New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-06
APPEAL FOR THE ARMENIA Ms
THE TERRIBLE DESTITUTION AMONG
THAT UNFORTUNATE PEOPLE
REPORT OF AN E-wITNEss-RAvAGED VII
LAGEs-MANY FAMILIES DEPRIVED OF ALL
THEIR POssEssIONs-GRAss EATEN
BY STARVING CHILDREN

| Il.
THEIR Observation-Disclosures EATEN
BY STARVING CHILDREN
Inc Armenian Relief Association has made another
"ppa u the people OF this country to aid in the
cue movement which the association has been carry
ing on The appeal is signed by J. Blocker Miller
,he chairman Of the Executive Committee; the Rev.
Dr. David James Burrell the honorary secretary OF
the ASSOCIATION, and Herant NJ Kiretchjan the gen.
erd secretary. whose office is at No. 2O3 Broadway.
ms city They ask that all checks be Charles
H. stout. the treasurer of association at the
uohal Bank of the Republic. No. . Wall-st General
iuhds contributed will be applied one-haf to the
iei OF the destitute people in Armenia and one-half
the rescue fund. unless otherwise requested. Money
sent Tor specific purposes will be used indicated.
| SCENES ON THE HARPOOT PLAIN.
Accompanying the appeal is a copy of a report by a
weiI-known correspondent OF the association who is
active In relief work The report in part follows
Inc largest field of desttution is that which receives
i rom fiarpoot as distributing centre Ii con-
tdins 100000 souls who in need OF relief Some
t22'21 have been distributed to about coo souls.
pound (aboui $500. When take into consideration
mat these people have lost all their possessions
them houses also h ' Clary 'UV very "s small allow
ance and we naturally inquire what ii has done for
them The answer Is close al hand 1t has kept them
| have recently visited nine villages In one the
people had begun to cut the timber growing right
around the village preparatory 10 building few
Ter, In another the people Wer" making bricks Of
mud with which build. In other villages
there was no sign of any intention to build. and when
! made inqu 5 always met the same answer How
and they have no heart 10 make effort. They
siill fear. also. that any effort improve their
earnings of generation Of thrifty indnstrions men
have been swept away under conditions that leave
gle again; They have lost heart They are helpless
But ii no houses are built this summer the coming
winter vii find them even worse OF than hey are
formerly the largest and weathes village on the
lIarpoot Plain. 1t contained three large and fine
churches. belonging to the Georgian Protestant and
Roman Catholic communities. The houses Of The
village were well built TWO stories high and con
been complete With infinite pains the dcs;roycrs
sure of Of their work. %ow only th walls stand and
they badly injured
HOW THE PEOPLE LIVE.
Relief has built any houses for the
sufferers. They 1--we uldlcd together in the stables
and in the of half-ruincd houses. The Gov
eminent Relief Commission has estimated that 60 OoO
Turkish pounds (about $4,000 is needed to build
shelter for the people whose houses burned.
allowing only five Turkish pounds G29 for each
house.
An inspection OF tho in which the people
now live shows them to be bare and cheerlgss.
destitute even Of the ncccssaries OF life. The
greater part of the people have no beds All winter
they have slept upon the floor. with no covering
over them Families that once had twenty sets or
be ding now have only one or none at all Tho sick
snd the wen hqdde under one quilt Mothers brine
lie. Some e3.55G about $1,000 has been expended
people. but this is only drop in the bucket.
have said nothing Of the need OF cooking utensils
cooking utensils in many petroleum tins are used
for cooking in others there is nothing, and no food
is cooked The people eat bread alone.
Relief money has not supplied the needs / have
enumerated. great and pressing as they are. What.
then. has ii done? 1t has simply kept the people
approach Of summer the people would be able TO
recover somewhat and become independent OF re
lief funds. but personal visitation OF the Villages
shows that there has been recovery and that the
villagers in need while II relief should be cut
off from the cities. such as Malatia. Arabkir and
Palu. mutitudes would die In a short time
THE SCARCITY OF FOOD
In the village of Ashvan l went from house 10
house examining Jars and granaries TO what
food the people had. In most houses | found "A
few handfus Of millet or -four. few eggs. perhaps
a little salt. and one or two ooves OF bread. Al
most their supply could only last them day or
two and in some houses food was already
hausted. with means OF procuring more. But
the village OF Korpe was in a still more wretched
plight. As neared this village the people caught
sight Of from distance and came running out
priest their head, leaniag on his staf. Will the
people wcpt and cried I'VE are hungry. W" are
That nt their food Supplies we're exhausted called
the children around me and asked the frst on. !;
What have you catcn?' .C;rass'' l asked him
whose boy he was and the villagers answered; lie
is an orphan His little face gaunt and sal
low. Other boys had eaten piece Of bread as large
bread and grass In the house. | asked for bread;
the women turned away. weeping. In every mouse
the fields This was the only food with many Be
meath the tan OF their sunourned faces there was
saiow sicky color Mothers sat by the little bun
die of grass and held their empty breasts. The
tops Of the trees around the village had all been
cut off during the winter taken 10 th ne oy am 500
stretched their mutilat"d stlmI,s OF DfHlches
as II 10 plead for pity on this dcsolated village.
to tax over matters. and The children sitting around
would pluck up the grass hy me foT,s az ,
II before eyes. The sights OF that village hhu''
II ii not time to take up this problem in earnest?
have them little relief 70 put OF me gay OF
are in ruins and no hand Is stretched out 10 lift
them up and set them on their rect. what Is tne |
DUTY or CHRISTIANS.
II is said that the sensibilties Of the Christian
neonle In t,urore and America have become dead |
enod nv hearing so much about the suferngs OF the
Arnontans and they are longer Interested In |
them Certainly the funds for relief no longer
come in as formerly. But Is this a question which |
should be left TO the sensibities that we shouid
give a few pence when our pity Is stirred by LIc
~ dist rees and then pass on and forget IN" sur
ferer? We have TO do with stern facts. me Arr.
romans have been Dillage1 and massacrcd. or Ieft
a. dc a SLOW, death by starvation and disease For
fnv, months Europe and America have inter
posed feed the hungry and kcep mem a'vn nn ,
49, t the respon sibility Of Europe for the pres
on staic of the Arm"nians but only into the re-
~. m The Sacred Book of the Christians teaches
Kat in the last or lat day Of judgment the Lord
fFe naked fed the hungry. ana ne VIII say. itihs-
much as yc did II not TO one OF the ieas' o' "ese'
We lid II not to me
DRnWVED WHILE FISHING FROM PIER.
Thomas McCannan. twenty nine years Old OF NO.
sso West third-st. was drowned In the Norm
River Yesterday morning while fishing at west