Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter eight of With the Turks in Palestine. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
With the Turks in Palestine by Alexander Aronson, Chapter eight
the Lebanon. During the Locust invasion, my brother sent me
(00:21):
on an inspection tour to investigate the ravages of the
insect in Syria. With an official boyourouton passport in my pocket,
I was able to travel all over the country without
being interfered with by the military authorities. I had an
excellent opportunity to see what was going on everywhere. The
locusts had destroyed everything from as far south as the
(00:41):
Egyptian Desert to the Lebanon Mountains on the north. But
the locust was not the only nor the worst plague
that the people had to complain of. The plundering under
the name of military requisitions, the despotic rule of the
army officers and the general insecurity were even more desolating.
As I proceeded on my journey northward, I hope to
(01:02):
find consolation and brighter prospects in the independent province of
the Lebanon. Few Americans know just what the Lebanon is.
From the repeated allusions in the Bible, most people imagine
it to be nothing but a mountain. The truth is
that a beautiful province of about four thousand square miles
bears that name. The population of the Lebanon consists of
(01:23):
a Christian sect called Maronites and the Druses, the latter
a people with a secret religion, the esoteric teachings of
which are known only to the initiated and never divulged
to outsiders. Both these peoples are sturdy, handsome folk. Through
the machinations of the Turks, whose policy is always to
divide and rule, the Maronites were continually fighting against the Druses.
(01:47):
In eighteen sixty, Turkish troops joined with the Druses and
fell upon the Maronites with wholesale massacres that spread as
far south as Damascus, where ten thousand Christians were killed
in two days. The European powers were moved. At last,
fifty warships were sent to Beirut and ten thousand French
troops were landed in the Lebanon to create order. Under
(02:10):
the pressure of the European powers, the Sublime Port was
forced to grant an autonomy for the province of the
Lebanon the French, English, German, Russian, Austrian, and a year
later the Italian governments were signing the guarantee of this autonomy.
Since then, the Lebanon has had peace. The governor of
the province must always be a Christian, but the General
(02:32):
Council of the Lebanon includes representatives of all the different
races and religions of the population. A wonderful development began
with the liberation from Turkish oppression. Macadamized roads were built
all over the province. Agriculture was improved, and there was
complete safety for life and property. There is a proverb
now in Palestine and Syria which says, in the Lebanon
(02:54):
a virgin may travel alone at midnight and be safe,
and a purse of gold dropped in the road at
midday will never be stolen. And a proverb told the
literal truth. When one crossed the boundary from Turkish Palestine
into the Lebanon province, what a change met his eyes.
Peaceful and prosperous villages, schools filled with children, immense plantations
(03:16):
of mulberry trees and olives. The slopes of the mountains,
terraced with beautiful vineyards, a handsome and sturdy population, police
on every road to help the stranger, and young girls
and women with happy laugh in chatter working in the fields.
With the population of about six hundred thousand, this province
exported annually two million dollars worth of raw silk, silkworm
(03:39):
raising being a specialty of the Lebanon. When autonomy was granted,
the Lebanon French influence became predominant among the Maronites and
other Christians of the province. French is spoken by almost
all of them, and love for France is a deep
rooted sentiment of the people. On the other hand, the
Druzes feel the English influence. For the last sixty years,
(04:00):
England has been the friend of the Druses, and they
have not forgotten it. It may be worth while to tell,
in a few words, the story of one man who
accomplished wonders in spreading the influence of his country. Sir
Richard Wood was born in London, a son of Catholic parents.
From his early boyhood he aspired to enter the diplomatic service.
(04:21):
The East attracted him strongly, and in order to learn Arabic.
He went with another young Englishman to live in the Lebanon.
In Beirut, they sought the hospitality of the Maronite patriarch
for a few days. They were treated with lavish hospitality,
and then the patriarch summoned them before him and told
them that they must leave the city within twenty four hours.
(04:42):
The reason for their disgrace they discovered later, not suspecting
that they were being put to the test, they had
eaten meat on a Friday, and this made the patriarch
think that they were not true Catholics, but were there
as spies. Leaving Beirut in haste, Wood and his friends
sought shelter with the Druses, who received them with open arms.
(05:02):
For two years, Wood lived among the Druses in the
village of Obi. There he learned Arabic and became thoroughly
acquainted with the country and with the ways of the Druses,
and there he conceived the idea of winning the Druses
for England to counteract the influence of the French Maronites.
