"Hardly. There are German missionaries in the country, doing good
work in a funny, fussy, rigorous fashion of their own. They'd raise
a dickens of a hocus-pocus back in Germany if they once suspected
their government of playing that game. No. But Germany intends
to stand off the other powers, while Turks tackle the Armenians;
and the Turks know that."

"But what's the immediate excuse for massacre?" demanded Fred.

The consul laughed.

"All that's needed is a spark. The Armenians haven't been tactful.
They don't hesitate to irritate the Turks--not that you can blame
them, but it isn't wise. Most of the money-lenders are Armenians;
Turks won't engage in that business themselves on religious grounds,
but they're ready borrowers, and the Armenian money-lenders, who
are in a very small minority, of course, are grasping and give a
bad name to the whole nation. Then, Armenians have been boasting
openly that one of these days the old Armenian kingdom will be
reestablished. The Turks are conquerors, you know, and don't like
that kind of talk. If the Armenians could only keep from quarreling
among themselves they could win their independence in half a jiffy,
but the Turks are deadly wise at the old trick of divide et impera;
they keep the Armenians quarreling, and nobody dares stand in with
them because sooner--or later--sooner, probably--they'll split among
themselves, and leave their friends high and dry. You can't blame 'em.
The Turks know enough to play on their religious prejudices and set
one sect against another. When the massacres begin scarcely an Armenian
will know who is friend and who enemy."