THE
burning of Smyrna and the massacre and scattering of its inhabitants has aroused
widespread humanitarian and religious interest on account of the unparalleled
sufferings of the multitudes involved. But there is another element in the
United States, not numerous, that has been more deeply saddened by the fate of
this ancient town—the classical scholars and historians.
The
eyes of scholars, ever since the great discoveries of Schliemann, have been
turned toward the island of Crete, where it is now known that a highly developed
civilization existed, contemporaneous with early Egyptian, and of which the
ancient cities of Tyrins and Mycenae were outposts. It is believed that the
ancestors of the royal houses of these settlements came originally from Asia
Minor, and it is possible that the conception of the grim old lions above the
gate of Mycenae, symbolizing the courage of its kings, may have been imported
from Asia. Theseus, that attractive and romantic hero, who finally became one of
the rulers of the Mythical Age of Athens, is connected with Asia Minor through
the Amazons, who were feminine priestesses of the old cult of the many-breasted
nature goddess of Ephesus.
From
Ionia, the mother civilization spread to old Greece, to Sicily, to Italy and
along the shores of the Black Sea, and finally to Europe and America! It is more
than probable that Homer was a Smyrniote, or an inhabitant of Asia Minor, and
for countless years his writings were a sort of Bible or sacred book, molding
the character of millions.
Perhaps the earliest conception of monogamy, certainly the most beautiful,
comes from Homer’s poems. Our conception of the family is Greek; we get it from
the Odyssey, very probably written in Smyrna, thousands of years
ago.
During
the days of the Byzantine Empire, that splendid, romantic and tragic power which
developed a magnificent civilization and kept the lamp of learning alight all
through the darkness of the Middle Ages, Asia Minor flourished and was the
province which contributed most to the strength and firmness of the general
fabric. The exploits of Nikephoros Phokas and the romance of Diogenes Akritas,
immortalized in verse, are well known even to those scholars who are not
Byzantine specialists. Those were the days of the great land barons who kept
regal state and whose forgotten history should be a vast treasure-house for
romantic novelists. Later, Ionia is of intense interest to the whole
Christian world. It is the land of the Seven Cities of the Revelation, of the
Seven Churches and the wonderful mystical poem of St. John the Divine. Six of
the candles went out in eternal darkness long ago, but that of Smyrna burned
brightly until its destruction on the thirteenth of September, 1922, by the
Turks of Mustapha Klhemal and the death of the last of its great bishops whose
martyrdom fitly ended its glorious Christian
history.
Polycarp,
the patron saint of Smyrna during the long years of its existence as a Christian
city, was burned alive in an ancient stadium whose contour is still plainly
visible, on February twenty-sixth, in the year A. D. 156; Chrysostom was
tortured and torn in pieces by a Turkish mob in front of the military
headquarters of the Khemalist forces in Smyrna on September ninth, A. D. 1922.
In Asia Minor were held the great Christian assemblies: at Nicea, Ephesus and
Chalcedon, were born the Church fathers, St. Paul and the two Gregories. It was
at Ephesus, near Smyrna, that St. Paul fought with beasts after the manner of
men.
Greek
civilization has again and again developed in Asia Minor to be crushed by
Asiatic invasion. At its height it produced the immortal cities of Pergamus,
Smyrna, Colophon, Philadelphia, Ephrsus, Halicarnassus. The whole land was
dotted with lesser towns adorned with schools of art and beautiful temples from
many of which sprang famous philosophers and poets. Ionia is a graveyard of
ancient Greek cities and marble villages toward which the interest of American
scholars has been turning more and more. A pioneer in this field was J. R.
Sitlington Sterrett, who has left an unforgettable name among American
archeologists.
The
climate of Smyrna resembles very much that of Southern California. Snow rarely,
if ever, falls in winter, and during the summer the country is daily refreshed
by a breeze from the sea, the embates,
or, in the Smyrna dialect, the imbat.
The
route to Smyrna from Athens lies between Euboea and Andros and between the
islands of Chios and Mytilini, the ancient Lesbos, famous as the home of Sappho.
