St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-11-06
The Armenian REFUGEES

- ~ P'phsHSs lclleT IRON
MISS Willard, written at MarseilIes
France, Sept. 10, and another from tn,
Armenian Relief Commission, both upor
the Armenian refugees. We publish tn,
letters in full:
Letter From Miss Willard.
10 MY SISTERS, THE GENERAL OFFICERS
AND MEMBERS OF THE w. c. T. u, AMI
TO ALL GOOD PEOPLE IN MY NATIVE
LAND:
Why am | here? Because the awfu
massacres in Constantinople have cast il
at this great port hundreds of Armeni
ans who took refuge from the Turks or
ships then lying in the harbor. They
have nothing in the world but theclothes
on their backs; more are coming contin.
ually, they lie on benches at the work.
house and a few cents once in three or
Jour days are given them by the French
government for bread. Lady Henry
Somerset and read of all this in the Lon.
don Daily News as we set out on brief
bicycling tour in Normandy, hoping to get
alittle strength for the heavy work of au-
tumn and winter, for Lady Henry is vel
weary and have not been able to do
anything all summer owing to almost
utter failure Of appetite. But when we
read the accounts of these refugees we
came here at once, for our hearts were
deeply stirred.
! wish could put before you the sight
we saw last night. A great, gray, barn
like room in the workhouse, the light so
dim that nobody face could be seen save
IN outline; in one corner of this place a
group OF thirty Armenians of all grades,
from bank clerk, with his gold.corded
cap, to wharf porter, with his heavy
shoulders; all of these men huddled to.
gether ON bare benches, utterly pennless
and forlorn, with bread and water only
Tor food, and a board 10 sleep on, in this
dead and poisonous air. Why were they
here! Because their devoted nation has
cherished the name of Christ and held to
the purity of the home through all the
centuries since the gospel came to man.
We could not speak one word to them,
but we smiled and waved our hands,
whereat those good men rose, smiled,
bowed and gave us the military salute
with much dignity and the whole scene
was one ofsuch unspeakable pathos, that
we saw almost too dimly to make our
way back to the street.
This morning we have bestirred our
selves; Lady Henry has gone out with
Mr.. Crawford, the correspondent of the
London Daily News, the noble young
man whose letters in that paper brought
us here. (He is the son of Mrs. Craw-
ford, the well-known English journalist
at Paris.) They are to rent warehouse
and fit it up with sailors beds, conven-
fences for washing, ETC., and to have
supper ready tonight for those poor
men? We saw other groups even more
uncomfortaby situated, and there are
hundreds in Marseiles and more con-
stantIy coming.
am going now to the American con-
sui to see special arrangements cannot
be made to send many to America. That
is their cry, ooh, send me to America!"
For forty years they have learned olove
our land through the missionaries who
have taught them and lifted them up
withso muck OF knowledge and refinement
that they are hated for their acquire
ments by the Turk, who is determined
on their determination. And | believe
that we, as Americans, have no right to
hold ourselves aloof from helping Eng
land to protect them, since the horrors
we have witnessed are largely the result
of the work wrought in Armenian char
acter and aspirations by some of the best
of our own people whom our Christian
churches sent out for the purpose ofdoing
just what they have done in Turkey.
We ought to stand shoulder to shoulder
with England for Armenian deiverance,
and | cannot but believe we will. But
what am now intent upon is this: To
arrange to send refugee to some definite
address in America of church or society
who will look after him Tor her), paying
the twenty-five dollars, or less, that it
takes to send them to New York, and
agreeing to provide work for six months
to follow. By this means the undertake
ing need not fall heavily upon any, and
thousands might be cared for. They
are strong, capable and trusty. The
police court knows them not; they
love God and keep His commandments;
their nation is being tortured and muir
dered for its Christian faith.
This de6niteness of aim will surely APP
peal to the practical white ribbon wo-
men. When these people arrive they will
will go directly to the church, the local
w. c. T. u, the Womau's Club, the
Kings Daughters, or whatever group
has agreed to tai ethem. | beg any who
will give meney to help Armenians to get
to America. or who will agree to help |