded in doing so. No one has defined the distinguishing characteristic of Ottoman diplomacy more accurately than the eminent Belgian Jurist, Rolin Jacquemyns, when he said that, "It is a facility in assimilating the administrative and constitutional jargon of civilized countries, consummate cunning in taking advantage of this aptitude to conceal, under deceptive appearances, the barbarous reality of great deeds and intentions ; cool audacity in making promises which there is neither the power nor the desire to make good ; and finally, a paternal and oily tone, intended to create the impression that the Turkish Government is the victim of unjust prejudice and odious calum nies." All the successive Turkish statesmen, be they old or new Turks, have been the embodiment of this Neo-Machiavelism which has been hood-winking Europe and America for the last century or so. But the deception cannot be prolonged. The Turks, however, have not abandoned all hopes of retrieving their fall. They have been sending emissaries to Switzerland, Sweden and other neutral countries to present the Turkish apologia, not only for the purpose of justifying their system of brigandage and carnage to shield the fearful character of the ruffians who style themselves Young /Turks, but also for making it appear that they are at heart pro-Ally and pro-American. Some Americans have been taken in by these demonstra tions of friendship and the Turkish volte face has been accepted as the genuine outpouring of a noble and repenting soul. The Turkish organs in Constantinople have also turned suddenly pro-Armenian and are pub lishing articles which in ordinary times might have influenced some can did souls and a few blind pacifists. But this is not all. We were recently apprised via Amsterdam that there was a vital disagreement between Turkey and Germany. A Turco- German rift. And thereupon one or two organs of public opinion were almost about to fall into ecstasies on hearing this. Of course it was too good to be true and no reasonable man could throw up his cap over the TURKISH MACHIAVELISM 469 reported break between Turkish Jannissarism and Germany. The En tente Powers and this grand republic of ours are not going to fetch and carry for the "unspeakable," nor are they in such straits as to pander to his indirect offers. It would be a crime against humanity and against those very lofty principles which they each and all have proclaimed from the housetops, if we were to allow ourselves to be influenced by this re ported change in the Turkish attitude. We do not believe that there is any real "divergence" of opinion be tween the German master and the Turkish servant. If Turkish diplom acy accepted the lead of the Central Powers it was because it considered that it could thereby carry out its inhuman policies towards its "subject" races without molestation and with greater impunity. It knows that Nemesis is at hand. The events in France, the turning of the tide in the plains of Champagne and Picardy, have doubtless brought to bear on the minds of the Pashas of Constantinople. The much advertised Turco- German rift may be due to this consideration rather than to the al leged disaffection brought about by the German Government's supercil ious treatment of the Turks at this juncture. The latter are splendid turn-coats and they know when to choose the auspicious moment to change front. Our readers should not be taken in by them. Kiamil Pasha, the late grand vizr,was a past-master in the art of proclaiming his anglophilism at the very time he was advising his august master Abdul-Hamid to "lean" on Germany and the Central Powers. He con sidered that a Turco-German rapprochement should be the corner-stone of Turkish diplomacy.