He went back to London, where he succeeded in impressing
his views upon the Foreign Office, and he returned to Syria,
(05:24):
charged with a secret mission. Before long he persuaded the
Dru's chieftains to address a petition to England asking for
British protection. British protection was granted, and for over thirty
years Richard Wood virtually single handed shaped the destiny of Syria.
It was he who broke the power of Ibrahim Pasha,
the son of Mehemet Ali. It was he who guided
(05:47):
Admiral Stopford in the bombardment of Beirut. It was he
again who brought about the landing of English troops in
Syria in eighteen forty one. We found him afterwards in
Damascus as British consul, and wherever he went he was
always busy spreading English power and prestige. He understood the
East thoroughly and felt that England must be strong in
(06:07):
Syria if she wished to retain her imperial power. It
is very unfortunate that the policy of Sir Richard Wood
was not carried out by his nation. It was with
high hopes and expectations that I approached the Lebanon. I
was looking forward to the moment when I should find
myself among people who were free from the Turkish yoke,
in a country where I should be able to breathe
(06:28):
freely for a few hours. But how great was my
consternation when, on entering the Lebanon I found on all
the roads Turkish soldiers who stopped me every minute to
ask for my papers. Even then I could not realize
that the worst had happened. Of course, rumors of the
Turkish occupation of the Lebanon had reached us a few
weeks before, but we had not believed it, as we
(06:50):
knew that Germany and Austria were among those who guaranteed
the autonomy of the Lebanon. It was true, however, the
scrap of paper that guaranteed the freedom of the Lebanon
had proved of no more value to the Lebanese than
had that other scrap of paper to Belgium. As I
entered the beautiful village of Ed de Mours, one of
the most prosperous and enchanting places on Earth, I saw
(07:12):
entire regiments of Turkish troops encamped in and about the village.
While I was wading my horse, I tried to ask
questions from a few inhabitants. My fair hair and complexion
and my Khaki costume made them take me for a
German and they barely answered me, but when I addressed
them in French, their faces lit up. For the Lebanon,
(07:32):
for all it is thousands of miles away from France,
is nevertheless like a French province. For fifty years, the
French language and French culture have taken hold of the Lebanon.
No Frenchman has more love for and faith in France
than lie in the hearts of the Lebanese Christians. They
have never forgotten that when massacres were threatening to wipe
out all the Christians of the Lebanon, ten thousand French
(07:55):
soldiers swept over the mountains to spread peace, life and
French gayety. And when the poor people heard the language
they loved, and when they found out that I too
was the son of an oppressed and ruined community, all
the sadness and bitterness of their hearts was told me.
How the Turkish soldiers had spread over the beloved mountains
of Lebanon, How the strong, stalwart young Lebanese had been
(08:18):
taken away from the mountains and forced into the Turkish army.
How the girls and women were hiding in their homes,
afraid to be seen by the soldiers and their officers.
How the chieftains were imprisoned and even hanged, and how
violence and pillage had spread over the peaceful country. Footnote.
Since the above was written, the American press has chronicled
(08:39):
many atrocities committed in the Lebanon. The execution of leaders
in the complete blockade of the mountains by the Turkish
authorities resulted in the starving of eighty thousand Lebanese. The
French government has warned Turkey through the American ambassador, that
the Turks will be held accountable for their deeds. End footnote.
(08:59):
I could not help wondering at the mistakes of the Allies.
If they had understood the situation in Palestine and Syria,
how differently this war might have eventuated. The Lebanon and
Syria would have raised a hundred thousand picked men. If
the Allies had landed in Palestine, the Lebanon would have
fought for its independence as heroically as did the Belgians.
(09:20):
Even the Arab population would have welcomed the Allies as liberators.
But alas with a saddened heart, I pursued my journey
into Beirut. My coming was a joyful surprise to my sister.
Many sad things had happened since she had last seen me.
During my imprisonment. She had suffered tortures, not knowing what
would happen to me, And now that she saw me alive,
(09:42):
she cried from happiness. She told me how kindly she
had been treated by President Bliss of the Syrian Protestant College,
and of all the good things the College had done.
What a blessing the College was for the people of Beirut.
Many unfortunate people were saved from prison and hardship through
the intervention of President Bliss. He never tired of rendering service,
(10:04):
wonderful personal service. But alas even his influence and power
began to wane, the American prestige in the country was broken,
and the Turkish government no longer respected the American flag.