It skirts the great promontory of Kharabournou and enters the Hermian Gulf. To
the left is the ancient city of Phocea. A colony from Phocea founded
Marseilles, France, some thousands of years ago. It is interesting to know that
the massacre and expulsion of the inhabitants in June, 1914, excited special
interest and sympathy in the modern French city.
The
harbor of Smyrna is one of the best in the world, comparable to that of
Vancouver. At the bottom of the Hermian Gulf we come to a sort of sea-gate, the
entrance to the harbor proper, in which the largest sea-going craft can safely
anchor. Smyrna has attained great importance in late years as a commercial port.
While other harbors, especially that of its ancient rival, Ephesus, have been
filled by deposits brought down by the rivers, that of Smyrna has not suffered
the same fate, the silt of the delta of the Hermus having tended only to narrow
its mouth.
Among
the first objects pointed out to the traveler on entering the bay are the “Two
Brothers,” or twin mountain peaks, which are identical in appearance. At the
right is the ancient fortress bombarded by the British fleet during the war
whose guns can plainly be seen by passengers upon steamers. Soon after passing
the fortress, Smyrna appears nestling in the arms of a long, white, semicircular
bay, resembling that of Naples, to which it is scarcely second in beauty, and
climbing the slopes of Mount Pagus, crowned by an ancient wall and fortress. The
city itself, with its suburbs, stretched far around the semicircle on both
sides.
At
the time of its destruction it is probable that the inhabitants exceeded five
hundred thousand in numbers. The latest official statistics give the figure as
four hundred thousand, of whom one hundred and sixty-five thousand were Turks,
one hundred and fifty thousand Greeks, twenty-five thousand Jews, twenty-five
thousand Armenians, and twenty thousand foreigners: ten thousand Italians, three
thousand French, two thousand British and three hundred
Americans.
The
principal promenade was the quay, on which were located the American theater,
the prettiest building of its kind in the Ottoman Empire, many cinemas, the best
hotels, various modern and well-constructed office buildings, besides the
residences of the most prosperous merchants, among whom were Greeks, Armenians
and Dutch. On this street also were several of the Consulates, the building
owned by the French Government being an imposing structure, suitable even for an
embassy.
The
residences mentioned were elegant in appearance and contained treasures of rugs,
expensive furniture, works of art and Oriental curios.
The
city was divided largely into quarters, though this was not a rigid arrangement.
The Turkish lay to the east and south, and, as is usual in all mixed Ottoman
towns, occupied the highest part, extending up the sides of Mount Pagus,
(and does still, for that matter, as it was not burned).
Architecturally it is a typical jumble of ramshackle huts, with very few, if
any, buildings of a superior order. To the east are grouped most of the Jews,
while the Armenian quarter lay to the north of the Turkish and contiguous with
it. The Greek area was north again of the Armenian.
In
speaking of the population of Smyrna one should not forget to mention the
“Levantines.” There seems to be some doubt in the American mind as to who these
really are. The term is usually applied to any inhabitant of the Near East, and
is supposed to carry with it an implication of deceit and sharpness in business.
A “Levantine” is really a foreigner whose forefathers settled in that country
one or more generations ago, who has become thoroughly versed in Oriental
dealings, who speaks the languages, and some of whose ancestors may have
intermarried with Greeks or Armenians.
As
the Oriental understands it, the population of that country consists of Turks,
Greeks, Armenians, Jews and Levantines. The latter have thriven immensely, and
there are two small towns, Boudja and Bournabat, both within half an hour by
rail from the metropolis, inhabited principally by descendants of British,
French and Dutch, whose ancestors settled a hundred years or so ago in the Near
East. These two villages are very beautiful. Many of the residences are
imposing, and the parks and rose gardens surrounding them are not surpassed
anywhere in the world. Their owners lived, (or live, such of them as have gone
back) the lives of merchant princes. They have been able, protected by the
capitulations, to amass great fortunes. These people generally resent being
called “Levantines,” and cling to their original nationality. During the Great
War their sons enlisted with enthusiasm, and the German and Turkish cannon and
other instruments of destruction took heavy toll of the debonair and wealthy
youth of Boudja and Bournabat.
