Page:Islam, Turkey, and Armenia, and How They Happened.djvu/87

 1. Armenians Are an Exceedingly Religious People. You cannot find a single member in that communion who has not been baptized in the sacred fount of the church and in the name of the Holy Trinity; not one in ten thousand whose marriage is not performed under the authority of the church. If there be any they are refused to approach the Lord's table and their children are not admitted to baptism, and their dead are not buried with christian ceremonies. In every Armenian town the best building is the church, with the sign of the cross on its top. The choicest lamb in the flock is offered at the threshold of the holy convent; the highest seat in the house and the best portion on the table is for the priest. The most secret affairs and sorrows are entrusted to the fatherly confidence of the pastor. On each visit all the members of the family are glad to hold his hand and reverently kiss it while he utters "God bless you." The aged men and women, in many instances deprived of sight, with remarkable regularity attend the services in the church, which are performed twice a day, very early in the morning and late in the afternoon, repeating silently all the way the beautiful psalms which they learned in their youth. When they meet a friend on their way from