The Syrian Famine and the Armenian Atrocities 9781463232597

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Syriac Studies Library

201

Sériés Editors Monica Blanchard Cari Griffïn Kristian Heal George Anton Kiraz David G.K. Taylor

The Syriac Studies Library brings back to active circulation major reference works in the field of Syriac studies, including dictionaries, grammars, text editions, manuscript catalogues, and monographs. The books were reproduced from originals at The Catholic University of America, one of the largest collections of Eastern Christianity in North America. The project is a collaboration between CUA, Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute, and Brigham Young University.

T h e Syrian Famine and the Armenian Atrocities

The Syrian Famine and the Armenian Atrocities

By

Therese Philippe Bresse Translated by

P. Anderson

Gorgias Press LLC, 954 River Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA www.gorgiaspress.com G&C Kiraz is an imprint of Gorgias Press LLC Copyright © 2012 by Gorgias Press LLC Originally published in 1919 All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without the prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC. 2012

ISBN 978-1-61143-580-1

Reprinted from the 1919 Alexandria edition.

Digitized by Brigham Young University. Printed in the United States of America.

Series Foreword

This series provides reference works in Syriac studies from original books digitized at the ICOR library of The Catholic University of America under the supervision of Monica Blanchard, ICOR's librarian. The project was carried out by Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute and Brigham Young University. About 675 books were digitized, most of which will appear in this series. Our aim is to present the volumes as they have been digitized, preserving images of the covers, front matter, and back matter (if any). Marks by patrons, which may shed some light on the history of the library and its users, have been retained. In some cases, even inserts have been digitized and appear here in the location where they were found. The books digitized by Brigham Young University are in color, even when the original text is not. These have been produced here in grayscale for economic reasons. The grayscale images retain original colors in the form of gray shades. The books digitized by Beth Mardutho and black on white. We are grateful to the head librarian at CUA, Adele R. Chwalek, who was kind enough to permit this project. "We are custodians, not owners of this collection," she generously said at a small gathering that celebrated the completion of the project. We are also grateful to Sidney Griffith who supported the project.

The Syrian Famine anil the Armenian Atrocities

A

LECTURE delivered

Madame

Thérèse a victim

and

by

Philippe

Bresse

witness

in the hall of St Anthony's Institute Alexandria, on 21st January 1919 President Very Rev. Father John Grech, O. M. Provicar

General

of Apostolic

Delegation

in

Fyypt

for Ihe benefit of ihe Syrian and Armenian orphans'* Very Reverend Fathers, Ladies and Gentlemen, The honour which lias heen done me, in allowing me to appear before so seleel and distinguished an Audience, is far in excess of my deserts, and with all my heart I thank you for your kindness. Without f u r t h e r preamble, allow me with all due regard to conscience, to justice, and to liberty to lay before you broadly some aspects of the sufferings of famine-stricken Syria, and ravaged Armenia, of which both my husband, M. Philippe Bresse, and myself have been eyewitnesses. As regards 'Syria,it will be sufficient to recall lo you the very words which the notorious Djemal Pasha wrote to the Arab newspaper « AlShark» of Damascus in 1917 : «The disaster in Syria, he wrote, has attained such proportions that no other disaster has ever exceeded it in horror.» He stated, probably against his will, noth¥ The smallest offering, for the benefit of the Syrian and Armenit n Orphans, will be accepted with thankful nes l»j Father Francis Breste, Miss. Apost., Founder and Director of the Society for the Benefit of Latin-Orientals at St. Catherine's Alexandria.

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ing but the naked truth, for to such an extent had want and hunger ravaged Beyrouth, that the best known and wealthiest people in the town were compelled a'.ong with the rest of the population, to beg a ration of bread from the Government. This ration couldi only be obtained with the greatest difficulty and after obtaining it, it was wretehed stuff indeed a concotion of lupine, lentils, liquorice roet, beans, and very often sawdust, In consequence either of want, cr of the absolute lack of food, or else of the poor quality of the food, many suffered from horribly swollen feet ; others fell exhausted in the streets of the city ; others threw themselves to the ground writhing in agony and vomiting blood. Still more horrible to relate, but I have seen it with my own eyes, children were thrown on the dungiheaps in the corners of the town, and a'.ong with the rubbish thrown pell-mell into the carts to be deposited in great heaps along with the filth of the town. These and similar occurrences could be seen anywhere between Tripoli and Mount-Lebanon. Seing that misery, famine, disease and the death-roll increased daily and being much more afraid for the lives of my children (of whom I have four) than for my own, I applied for and obtained permission to rejoin my husband, who was interned at Kotch Hissar in Anatolia. If the suffering in Syria had been terrible, how much more had u n h a p p y ARMENIA to suffer ! I crave the indulgence of my audience while I place before them in as few words as possible some occurrences which my husband noted in his diary and of which he was an eye-witness : « On the 16th December 1914, he writes, T was taken to the railway station of Tripoli to be interned. « Torn with violence from the bosom of my family, I was forced first to walk then to r u n so as not to miss the train, on a pitch dark night, through mud. while overhead the wind howled and a piercingly cold rain fell in tor-

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rents. I set out with two other prisoners British subjects, guarded by an officer and four gendarmes, and we arrived in Horns at 10 o V o c k . « On our arrival at the prison there, a german officer gave orders that we were to be kept in close confinement until we left for Damascus, that is for three days; however the Turkish gendarme who acted as our escort found a way of liberating us after six. hours. He persuaded the proprietor of a restaurant to become responsible for us, and conducted us there. So at last we were able to warm ourselves and get a little rest till the following morning. While at Horns (for three days) we were very kindly treated by the Jesuit Fathers. Every morning we had coffee, chocolate and plenty of cigarettes. « On the 19th 'December the train left for Damascus. There was among the crowd of turkish military and civilian officials who travelled with us, a German aviator, wrho to comfort and console us told us that if the army of the Allied Nations bombed a Turkish town we should all be massacred. This same threat in Arabic an'? Turkish was posted on the prison waMs of Homs,