The
principal business thoroughfare of Smyrna was the Rue Franque, on which were
situated the great department and wholesale stores of the Greeks, Armenians and
Levantines. At the shopping hour in the afternoon, this street was so crowded
that one moved through it with difficulty, and among the motley throng ladies in
costumes of the latest fashion, looking for that sort of merchandise that ladies
shop for everywhere, formed a large part.
Social
life presented many attractions. Teas, dances, musical afternoons and evenings
were given in the luxurious salons of
the rich Armenians and Greeks. There were four large clubs: the “Cercle de Smyrne”, frequented mostly by
British, French and Americans; the “Sporting” with a fine building and
garden on the quay; the Greek Club and a Country Club near the American college
with excellent golf links and race course.
In
no city in the world did East and West mingle physically in so spectacular a
manner as at Smyrna, while spiritually they always maintained the
characteristics of oil and water. One of the common sights of the streets was
the long camel caravans, the beasts passing in single file, attached to ropes
and led by a driver on a donkey in red fez and rough white-woolen cloak. These
caravans came in from the interior laden with sacks of figs, licorice root,
raisins, wood, tobacco and rugs. While the foreigner is apt to be afraid of
these ungainly beasts, one often saw a Greek or Armenian woman in high-heeled
boots and elegant costume, stoop and lift the rope between two camels and pass
under. At the north end of the city is a railroad station called “Caravan
Bridge”, because near by is an ancient stone bridge of that name over which
the camel caravans arriving from as far away as Bagdad and Damascus, used to
pass.
Reference
has already been made to the gaiety of the natives. One of the chief
institutions of Smyrna about which naval men always inquire, was the “Politakia”, or orchestras of stringed
instruments, guitars, mandolins and zither. The players added great zest to the
performance by singing to their own accompaniment native songs and
improvisations. The various companies gave nightly concerts in the principal
cafes and were often called upon for entertainments in private
houses.
The
lightheartedness of the Smyrniotes was well-nigh irrepressible and continued
almost until the last days when it was extinguished forever. During the Great
War the British bombarded the fortress. At first the sound of the big guns
terrified the inhabitants, but when it was discovered that there was no
intention of throwing shells into the city itself the whole population gathered
on the housetops and at the cafes to witness the flashes and the bursting of the
projectiles. The cannonading was plainly visible from the quay and became a
regular theatrical performance, chairs on the sidewalks being sold at high
prices.
Passing
from the European quarter—Greeks and Armenians are here classed as
Europeans—into the Turkish, one found himself in the days of the “Arabian Nights”. The civilization, the
manners, the isolation of the women, who were either not seen at all or passed
through the streets closely veiled, were all such as one finds described in the
“Thousand and One Nights”. Mention
should be made particularly of the letter-writers, generally kindly old hodjas,
who sat at tables taking down the love-letters and other missives that were
whispered in their ears. Groups of befezzed Mussulmans sat about smoking their
water pipes beside antique fountains or in the shade of clambering
grape-vines.
The
American interests in Smyrna were very important. Besides the omnipresent
Standard Oil Company, there were the great McAndrews and Forbes licorice firm
with its spacious offices and thousands of employees and laborers, all the
principal tobacco companies whose business amounted to millions yearly, the
exporters of figs and raisins and carpets, and after the Greek occupation, the
importers of agricultural implements and automobiles.
There
were important American educational and humanitarian institutions as well as
archeological expeditions to Sardis and Colophon. The excavators at Sardis
during their last campaign made a notable discovery of thirty gold coins of
Croesus, which were taken charge of by me and brought to the United States
immediately after the Smyrna disaster. They also, with my aid, succeeded in
obtaining the first large consignment of original marbles that has ever been
sent to any American museum. These latter were shipped to America for the
Metropolitan Museum of New York. All these marbles and coins were, for political
reasons, sent back to Constantinople from New York.
I
shall permit myself to digress sufficiently at this point to make the
observation that I took keener satisfaction in bringing these remarkable
antiquities to the United States than in any other single act of my entire
consular career. This satisfaction was shared by the late Howard Crosby Butler,
who added to my pleasure by his unstinted commendation. Perhaps if this great
scholar and courtly gentleman had not died suddenly in Paris, he might have
prevented the sacrifice of these treasures to business and political
interests—futilely and unreasonably sacrificed.
