SMYRNA AS IT WAS
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 Mycenæ 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 Mycenæ,
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 Khemal 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 Nicæ, 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, Ephesus,
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 Eubœa 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 Kharabounou 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.
[Illustration: Turkish public letter-writer, at Smyrna, receiving
dictation of illiterate but amorous maiden.]
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 cafés 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 house-tops and at
the cafés 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 Crœsus, 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
despatches 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 resumé 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 hands of a sparse population
of incompetent shepherds. The question is often asked: “When will the
Turks rebuild Smyrna?” Turkish Smyrna was not burned.