The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1907-04-27
Possibilities Of the Armenian orphanage wor

Possibilities Of the Armenian Orphanage Work.
The sad events of eleven years ago
cast upon the American missionaries
at Harpoot the care of some fourteen
hundred pitfable orphans 0fthe four
hundred who still remain fourth are
engaged in the industries that have
been started, and the rest attend
school. Forty of the latter are in
Euphrates College. Our first orphan
boy graduated from this institution
last June, and Is now at the head OF
the high school in a large village.
Another young man is preparing to
be preacher. Twenty-Five boys and
girls are helping themselves to con-
siderable extent by teaching in near
by villages.
From the very start the training of
the hands was part of the orphans
education. Household duties were for
all, and in addition some OF the boys
learned. tailoring, shoemaking, car
pentering and sundry other trades.
All of the girls did their own work,
and some learned to weave gingham
and to make thread lace. Through q
gift of s25O0 from the late G. G. Will.
liams, president of the Chemical Ma
tional Bank, New York, we were able
to start making oriental rugs. This
work has developed until now we have
twenty looms, and our rugs are gaining
favorable recognition in America.
Out of gratitude to their benefactors
in America, to whom they could not
express their thanks individually, the
girls made large, double-faeed silk
flag rug for the American government.
This now hangs in the diplomatic
ante-room of the department OF state
~ w Washington.
From the store-room where the cloth
ing and other orphan supplies were
kept there has developed fairly good
store, with several small branches or
agencies. In these both our own pro-
ducts and goods from Europe and
America are sold. just now we have
ten bales OF cotton sheeting on the
way from New York. In the work
connected with these stores our or
phans get employment and valuable
experience.
We have received $4,000 towards
farm. This is about third OF what
we need, when buildings, stock and
implements are added. An Armenian
graduate OF the Massachusetts Agri-
cultural College can manage this
work, with the assistance of the thirty
boys who have been In training for
two years on hired land. One of our
boys has secured diploma from the
sericultural school at Brousa, and
takes charge OF our silk raising in
terests. In this agricultural center
there is q fine opening for an agricul-
tural school, affiliated with Euphrates
College, where scientific methods may
be taught in connection with the use
of American implements.
Situated as Harpoot is within a
great ox-bow OF the Euphrates, about
eanidistant from the Mediterranean,
the Black Sea and Lake Van, it is q
fitting place for the development of
our present plant into an industrial
institution similar to Hampton and
Tnskegee in America. 1t is far better
to train these boys and girls to be
blessing to this country than TO let
them drift, as some have done, with
the strong tide of emigration to Am.
erica. viii you not help US to make
this great benefit possible?
Those who would like to inquire
about MS are referred TO DIR. VIM. H. |
Ward, editor of the New York In
dependent; to DR.. Josiah Strong,
president of the League for Social
Service, United Charities Building,
New York city; to any of the officers
of the American Board, IA Beacon
street, Boston, Mass, and to the Am
erican consul here, Captain Evan e.
Young. Remittances may be sent to |
Messrs. Brown Bros. & Co., So Wall |
street, New York, marked ssfor Har-
poot," or direct, in the form of per-
sonal or cashiers check, to
GEO. P. KNAPP,
HarpoOt, Turkey.