The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-01

ana one-half pounds per day
While the conduct OF all the missiona-
RES has been brave and self-denying
tnere is an ESPECIAL halo Of romance about
the rellef work at Van. This district is
considered by many eminent scholars to
pc the site of the ancient Eden, lne lOsJ
S-arden OF mans happiness; but to-
day the province is a veritable desert
ana presents the appearance of having
been swept by a cyclone of destrIction,
The descent Of the fugitive villagers upon
van was so sudden and overwhelming
Grace kimball, who has proved herself
a heroine, rose to the emergency This
brave woman, despite official threats and
warnings, went out among the fugitives
IN the streets, comforted and encouraged
them, gave them bread with her own
hands, While they were pulling at her
= mel LneH.s, ana Kissing her hands and feet
IN gratitude. She ministered to the sick;
and, cheered by her example
her missionary associates took
heart of grace and joined in the
work Again and again the Turkish
Pashas and Wallis insisted that the relief
De stopped; the Armenians were dogs
DeItef let them die" but the greater the
OF the American girl Her first step was
10 hire a small bakery with her own per
sonal FUNDS; then a small remittance came
IacllUes, and on New Years day lust
When the work seemed about to drop she
received the first remittance of 5000 from
IT. hloDsch, who also cabled that suffi-
Gent funds would be supplied to meet all
the necessities of the work. one can
imagine the spirit of joy and gratitude in
winch she wrote a week later: How sore
~ we needed the money! Perhaps Won
may be able to dimly imagine what a ire
mendous relief we experienced when your
telegram came on New Years Day MANY
ana many poor villager has said to me
You nave saved this province from a ter
rlole famine The praise belongs not to
me, nut TO the generous men and women
in America who have opened their hearts
and purses.
We are. indeed. the only hope of this
people, for the winter
After awhile the Turkish efforts to stop
the work We're relaxed. A very large
ibakery was hired. and now DR.. Kimball
bread, at least As far as known there
have been no deaths from actual starya-
tiqn wi, within the gates of Van.
Keller stations have now been establish
ed at the following places bv The Chris
tian Herald, which has supplied each with
me ne, fun SIs to the extent indicated.
van, $4,000, DIR. Grace n. KimbaII Mr.
and Mrs. Reynolds and others.
Erzeroum, $1,000 Erzinjian, $1,000 Rev.
w. ~ Chambers and Mrs. Chambers
Harpoot, $1,000; Diarbekir, 50. 600 Rev
II. n, Barnum, Rev. c. F. Gates Rev
Egbert S. Ellis.
Mardin, $500. Rev. A N. Andrus.
Gemarek $500. Rev. ]. L. Fowle, Ka-
Aintab. $1,000, Rev. Americus Fuller.
Sivas,, $1,000, Rev. H. +. Perry.
,Arabikir. $780, Rev. H. N. Barnum of
Kaesarea, $1,000, Rev. ]. L. Fowle.
Ourfa, $1,000 Corrina Shattuck
Hadiin, $500. Rev. E. G. Bates and Rev.
Marash, $1,000, Rev. L. o. Lee.
Malatia, $1,000, distributed from Har-
Urumia Persia), $1,000. Rev. ]. P. Coch-
ran, NJ. d.
All these stations, with a single excep-
the American board, Uruma alone being
managed by missionary of the Presby-
terrain board. Thousands of Armenian
fugltives have arrived there destitute.
All the missionaries have sent in reports
or the progress of their work from time
to time, through the missionary boards,
ana congratulate the people of America
upon the fact that they are able by these
generous means, to save thousands of
iiVes; for had 1t not been for American re-
lef, the winter death roll in Armenia
from hunger and cold would have been
quite as appalling as that of the mas
sacres. That this NAV be better under
stood, it should be stated that Turkish
estimates of the situation in Armenia give
the following figures:
Number of Armenian villages ....., $500
Number of villages destroyed. ... $500
Number reduced to starvation in
Number reduced to starvation in i000'OVO
In other words total of 40 600 souls souls
are in imminent danger of starvation, and
apparently have been deliberately placed
in that perilouS position by the Turkish
government, in furtherance of its policy
of determination.
There are serious difficulties to contend
with in the management of the relief work
at every point. Harpoot, for instance
is a city, surrounded by several hundred
small villages. The town itself has been
wasted by the Kurds, and its Armenian
population reduced almost to beggary: but
the villages have met a severer fate u
large proportion of them having been lit
orally wiped out of existence Such OF
the survivors as can reach Harpoot have
gone there in the hope of being fed, but
20 4,
every direction, in order to succor those
VINO sun nnger about the ruins of their
desolated homes; This, description APP
ings. There are hundreds of villages thar
will not be reached by the present Keller
movement, and in these the mortaiitv
for the Armenian winter is usually severe
and cold exposure must already have
and children. When the winter death roll
from these causes is approximately ascer@
tanned, it will be. found to be appalling.
The centers of greatest restitution at
the present time are undoubtedly these
four: Harpoot, where the slaughter and
destruction have been greatly underesti-
mated; Malatia, where 5000 are said TO
have persisted; Van, which is a focus for
fugitives from everywhere; and Diarbe-
kir. These cities alone, with their sur
rounding villages could readily absorb a
relief fund of a million dollars and the
amount of money thus far raised has
produced hardly any perceptible allevia-
ton outside of a very limited radius
Miss Clara Barton's visit to Armenia will,
no doubt, stimulate the relief movement
very greatly, and the distinguished pres
ident of the American Red Cross may be
able if we'll supported by contributions al
home, to accomplish much good in the
districts where the suffering is sharpest
1t is probable that the Red Cross will del
egate much of its work to the American
board missionaries, whose long expert
ence in the relief field has given them
control of the best facilities available for
q order
relief should be continued without inter-
ruption until April, when sowing and
planting begin.
THE BOX OFFICE CLERK.