THE OLD SYRIAN CHURCH.*
THE general knowledge of the English people with regard to Mesopotamia is probably not much less vague than that of the old lady who found blessing and comfort in the name; they know that it is an outlying province of the Turkish Empire, and, if travellers have not yet succeeded in making them acquainted with Diarbekir, Urfal, and Mardin, they have at least gained from their books some idea of the ancient city of Mosul ; they know, moreover, that the dwellers in Mesopotamia are of a mixed faith, and that the Christians among them not unfrequently suffer oppression at the hands of their Moslem rulers ; but of the actual life and strength of the Christian community there, and of the con- ditions under which it has survived, as well as of the mis- sionary work which is carried on in its midst by other Christian churches, the general public is more or less careless, as well as ignorant. The time for such carelessness, however, has passed; in view of the recent revelations that have been made as to the treatment of the Christians who live under the same rule in Armenia, that is, north of the Euphrates, we can no longer afford to remain unconcerned with the present condition and possible future of those who dwell between the Euphrates and the Tigris. Of these people, especially of those who belong to the Old Syrian Church, Mr. Parry's book gives a very graphic and interesting account, which is rendered all the more valuable by the manifest impartiality of the author. An impartiality which does him the more credit in that he is evidently no admirer of the Turk, and, had he desired to feed his prejudices, would have found ample matter in his own experiences of Turkish officialdom, and in the gossip of the people among whom he lived. As it is, the vivid little sketches that he gives of Christian and Mahom- medan are never marred by any special pleading for or against ; and are as convincing as they are honest. Every now and then we are afforded a side-glimpse of some of the defects of Turkish local government ; but at the same time the author is anxious to do justice to the spirit of re-
Six Months in a Syrian Monastery. By Oswa'd H. Parry. London: Horace Con,
ligions toleration which, on the whole, characterises most of the dealings of the Sublime Porte with its Christian subjects. And while on the other side he shows a full appreciation of the devotion and fidelity with which these Christians have clung to their ancient faith, he does not seek to disguise or minimise the petty squabbles and bitterness that arise from their own religious differences. Not the least interesting portion of his book is devoted to an account of the strange sect known as the Yazidis, or Devil-worshippers, and of the terrible persecution to which they were aubjected during the time that he himself was actually residing at Mosul. The story of this persecution, related as it is on indubitable authority, may serve to throw a valuable light on the more recent and yet more terrible outrages that have been inflicted on the Armenians of Sassoon.
Mr. Parry's journey seems to have been undertaken under the auspices of the Syrian Patriarchate Education Society, and had for its object the inspection of the schools that had already been established, and the forwarding of further schemes for the assistance of education in the Old Syrian Church. In pursuance of these ends, the author visited the chief headquarters of that Church, and passed some six months in the monastery of Deir-el-Za'aferan, of which establishment and its inmates he gives a very pleasant, and sometimes very amusing, description. During his stay in the country he was brought into contact with the chief personages who repre- sented the various Christian creeds, and with a fair sprinkling of Turkish officials. To give some idea of the varieties of faith which he encountered, we may quote from the author's account of his first day in Diarbekir :—
"I had been on one day in contact with four different nationalities and churches, to say nothing of their Papal and Protestant varieties, namely, Old Syrian, Nestorian, English, and Armenian. Three Nestorian priests had been our companions for the last day's journey into Diarbekir ; I had brought letters of introduction to Guisep Efendi, a Papal Armenian ; the Consul was a Protestant Armenian ; Mrs. Boyajian, English ; and our friend the Bishop, Old Syrian. Talk of sects in England ; they are but a tithe of the divisions in this land; there are enough to set a fire of odium theologicum ablaze all through Asia. Yet for all this there is a toleration among the sects, not of the doctrines, but of the persons of others that is truly edifying. It is most striking, when one first visits the East, to find a mixed company thoroughly enjoying each others' society, which, when analysed, would be found to contain an Old Syrian or two, a Protestant, half-a-dozen Moslems, and a substantial quota of the Papal varieties. Yet they are all talking together in perfect good fellowship, smoking each others' cigarettes, and discussing with quite marvellous tact the latest political news. This in the towns ; in the villages, knives are apt to come out. But there is far more interchange of external politeness between those that differ than we see at home, although we may have an uncomfortable conscious- ness of sitting rather too near a volcano."
