St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-07-17
Another Appeal for Armenia.

in Asatic Turkey, portions OF which, at
least, should be given to the Christian
public of America. Under date OF June
16, Mr.. Peet, the business agent of the
Board at Constantinople, who is also
prominent upon the relief committee at
that city writes:
II have Just received information from
the region Of Diarbekir through DR.. Har-
ris OF England, who is now looking
about in that part OF the country, to the
effect that the situation at Diarbekir is
worse than that at Ourfa. had hoped
that the coming Of warm weather
would bring relief, and evidently it has
in many parts OF the field, but there are
still some sections where even the coming
of warm weather has not met the hunger
of the people. The amount of it is we
must hold our lists open and press upon
the people the need for continued assist
ance and yet must be prepared to face
the fact that with the coming Of cold
weather we shall have to redouble our
efforts. We are appalled, at the magui-
tude OF the work before us. The situa-
ton is simply dreadful and is becoming
more and more serious day by day.
Every Christian and humanitarian sem
timent demands that we press on for the
largest subscriptions we can get for
the help of these unhappy and prosecuted
people"
That the case may be better under
stood, Mr. Peet encloses some extracts
from letters received from the interior,
showing the desperate condition of null
titudes in the towns and villages who
have now nothing to support them and
little hope for the future. One or two of
the extracts may be given as fairly re-
presenting them all. A missionary in
Harpoot writes
"Our relief so far has been simply to
keep the people alive; and how near the
brink Of starvation they have come you
can judge from village which | visited
today. 1t was formerly village of
about $50 houses. Perhaps Is remain
the rest are completely destroyed. Only
the walls remain to show how fine a vii
lage it once was. The people were clad
in rags; there were no beds in their
houses, save in some ~ houses. All win
ter they have slept on the floor with no
covering. The tops ofall the trees about
the village were cut off, and only the
bare trunks remained. During the Win
ter the villagers have cut the branches
and carried them to the city to sell them
for food. Now the bare, mutilated
stumps remain standing all around the
village, so many witnesses to the desola-
ton wrought here, There are no lambs
playing on the grass, no cattle in the
fields, and only one or two dogs left. In
the houses found no grain or food. In
some houses there was little bread, in
all there were little bundles OF grass
which is now their principle food. The
faces of the women and children were
emaciated and yellow. | asked one little
boy if he had eaten bread that day, and
he replied, 'No'-he had eaten only
grass. Other children said they had
eaten piece of bread as large as my
hand. When we sat down on the
ground, surrounded by most Of the vii
layers, some OF the children were all the
time pulling up grass and eating it, roots
and all. So far as can Judge there are
only few days between the people and
starvation. | hope to he able to help
them before they reach that point. | am
buying grain to take there and distribute.
But what appals meis the outlook. You
tell us that contributions are falling off.
That. seems to indicate that there is
nothing before the people but lingering
death, ! am holding back relief here in
the face of a constantly increasing pres
sure. am preparing list of villages to
be aided no more, during the summer at
least and am refusing to give beds and
clothing, sorely as they are needed, but
our money will come to an end before
lpnu and then what
Cannot you give us some hope? The
people meet us with a look of pleading
and ask, is there no hope for us?'
pass the question on to you. 1t may be
there is light ahead, but it is very dark
just now, save as we look up, The APP
peals from Arabkir, Palu and Peri are
urgent. We need 100000 in this field,
but we have not dared ask for it. In
deed, we ourselves cannot fully grasp the
situation. 1t is only as the dire necessity
is crowded upon us that we fully under
stand it. Don't let up on efforts to send
us relief"
DR.. Gates, president of Euphrates Col
lege, writing May 81, says, Sometimes
feel tempted to drop everything and 60
on to Constantinople and thence to
Europe to try to make people realize how
desperate the condition is. | have visit
ed eight villages now and my own eyes
have been opened, but how can people a
thousand miles away understand it. Is