A History of Protestant missions in the near East

1
56 History of Protestant Missions in the Near East
school. Happily the American government was at the back
of the Board and extended its
powerful protection to its unjustly
distrusted subjects. After weary and interminable
negotiations, which lasted five years, the Turkish government
was induced to pay nearly T 20,000 in compensation for the
schools destroyed in Aintab and Kharput, and to issue the
requisite firmans for their reconstruction. American energy
was now displayed in restoring the mission, so that by 1900
all traces of the disaster were wiped out in most of the stations,
and the work was again well under way. The education
of thousands of orphans has been one of the main undertakings
during the last decade, the Board having borne the
chief burden of establishing orphanages. During the time of
greatest distress it had over 3,000 children under its care.
Orphanages were opened in all the stations, the largest being
in Kharput, Aintab, Urfa, and Van. In these orphanages no
effort was made unduly to influence the children to become
Protestants. They were permitted to attend the Gregorian
services, being even conducted thither. The Gregorian bishops
were permitted to appoint priests to call on the children
belonging to their Church, and to strengthen their attachment
to it. It is
worthy of note that, if one may judge from the
fact that the number of the members of the Protestant
Churches, which was but temporarily and to a slight degree
affected by the massacre of 1895, has since that time shown
no striking increase, a large majority of the 6,000 orphans,
trained in Protestant orphanages, must have returned to their
old Church.
Two branches of the work came more and more to the fore.
Higher education l is conducted with admirable energy. The
Armenian people, deprived of the means of existence by the
tyranny of the Turks, have thronged to the schools, till these
are full to overflowing. From year to year
it becomes more
difficult to meet the applications for admission. It is characteristic
of these schools that education for girls is on almost
114 The Higher Educational Institutions of the American Board." "Sivas
Normal School."
(Two very interesting booklets.)