A Byzantine Remnant

A BYZANTINE REMNANT.
Mr. R. M. Dawkins dealt with the "Greek Element in Asia Minor," which he said had existed under the domination of the Turks ever since the arrival first of the Seljouks and then of the Ottomans. It was, however, not annihilated by the conquerors, and the regions where it survived in greatest numbers were marked also by the preservation of the Greek language. In the western parts of Asia the destruction of the Greeks was more complete, and therefore there the language had only survived in a few scattered villages. This local Greek was of great importance from many points of view. Its mixture with Turkish was of great linguistic interest; many features in its grammar made it plain that it rested upon a form of Hellenistic Greek different from that which had produced ordinary modern Greek, and it was therefore of use in reconstructing the features of the Hellenistic language; and lastly its vocabularly reflected in a remarkable way the history of the country.
The condition of these Greek communities had grown sensibly worse since the New Turk regime; in particular the introduction of conscription was causing wholesale emigration, especially from Pontus into Russia. It seemed that the aim of the Turks was now the total destruction of the Greek population.