The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-04-20
Letter From Turkey.
Marash, March 9, 1900.

We have had very anxious week
over Carrie Lees illness, but DR.
Shepherd is here and so we feel re-
lieved and hopeful as well.
The Macallums started seventeen
days ago and Carrie went two hours OF
so on the road to accompany them, and
got one of these treacherous fevers that
seem to be nothing at first and so often
terminate as did Miss Lovell's. Last
Sunday she was better, but Monday
she was so much worse-fever above
1O5-that we were alarmed and sent a
telegram for DR.. Shepherd, which
reached him at ten the next day, and
he started off at once, reaching here at
six the next morning. If have time 1
must tell you of his journey. 1t is my
week for morning prayers and to get
ready for Turkish prayer meeting, and
then we are having DR.. Shepherd over
here to meals good deal to save Mrs.
Lee, as we'll as for the great pleasure of
it. and Miriam seems to have lost her
head and needs mine. Mrs. Lee has
been dabbling in embroidery for a
Stambaol order of some liras worth,
much to DR.. Lees disgust, and she
finds out what 1t means and wishes to
turn it over co me. If take her ten, l
shall have thirty women, and the posi-
ton of superintendent is no sinecure,
even with pretty good native helper.
| have to 60 to her house, as she is not
able to come to me. must go today if
l can, though we have an entertainment
this afternoon when the girls read their
essays and show off their music. You
know there are so pitifully few "oc-
casions" of any kind here and we find
it an incentive to good work to know
they are to read before people.
The distress here is reaching the
acute stage, owing to the work of the
weavers having been cut off. This in
turn is due to the Boer war, as part of
the thread must come from England
anyway, and factory operatives as well
advanced so in price that hundreds
perhaps thousauds-have been thrown
out of work. One little thing spoke
eloquently to me of the condition of
things. Garabet brought leg of NUT
ton at my request, and he said, Just
be little careful in using it, please"
Why, l asked, Because, perhaps /
can't find any more. 1t is very costly,
and they are not killing it, as it can't be
sold" Just fancy that in city of
10000 or more, not enough meat is
used to keep the shambles open. About
a dozen of my old and best embroidery
workers are coming to my native
helpers house to do some difficult
pieces under her supervision. was
there late night or two ago, but they
had not gone home and she said they
had worked most diligently since morn
ing and had eaten but once that whole
day. Some had dry bread, some a
soup (?) made of boiling wheat, boiled
and dried with sour milk in the
autumn, but none had real food. |
told her as they probably had not tasted
fat of any kind for weeks, l would get
some butter and wheat so they could
have hot pilav once in two days or so.
She reminded me that it was their fast
and they could eat no fat if they had it
and that it would be better to buy
cracked wheat and lentils, which they
boil together and make nourishing
food, and did accordingly.
Saturday, as l was hurrying with my
post former pupil, now a teacher in
the city, came to see me and learned
that she had come to pay Miss Blakely
the last of her school debt, some four
or five dollars. Sac gets about 1920 a
month, and from this she supports q
father, old and i'll, a broken down aged
mother, young widowed sister, who
can do beautiful embroidery work, but
she is nearly blind, this sisters little
child, another young sister and brother.
She goes to school without breakfast,
at noon eats such a piece of bread as
they give to the poor children who
have no food at all, and at night shares
the scan;iest of meals with all the rest
of the family She looked frightful
and was dreadfully depressed, of course.
[ got some hot tea the first thing, and
then proceeded to make her see how
rich she is in having an education, in
having God for her father, and pres
emily she was comforted and accepted
little money to buy some food, though
she is a proud girl. Her blind sister
came to me to have DR.. Shepherd look
at her eyes. He says she must have an
operation at once, and seeing the look
on her face, felt of her pulse and asked
if she coughed. told him 1t was
starvation pure and simple. had told
!, her to have the native doctor operate
on her eyes and would pay for it, but
it turned out that she could still see
enough at the time to earn few cents
a week towards the family support,
and the doctor had told her she could
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