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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



came, word was given to Fuad Pasha 

 that he was at liberty to return to Con- 

 stantinople. But the grim old soldier 

 said, "No, not until my sword that was 

 taken from me in Constantinople is re- 

 turned to me; no, not until those medals 

 removed from me have once more been 

 placed upon my breast." 



The old man waited, and then in a 

 short time the sword and the medals 

 came, and presently he began the tri- 

 umphant return. He was carried by 

 train to Beirut. The enthusiastic popu- 

 lace seized him as he came out from the 

 train and insisted on taking the horses 

 out of the carriage and dragging it to the 

 hotel. Indeed, in the exuberance of their 

 Oriental enthusiasm, they were about to 

 carry the carriage bodily to the hotel. 

 However, with some regard for his own 

 life, he stopped this form of demonstra- 

 tion and finally persuaded his admirers 

 to let him go in the ordinary way. After 

 this there followed a series of popular 

 assemblages in honor of Fuad Pasha, and 

 many speeches were made. Then there 

 came the triumphant journey of the old 

 hero to Constantinople. They say that 

 when the French steamer that was bring- 

 ing him finally reached the harbor the 

 great populace was there waiting to meet 

 him, and that it was a great sight to see 

 the old general as he stood upon the 

 captain's bridge, his white hair whiter 

 than it was six years before, and he was 

 not ashamed of the tears that coursed 

 down his face and which showed his de- 

 votion to the people as he came back to 

 his beloved city to be received with that 

 kind of a welcome. 



Turks pay honor to massacred 



ARMENIANS 



So over the Empire — not simply in 

 Beirut, not simply in Constantinople, but 

 in the smaller places as well — these 

 scenes were repeated until the whole Em- 

 pire was rejoicing with one heart. Away 

 down in Medina, on the railway that the 

 Sultan is projecting as far as Mecca, the 

 event was celebrated. The opening of 

 the railway and the granting of the con- 

 stitution were extolled at the same time. 



Everywhere Moslems meeting men of 

 other faiths used for the first time in five 

 hundred or six hundred years the salu- 

 tation that is usually confined to their 

 fellow-believers, "Peace be upon you!" 

 and then the answer, "And upon you 

 may peace also rest!" 



But what may be regarded as the cul- 

 minating point of this spirit of fraternity 

 was witnessed in Constantinople, when 

 Armenians, accompanied by many Turks, 

 visited the graves of those who had been 

 massacred and there offered prayers of 

 thanksgiving for the coming of this day, 

 while the Turks expressed their sorrow 

 for the events that had destroyed so 

 many of the lives of the brave Arme- 

 nians ; and the next day Armenians and 

 Moslems went into the churches in Con- 

 stantinople, and there addresses were 

 given by Turkish Moslems and Armeni- 

 ans expressing thanksgiving to God for 

 the coming of this day. 



The work that was done in Salonika by 

 the Young Turkey Party in bringing 

 about this constitution made that a 

 place where the rejoicing was particu- 

 larly enthusiastic. 



They tell us also that when the pris- 

 oners were released under the new am- 

 nesty the danger of such a move dis- 

 appeared in the presence of the solem- 

 nity with which the act was performed. 

 Every prisoner was brought into the 

 presence of one of his priests, and he 

 was obliged to put his hand upon the 

 Bible or upon the Koran, and was then 

 asked these questions : "Do you promise 

 upon being released to abjure all crime? 

 Do you promise to refuse to do that 

 which will injure in any way the safety 

 of society or the state?" And only then, 

 when he had promised, not simply with 

 his hands placed upon the Koran, but 

 with his uplifted hand in the presence of 

 Almighty God, only then was he allowed 

 to go free. They also made this decla- 

 ration : "The people have set you free. 

 See to it, that you serve and respect the 

 liberties of the people or you will be in 

 short order hanged." And the answer 

 was, "We shall not be hanged, for we do 

 propose to serve the interests of the 

 people." 



