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ARMENIA IN MODERN TIMES 309
rending horror that they read like a nightmare. Miserable
shadows of what had once been human beings—often men
and women of high culture—would eat anything they could
lay hands on, while the gendarmes sat indifferently gazing at
their sufferings, keeping watch over them until they dropped
dead. It was a hell. And the Turkish authorities did every
thing in their power to prevent any relief from being sent,
even by Germany, to these unfortunate creatures. When Dr.
Lepsius applied to Enver Pasha in Constantinople, as early
as August 191 5, for permission to bring relief to the suffering
" deportees," the latter answered that the Turks would relieve
them ; if the Germans wished to help they could send gifts
and money to the Turkish Government, which would see
that they were delivered to the right address. What the
" right address " meant, it is not difficult to guess. As for
the Americans who brought relief, they were simply refused
permission to land.
The Armenians who were still left were given the choice
of conversion to Islam or death, and all Armenians in military
service would have to be circumcised. Furthermore, all
Armenians would have to adopt Turkish names. Many
became Muhammedans and agreed to be circumcised ; and
the authorities made a point of getting hold of as many
children as possible. The Turkish programme was to stamp
out the Christian religion and replace all Christian names by
Muhammedan names throughout Asia Minor from the Black
Sea to Syria.
Enemies of the Armenians pretend to regard it as a proof
of degenerate feebleness that such large numbers of people
allowed themselves, without resistance, to be massacred or
driven away to certain death ; though this argument is
directly contradictory to the trumped-up Turkish accusation
that their victims were dangerous rebels. As most of the
able-bodied men had already been tåken for war service, and
the entire Armenian population had been systematically
disarmed, it was not such an easy matter for them to offer
resistance to well-armed gendarmes, soldiery, and " volun
teers." None the less, the Armenians defended themselves
bravely and with a certain amount of success in some cases
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