An order issued from Constantinople demanded that the official language
of the College be Turkish instead of English, and Turkish
officers even dared to enter the college premises to search
(10:27):
for citizens belonging to the belligerent nations without troubling to
ask permission from the American consul. End of Chapter eight
read by Laurie Ann Walden
Chapter eight of With the Turks in Palestine. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
With the Turks in Palestine by Alexander Aronson, Chapter eight
the Lebanon. During the Locust invasion, my brother sent me
(00:21):
on an inspection tour to investigate the ravages of the
insect in Syria. With an official boyourouton passport in my pocket,
I was able to travel all over the country without
being interfered with by the military authorities. I had an
excellent opportunity to see what was going on everywhere. The
locusts had destroyed everything from as far south as the
(00:41):
Egyptian Desert to the Lebanon Mountains on the north. But
the locust was not the only nor the worst plague
that the people had to complain of. The plundering under
the name of military requisitions, the despotic rule of the
army officers and the general insecurity were even more desolating.
As I proceeded on my journey northward, I hope to
(01:02):
find consolation and brighter prospects in the independent province of
the Lebanon. Few Americans know just what the Lebanon is.
From the repeated allusions in the Bible, most people imagine
it to be nothing but a mountain. The truth is
that a beautiful province of about four thousand square miles
bears that name. The population of the Lebanon consists of
(01:23):
a Christian sect called Maronites and the Druses, the latter
a people with a secret religion, the esoteric teachings of
which are known only to the initiated and never divulged
to outsiders. Both these peoples are sturdy, handsome folk. Through
the machinations of the Turks, whose policy is always to
divide and rule, the Maronites were continually fighting against the Druses.
(01:47):
In eighteen sixty, Turkish troops joined with the Druses and
fell upon the Maronites with wholesale massacres that spread as
far south as Damascus, where ten thousand Christians were killed
in two days. The European powers were moved. At last,
fifty warships were sent to Beirut and ten thousand French
troops were landed in the Lebanon to create order. Under
(02:10):
the pressure of the European powers, the Sublime Port was
forced to grant an autonomy for the province of the
Lebanon the French, English, German, Russian, Austrian, and a year
later the Italian governments were signing the guarantee of this autonomy.
Since then, the Lebanon has had peace. The governor of
the province must always be a Christian, but the General
(02:32):
Council of the Lebanon includes representatives of all the different
races and religions of the population. A wonderful development began
with the liberation from Turkish oppression. Macadamized roads were built
all over the province. Agriculture was improved, and there was
complete safety for life and property. There is a proverb
now in Palestine and Syria which says, in the Lebanon
(02:54):
a virgin may travel alone at midnight and be safe,
and a purse of gold dropped in the road at
midday will never be stolen. And a proverb told the
literal truth. When one crossed the boundary from Turkish Palestine
into the Lebanon province, what a change met his eyes.
Peaceful and prosperous villages, schools filled with children, immense plantations
(03:16):
of mulberry trees and olives. The slopes of the mountains,
terraced with beautiful vineyards, a handsome and sturdy population, police
on every road to help the stranger, and young girls
and women with happy laugh in chatter working in the fields.
With the population of about six hundred thousand, this province
exported annually two million dollars worth of raw silk, silkworm
(03:39):
raising being a specialty of the Lebanon. When autonomy was granted,
the Lebanon French influence became predominant among the Maronites and
other Christians of the province. French is spoken by almost
all of them, and love for France is a deep
rooted sentiment of the people. On the other hand, the
Druzes feel the English influence. For the last sixty years,
(04:00):
England has been the friend of the Druses, and they
have not forgotten it. It may be worth while to tell,
in a few words, the story of one man who
accomplished wonders in spreading the influence of his country. Sir
Richard Wood was born in London, a son of Catholic parents.
From his early boyhood he aspired to enter the diplomatic service.
(04:21):
The East attracted him strongly, and in order to learn Arabic.
He went with another young Englishman to live in the Lebanon.
In Beirut, they sought the hospitality of the Maronite patriarch
for a few days. They were treated with lavish hospitality,
and then the patriarch summoned them before him and told
them that they must leave the city within twenty four hours.
(04:42):
The reason for their disgrace they discovered later, not suspecting
that they were being put to the test, they had
eaten meat on a Friday, and this made the patriarch
think that they were not true Catholics, but were there
as spies. Leaving Beirut in haste, Wood and his friends
sought shelter with the Druses, who received them with open arms.
(05:02):
For two years, Wood lived among the Druses in the
village of Obi. There he learned Arabic and became thoroughly
acquainted with the country and with the ways of the Druses,
and there he conceived the idea of winning the Druses
for England to counteract the influence of the French Maronites.
