ARMENIA AND THE ARMENIANS 



337 



and the Armenians and their language 

 are adjudged to be not Semitic, but 

 Aryan. 



My Armenian friends are to be found 

 largely among my Armenian students at 

 Constantinople, some fellow - teachers, 

 and a few faithful servants. 



When the present college was founded, 

 a mere primary school called the Home 

 School, its first students were Armenians 

 eager to get an education. For many 

 years the Armenians were the most nu- 

 merous of the nationalities present. Scu- 

 tari, where the college was situated until 

 it moved across the Bosphorus last year, 

 is an Armenian quarter, so that long after 

 Greeks and Bulgarians came in larger 

 numbers into the boarding college the 

 day scholars were predominantly Arme- 

 nian. 



ARMENIANS AS STUDENTS 



As students the Armenians differ 

 among themselves, ranging all the way 

 from dense stupidity to brilliance, but 

 averaging high in their studies. Of the 

 three students who distinguished them- 

 selves in philosophy in a dozen years, 

 one was Turkish, one was Greek, and 

 one Armenian. In English composition, 

 while perhaps the cleverest and most 

 humorous papers were written by Greeks, 

 and the stories with the most action and 

 vim by the Bulgarians, those showing the 

 most grace and fancy were written by 

 Armenians. Oriental girls rarely enjoy 

 mathematics, but the one student who so 

 craved mathematics that the professor in 

 that department had to form special 

 classes to give her all that advanced 

 American colleges offer was an Arme- 

 nian. 



The college chorus and choir always 

 contained many Armenians, and in my 

 day the special soloist on all occasions 

 was an Armenian who sang like a bird, 

 with natural style. She has since studied 

 music in Paris, and is now doing concert 

 work in Constantinople. Like other Ori- 

 entals, the Armenians have dramatic 

 ability. I well remember one strongly 

 featured Armenian girl who acted the 

 double role of priest and king in a San- 

 scrit play with marked effect. I recall 

 in that same year a pretty Armenian girl 



who played the part of Toinette in "Le 

 Malade I ma gin aire" with more charm 

 and piquancy than I have seen in any 

 American production of that classic. 

 The pronounced features and splendid 

 eyes and hair of so many Armenians 

 make them extremely effective in tab- 

 leaux. 



EUEE OF SENTIMENT 



Armenian women are full of sentiment 

 and emotion, and unless they have been 

 repressed by harsh experience they are 

 unrestrained in expression. When the 

 news of the, death of a schoolmate 

 reached one of our dormitories, the girls 

 wept and even screamed with such aban- 

 don that one of them became actually ill 

 and had to go home. Yet under torture 

 and persecution these women have shown 

 marvelous patience and endurance. 



Where there is so vigorous a national 

 pride, some personal conceit would nat- 

 urally follow. That is not always the 

 case ; some of the most modest and hum- 

 ble of women are among my Armenian 

 friends ; but a characteristic expression 

 of complacency that one often hears is : 

 "He is a fine man ; he likes me." 



In these young girls does one find any 

 reflection of the tragedy of the race? 

 Yes, one does, although many an Ar- 

 menian girl of prosperous family is as 

 gay and light-hearted as a French girl. 

 Let me tell of a few of our girls, giving 

 borrowed names. 



Filore was a sparkling girl, with jet 

 black hair and shining eyes and teeth. 

 She was delightfully responsive in class, 

 although her quick appreciation was 

 rather shallow. She was always happy 

 and care-free. Her father was high in 

 Turkish favor and she had apparently no 

 consciousness of her people's sufferings. 



Zabelle was another happy girl, but of 

 quite a different type. She was small and 

 plump, and maintained a position at the 

 head of her class only by constant hard 

 work. One would never associate her 

 with tragedy in the remotest way. But 

 when, in 1908, people's tongues were 

 loosed, the press freed, and people 

 seemed to wish to express their long 

 pent-up emotions, Zabelle wrote a com- 

 position. She began in her clear round 



