Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-11-28
POOR TORTURED ARMEN|ANS
Here Is an Earnest Prayer for
You.
GODS NOBLE CREATURES
Make an Earnest and Touching Appeal in Your
Behalf.
FOR THE SAKE OF SUFFERING HUMANITY
The Women's Christian Temperance Union
Begins Campaign for Gods Peo-
ple-Places of Refuge will
be Established.

Chicago, Nov. 27.-The following appeal
has just been issued by the general Off
GERS of the Worlds Womans Christian
Temperance union:
Headquarters of the Worlds
Woman's Christian Temperance Union,
The Temple, Chicago, ILL.,, Nov. 25, 1896
To My Comrades and to All Who Love
and Trust Me:
From the first you have helped the
hunted Armenians by your prayers, your
sympathy and your honest, hard work.
Thousands of them are today in comfort
or in safety because of the intelligence
and devotion with which you have
wrought for our Christian brothers and
sisters, and the little children on their
bleak and dangerous hilsides and in
those valleys smitten by outrage and
murder. Hereafter the Armenians can
never feel a sense of safety, at least not
In our time. The more forceful among
them are determined to risk all in the
effort to reach freedom, and while 1t is
not for us to strengthen this purpose on
their part, we must hold ourselves in
readiness to help the refugees who are
constantly escaping from the dominion of
the Turk
1t is the purpose of the leaders you
have chosen, and we believe that they
are but carrying forward your wishes
into deeds, to establish home for ref
ugees at some strategic point, possibly
In Bulgaria, which shall belong to the
Worlds Woman's Christian Temperance
union and shall testify to the loyalty and
tenderness of our society toward those
who most needed our help at a time when
the heart of the whole world was STIR
red by their unutterabie misery. 1t Is
true we are temperance society, but in
an exigency like this one word can only
measure the depth of our sacred obliga-
tion, and that word Is humanity. We
are Christian women, and If we should
not strive to help the people who, of all
others, since the world began have suf-
fered most for Christ, then we might
we'll strike that holy name out of our
own, Already we have commissioned
Mrs. Laura chant to Bulgaria and re-
port the situation.
1t is quite likely that Lady Henry
Somerset and her son will soon follow for
the purpose of establishing the refuge
which will be but one of a line OF refugees
of which Lady Henry Somerset writes me
as follows:
We must arrange all along the coasts in
Russia, Armenia and in Bulgaria, touch
ing as near Turkish territory as possi-
BILE, refugees to which the fleeing Armen-
ians can go and where they can be
warmed, clothed and sheltered and then
sent ON to some of the larger colonies
that are being established by the Duke
of Westminster's committee.
The facts are nowsbefore you and 1t Is
the earnest hope of your general officers
that at every convention, annual meet
ing and local meeting of the Woman's S
Christian Temperance Union, a collec-
/ tion may be taken for this purpose and
that many newspapers may open their
columns to help increase the funds. The
officers of the national state, provincial,
county and local unions can serve this
cause by inducing editors to receive sub
scriptions and by instituting a house to
house canvass. May 1 not in closing re-
mind you all, good people, Of the sig
nificance of making Cchrstmas pleasant
this year, at least, for the most part, to
the Armenians who are starving in their
own country, or to the refuge for Ar
menians who have escaped, sending in
either case, to Helen M. Barker, treas
urer of the National Woman's Christian
Temperance Union, Temple, Chicago.
In this prayer and hope, l am yours
for the deiverance Of Gods most loyal
people.
FRANCES E.. WILLARD,
ISABEL SOMERSET,
AGNES SLACK,
ANNA GORDON,
MARY SANDERSON,
General Officers Worlds Woman's Chris
tian Temperance Union.