Peril Of Massacre In Constantinople.

New York Times 100 years ago today, November 8, 1912:
Various Factors Which Make the Position of the Christians Very Unsafe.
THE THOUSANDS OF 'SOFTAS'
Theological Students Incite Others to Slay the Unbelievers — Average Turk's Ignorance.
    Such is the sinister renown that the Turks have acquired for massacring Christians whenever their fanaticism has been aroused that the fate of the non-Moslem residents of Constantinople has naturally become the object of universal anxiety.
    The capital boasts of a million and a quarter inhabitants, among whom the lawless element is as strong as in any city of the same size. Although the town is well policed, there have been instances when the whole force has discreetly abstained from going on duty for periods of two or three days at a time. On such occasions the unruly mob is in full control. The last occurrence of this nature was witnessed on Aug. 26 to 29, 1896, when about 8,000 Armenians were slaughtered in cold blood in the streets.
    In those three days the city was literally turned over to murderous crowds. Bands of Turks, often led by some fanatical priest, marched on the ill-paved thoroughfares shouting that the Sultan had permitted the killing of all unbelievers and that they were going to free the country from the pollution of infidel citizens. Not a policeman was in sight, and it was plain that the details of the butchery had been carefully planned. For a while pandemonium reigned in the streets; every Armenian who was spotted was killed. The bloody work was done by means of stout sticks with which the populace had been armed, by the authorities themselves, according to some versions. The uniform size and appearance of the weapons lent much semblance of truth to the tale.
    The Turkish Government has taken advantage of the fanaticism of its subjects, and occasionally endeavors to shelter its weakness by proclaiming its inability to control the mob. For instance, the plea is already made by the Turkish authorities that the approach of the Balkan allies to Constantinople may result in fanatical outbreaks which it cannot check. This may be a veiled threat that as a last resort the Turk's vengeance will be wreaked on the Christian community.
    There is no telling the awful consequences of an outburst of Moslem fanaticism in Constantinople, The only way the Christians could effectively protect themselves in such case would be to take refuge on board the foreign vessels in the harbor. During the Armenian massacres of 1896 many Englishmen sought shelter on board English steamers, and the French did likewise on ships flying their country's flag.
    Outside of taking shelter on ships, the schools, churches, and embassies afford a certain amount of protection on land. Such buildings are massively built, as a rule, and may be converted into temporary strongholds which may effectively stand the attacks of a crowd. Artillery alone will destroy them. In the massacres mentioned, instances occurred where such edifices were put to good use in this manner. In one case the doors were strongly barricaded with bags loaded with stones.
    Every resident of Constantinople knows well that the greatest source of danger of a general massacre lies with the "softas." These are theological students drawn from all parts of the empire by the fame of the teachers of Islam dwelling in the capital. The militant spirit of Islamism is warmly cherished by their youthful imagination. Their studies and mode of life foster the development of fanatical intolerance. As these "softas" have the privilege of being exempt from military service, they are usually very numerous in every Mohammedan city of any importance. Needless to state, their vocation is often the result of the advantage to be derived by eluding onerous barrack duties. The rank and file of this class of Moslem social organization is made of a cowardly element. The Turks themselves speak of them with ill-concealed contempt, and the appellation of "softa" serves to indicate that one has shirked his military duties and smacks of lack of manliness. The mode of life these students lead is particularly suited to a lazy temperament. Hence many continue to learn all their lives, and it is a common sight to see gray-bearded individuals sit side by side with youths hardly beyond their first score years. About 10,000 of these would-be apostles of the Prophet's creed are known to attend courses and lectures in Constantinople. They can be seen hanging around every mosque in the city. They are the men who spit on the ground in token of repulsiveness at the sight of a foreign tourist strolling in the vicinity of their sanctuaries.
    A general massacre of Christians was barely averted about three years ago by the timely entry into Constantinople of the revolutionary army which the Young Turks sent to dethrone the former Sultan. This tyrant, perceiving that his power had been completely destroyed, conceived a wholesale execution of Christians as a last resort to recover his ground in the hope that the event might be attributed to his loss of power and as a demonstration of the inability of his political opponents to control the unruly element among his people. On this occasion the "softas" played the rôle of inciters with considerable success. They inflamed the minds of a considerable portion of the capital's garrison to revolt. They mingled with the soldiers in and out of the barracks and, by ill-advised counsel and the distribution of hastily prepared anti-Christian pamphlets, aroused ignorant imaginations to such a pitch of excitement that carnage would have ensued in all likelihood had not the revolutionary army made its unexpected appearance at the city gates. Within twenty-four hours most of these "softas" had been gathered and penned under guard in military buildings. Some were publicly hanged, and it was rumored that many were quietly disposed of after a fashion well known in Turkey and sometimes in Mexico.
    With the presence of a victorious Christian army at the door of Constantinople it is not unlikely that the "softas" will attempt once more to excite the populace to deeds of violence. It is a question whether the authorities will be able to frustrate their attempts, for the average Turk is exceedingly ignorant and hence very superstitious.
    One of their traditions is that they will be compelled one day to retire to their land of origin in the Asiatic steppes. So strong is this belief among them that Moslem residents of European Turkey make it a point to have their bodies sent over to Asia for burial whenever they can afford it. In this way they believe that their graves will be undefiled by the infidel who they know will ultimately drive them out of Europe. The strength of this tradition is best exemplified in Constantinople itself, where most Turks prefer being buried on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus.
    Still another source of danger for the Christian community of Constantinople in these days lies in the fact that the pernicious habit of attributing national calamities to the presence of the unbelievers in their midst is strongly rooted among Moslems. It is no uncommon occurrence to hear Turks remark that their Government is too lenient toward the Christians in general. Such is the faith of most Turks in themselves and their creed that the idea of attributing their own losses to their own failings never enters their minds. Any foreigner who knows them well will vouch for the statement that the bulk of the population in Constantinople or any other Turkish city will not believe to-day that their armies have stood the enormous losses inflicted by the Bulgarians.
    When the allied Balkan soldiers march triumphantly in the streets of Constantinople, as is likely, there will be many Turks who will wonder why the Sultan has permitted such a desecration. The possibility of the destruction of their country's, army is beyond their conception. They will think, however, that it is high time to dethrone the Sultan and get a better ruler in his place.
    This may seem impossible to Western minds not conversant with the extraordinary degree of ignorance of the average Turk. And yet this is what actually happened during the Turco-Russian war of 1878, which ended so disastrously for Turkey. To this day the ignorant peasant of Asia Minor can be heard speaking of the glorious war of 1878, when the Turkish Army meted out terrible punishment on presumptious Russians who had dared to defy the wrath of the Sultan.
    This lack of knowledge of affairs of the world is perhaps best shown by the remark made by a Turkish priest to an American traveler who had been asked by the prelate where his country was.
    "Oh, yes, I know about that land," rejoined the turbaned Turk to the foreigner's reply. "That's where one of our famous seamen lives, the well-known Capt. Colombus Pasha. By the way, has our Sultan built any mosques over there yet?"
               E. R.