He went back to London, where he succeeded in impressing
his views upon the Foreign Office, and he returned to Syria,
(05:24):
charged with a secret mission. Before long he persuaded the
Dru's chieftains to address a petition to England asking for
British protection. British protection was granted, and for over thirty
years Richard Wood virtually single handed shaped the destiny of Syria.
It was he who broke the power of Ibrahim Pasha,
the son of Mehemet Ali. It was he who guided
(05:47):
Admiral Stopford in the bombardment of Beirut. It was he
again who brought about the landing of English troops in
Syria in eighteen forty one. We found him afterwards in
Damascus as British consul, and wherever he went he was
always busy spreading English power and prestige. He understood the
East thoroughly and felt that England must be strong in
(06:07):
Syria if she wished to retain her imperial power. It
is very unfortunate that the policy of Sir Richard Wood
was not carried out by his nation. It was with
high hopes and expectations that I approached the Lebanon. I
was looking forward to the moment when I should find
myself among people who were free from the Turkish yoke,
in a country where I should be able to breathe
(06:28):
freely for a few hours. But how great was my
consternation when, on entering the Lebanon I found on all
the roads Turkish soldiers who stopped me every minute to
ask for my papers. Even then I could not realize
that the worst had happened. Of course, rumors of the
Turkish occupation of the Lebanon had reached us a few
weeks before, but we had not believed it, as we
(06:50):
knew that Germany and Austria were among those who guaranteed
the autonomy of the Lebanon. It was true, however, the
scrap of paper that guaranteed the freedom of the Lebanon
had proved of no more value to the Lebanese than
had that other scrap of paper to Belgium. As I
entered the beautiful village of Ed de Mours, one of
the most prosperous and enchanting places on Earth, I saw
(07:12):
entire regiments of Turkish troops encamped in and about the village.
While I was wading my horse, I tried to ask
questions from a few inhabitants. My fair hair and complexion
and my Khaki costume made them take me for a
German and they barely answered me, but when I addressed
them in French, their faces lit up. For the Lebanon,
(07:32):
for all it is thousands of miles away from France,
is nevertheless like a French province. For fifty years, the
French language and French culture have taken hold of the Lebanon.
No Frenchman has more love for and faith in France
than lie in the hearts of the Lebanese Christians. They
have never forgotten that when massacres were threatening to wipe
out all the Christians of the Lebanon, ten thousand French
(07:55):
soldiers swept over the mountains to spread peace, life and
French gayety. And when the poor people heard the language
they loved, and when they found out that I too
was the son of an oppressed and ruined community, all
the sadness and bitterness of their hearts was told me.
How the Turkish soldiers had spread over the beloved mountains
of Lebanon, How the strong, stalwart young Lebanese had been
(08:18):
taken away from the mountains and forced into the Turkish army.
How the girls and women were hiding in their homes,
afraid to be seen by the soldiers and their officers.
How the chieftains were imprisoned and even hanged, and how
violence and pillage had spread over the peaceful country. Footnote.
Since the above was written, the American press has chronicled
(08:39):
many atrocities committed in the Lebanon. The execution of leaders
in the complete blockade of the mountains by the Turkish
authorities resulted in the starving of eighty thousand Lebanese. The
French government has warned Turkey through the American ambassador, that
the Turks will be held accountable for their deeds. End footnote.
(08:59):
I could not help wondering at the mistakes of the Allies.
If they had understood the situation in Palestine and Syria,
how differently this war might have eventuated. The Lebanon and
Syria would have raised a hundred thousand picked men. If
the Allies had landed in Palestine, the Lebanon would have
fought for its independence as heroically as did the Belgians.
(09:20):
Even the Arab population would have welcomed the Allies as liberators.
But alas with a saddened heart, I pursued my journey
into Beirut. My coming was a joyful surprise to my sister.
Many sad things had happened since she had last seen me.
During my imprisonment. She had suffered tortures, not knowing what
would happen to me, And now that she saw me alive,
(09:42):
she cried from happiness. She told me how kindly she
had been treated by President Bliss of the Syrian Protestant College,
and of all the good things the College had done.
What a blessing the College was for the people of Beirut.
Many unfortunate people were saved from prison and hardship through
the intervention of President Bliss. He never tired of rendering service,
(10:04):
wonderful personal service. But alas even his influence and power
began to wane, the American prestige in the country was broken,
and the Turkish government no longer respected the American flag.
An order issued from Constantinople demanded that the official language
of the College be Turkish instead of English, and Turkish
officers even dared to enter the college premises to search
(10:27):
for citizens belonging to the belligerent nations without troubling to
ask permission from the American consul. End of Chapter eight
read by Laurie Ann Walden
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.