A History of Protestant missions in the near East

Protestant Missions in Turkey and Armenia 125
In 1872 the congregation at Aintab applied to the Board
thus :
"
We remember how things stood twenty-five or thirty
At that time we did not realize the necessity and
of education. A population of 10,000 Armenians
years ago.
advantages
in Aintab was satisfied with one school, in which reading and
writing could be learned. When, by the action of the Board,
the Bible had been translated into our common language, our
views with regard to schools underwent a change, we know
not how. We, as Protestant Armenians, were no longer
satisfied with even three or four schools, nor with the fact that
only our sons could be educated ; something must be done for
our daughters too. We found also that ability merely to read
and write did not suffice ;
the children needed to be taught
more than this. While at first we were hardly willing to send
our children to school, though
it was the missionaries who
bore the expense of their education, now we were willing to
establish secondary schools at our own cost. In the light of
God's Word we saw that we must be educated, would we become
good Christians, good fathers and mothers and useful
members of society. This desire was materially increased by
the fact that there was among our Churches a demand for a
better educated class of men as teachers and ministers. All
the congregations in
our union are convinced that the status
of the clergy must be raised."
The pastors and catechists too had difficulties of
their own.
Preaching
itself was almost unknown in the ancient Church.
The presbyters and deacons of that Church had only to read
the long and unintelligible liturgies. Since for this purpose
little more was required than the ability to read, there was a
very low grade of education prevalent among the lower clergy.
It was not easy to raise up alongside such a clergy one that
was versed in the Holy Scriptures, well grounded
in Christian
doctrine, and experienced in preaching and teaching, in the
care of souls and in the administration of church affairs.
The Board founded four theological seminaries, or trainingschools,
one for each of the three Turkish Missions : in Marsovan
for the Western Turkish Mission in ; Kharput for