Well, it is to be hoped that we, who differ pretty con- siderably among ourselves in the articles of our faith, do not behave much worse at home. But, we may ask, how is it
that, in spite of this good feeling, the volcano is there, and sometimes makes its existence unpleasantly manifest ? There is nothing in Mr. Parry's book that would tend to show that the religious dissensions of the Syrians are at all fomented by their Turkish rulers. On the contrary, not only do the latter regard the different sects with a certain contemptuous toleration, but the very fact of their being ruled by Moslems
rather serves to draw the Christians together, and pre- vents their indulgence in an open warfare in the face of their common foe. On the other hand, the corrupt administration of the Porte undoubtedly acts as a constant temptation to intrigue. When privileges are only to be obtained by bribery, one can hardly be surprised to find one Christian sect plotting against another, and struggling to outbid it for the Sultan's favour. A story, related by the author, of a struggle between the Old Syrians and the Papal Syrians for the possession of the largest church in their town, throws a very curious light upon the position of the two parties, as well as upon the corrupting influence which " back. sheesh" exercises upon both receiver and giver. The church rightly belonged to the Old Syrians, but their rivals held it in virtue of their political influence in Constantinople, an in- fluence no doubt laigely acquired by the judicious bribery of officials. The Old Syrians resorted to the same means, and apparently with every prospect of success, their envoy, one of their Bishops, having discovered a compliant
authority, and actually arranged for the requisite sum. Unluckily, through their own imprudence, the transaction got
wind, and their opponents promptly denounced them before the Turkish Government, with the result that the scheme was wrecked by publicity. The intrigue which followed consisted in an attempt by the Papal Syrians to detach from the Old Chnrch the unfortunate Bishop, who had been disgraced and discredited mainly by their own action, and to induce him to join their own community,—an attempt which, had it been successful, would have given them a more striking victory aver their rivals than even their continued possession of the church.
The story of the Yazidi persecution is very clearly set forth by the author, and explains to a great extent how it comes about that, even under a humane Sultan, the Turkish rule is disgraced by horrible barbarity. The tale is too long for repetition here, but the moral that the author draws from it is worthy of our best attention
England and certain other Powers find it to their advantage to maintain Turkey in her present position. This policy may be right, as I think that those who best know Turkey agree that it is. But the fact is clear, that if we do so maintain a Mohammedan State in power, it is our duty to see she does not abuse it, and recognise that influence must be maintained not by crying wolf at every imaginary outrage, not by encouraging disloyalty, not by idiotic abuse of the Turk and his deeds, but by showing that our Government is one that can be trusted, whether Conservative or Liberal be in power, and that whatever we do we will keep our treaties and guard the rights wisely of our fellow-religionists in Turkey. The truth is that, here as else- where, our economy has made fools of us. An English Consul is still looked on as a repository of honour and a support against oppression. Yet we roam from Baghdad to Aleppo before we see a Consul worthy of the name. On the importance of guarding our trade stress is not here laid, though it should be, if that argument will touch our shopkeeper pockets. We have a higher trust ; and at times the traveller simply burns with shame to hear what men, Christian and Moslem, say of this England to which they once looked with such faith. Men speak of the time when the sword will pass on from the Yazidi to the Jew, and from the Jew to the Christian ; and when that comes, perhaps someone will recommend a remonstrance to the Sublime Porte, or send an un- paid Vice-Consul to Mosul. To the fact that there was no Consul of the type of the much honoured Christian, Rassam, at Mosul at this time, I believe was largely due the outrages of which I was the helpless spectator."
In short, we must accept the responsibility, and, having accepted it, take reasonable steps to provide the vigilance which it requires. No fault can be found with the moderation with which the author expresses his views. Nor is it really necessary to complain of the somewhat confused and involved style in which they are now and then presented to us. The spirit of his work is quite clear enough ; and, as far as the rest is concerned, it is eminently readable, and not without many pleasant touches of humour.
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