A Memorable Gift

Vahe H. Apelian

 

I believe that books make memorable and lasting gifts. At times, forgotten, they stay away tucked on a bookshelf or somewhere else and they pop out every now and then rekindling memories. 

On this Christmas, Gary and Janis Arvanigians, our khnamis, gifted me a book Gary painstakingly had looked for, far and wide, on eBay and picked it because it also bore the signature of the “author”.  I put the word author in parenthesis because the book is a summary translation of the eminent Roupen Der Minasian’s famous memoir. It is titled “Armenian Freedom Fighters, Memoirs of Roupen Der Minasian”.  James G. Mandalian, who for all practical purposes was the first longstanding editor of the Armenian Weekly (1934-1969) - his predecessor served only for a for few months – is the person who “ translated, edited, paraphrased, and adopted ” segments  of Roupen Der Minasian's memoir after having done a “ thorough and critical search of the entire seven volume ” in a “ highly pleasant labor of years ”. 

The book was published in 1963 by Hairenik Association, in its 212 Stuart Street, Boston location. It is 244 pages long. James Mandalian has personalized this copy to a friend named Drtad.  The content is comprised of a preface, an introduction, and an epilogue. The main course of the text is the selected and abridged translated segments of the original text. The Translation is depicted under the following chapters:  The Revolutionary Crucible; Anatomy of The Revolution; Teaching The Peasant The Use of Arms (“Your Rifle, Your Life”); The Fedayee (“He Who Fought”); Of Warriors and Battle.

James Mandalian,  “ With a profound attachment and affection", noted that he dedicated this  “ work to the Armenian Youth Federation whom (he) served as their first Executive Secretary and who, as the successor of those immortal Armenian Freedom Fighters depicted herein, are called upon to carry on the prosecution of the Armenian Cause, when the senior generation has departed from the Armenian scene. ”

He also has included a translated passage from Moses of Khoren, who is credited to be the earliest known Armenian historian whose historiographical work is the first depiction about Armenia and Armenians. The passage is commonly quoted. It reads in English “ For, albeit we are but a small patch, and exceedingly limited in numbers, and weak in might, and oft conquered by other kingdoms, yet many deeds of valor are to be found in our land of Armenia. ”

Indeed so!

James Mandlian also quoted a passage from Theodore Roosevelt. I had not come across this passage before. He might have chosen to quote the passage as a message to his readers or as a charge to the AYFers to whom he dedicated this work.  It reads: “ It is not the critic who counts; nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who actually is in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again, and again; who knows the great enthusiasms; the great devotions; who spends himself on a worthy cause; who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring  greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. ” 

I have practically done reading this refreshing book with gratitude to  Gary and Janis Arvanigians for having presented me a lasting and a memorable gift.