Among
the interesting ancient monuments existing in Smyrna are two aqueducts, which
can be seen from the railroad running to Boudja. There is also the so-called
“Tomb of Tantalus,” the mythical founder of the town. The excellent water supply
of the city is still derived from an ancient source known as the “Baths of
Diana.”
The
road from Smyrna to Boudja skirts the beautiful Valley of St. Anne, so named
because she is supposed to have been buried there. Through this flows the river
known as the Meles, by the banks of which Homer may have composed his great
epics.
The
civilization of this ancient and beautiful city was essentially Greek.
The
great mills of Nazli, which before the war supplied an excellent quality of
flour not only to Smyrna vilayet, but to the rest of Turkey and even exported to
Europe, were founded by a Greek. Of the three hundred and ninety-one
factories at Smyrna, three hundred and forty-four were Greek and fourteen
Turkish. Statistics of this nature could be multiplied
indefinitely.
The
two principal native schools—both Greek—were the Homerion, an institution for
girls, and the Evangelical School for Boys, the latter under British protection.
These were academies of great merit, affording a liberal course of education,
and their graduates, many of them successful men and women, are to be found in
all parts of the world. The library of the Evangelical School was recognized by
scholars as containing a large and invaluable collection of books, manuscripts
and inscriptions, many of which can never be replaced.
Among
other irreparable losses caused by the fire should be mentioned two very ancient
copies of the Bible, one kept in a church in Smyrna, and the other the special
charge of a small community of Christians who are said to have fled from Ephesus
when that city was sacked by the Turks centuries ago, and to have founded a
small village whose sole object was the preservation of this venerable book.
This part of the tale should not be finished without reference to the records of
the American Consulate. Smyrna was one of the oldest of our foreign offices and
contained many dispatches signed by Daniel Webster and others equally famous in
our history, besides interesting references to incursions of the Barbary
pirates, and an account of the saving of a famous Polish patriot by a small
American cruiser, which cleared for action and demanded his release from an
Austrian battle-ship. There have been many thrilling and inspiring episodes in
the history of our navy where commanders have acted on their own responsibility
in behalf of justice and humanity. Such episodes were more frequent before the
perfection of the wireless and the submarine telegraph. It is a consolation to
reflect that the spirited incident mentioned above occurred in the harbor of
Smyrna, to balance, as it were, the history of the
locality.
I
was engaged before the fire in going through the ancient records and preparing a
resume of their contents. Among the treasures of the Consulate were twelve
magnificent old wood-prints of the battle of Navarino, giving different stages
of the action, with faithful reproductions of the various ships with their
names, which, as they were my personal property, I had intended to present to
our navy department. I believe that there are no other copies of these prints in
existence.
Smyrna
is now a mass of ruins and a Turkish village.
It should be borne in mind, however, that history repeats itself. Smyrna
was rebuilt by Greeks after its destruction by Lydians, and Hellenic
civilization again reasserted itself after the ferocity of the
Turkish pirates of 1084, and the frightful butcheries of Tamerlane. A
great city is the flower of industry and a peaceful and prosperous civilization.
When the farmers swarm over the plains and the sailors go down to the sea in
ships, then the bazaars and warehouses are built, the banks and the
counting-houses and the shops of the cunning artisans. Smyrna will grow great
again when a live and progressive Western civilization once more develops in
Ionia. History has demonstrated that the Greeks, from their geographical
position, their industrial and economic enterprise, and their relative maritime
supremacy in the Mediterranean are the people ultimately destined to carry
European progress into Asia Minor unless, indeed, Christianity should utterly
fail, and with it, the civilization founded upon it. Smyrna is too near Europe
for Turkish retrogression and blight to rest there indefinitely. Its fields are
too rich and too valuable to the human race to remain permanently in the bands
of a sparse population of incompetent shepherds. The question is often asked:
“When will the Turks rebuild Smyrna!” Turkish Smyrna was not
burned.
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