Evening star., 1915-01-24

Besides through cable and mail re-
ports. Father Schilling has been in
formed of the condition Of affairs in
the Holy Lands by Brother Placidus.
member of the Franciscan order who
has just come over to give full report
on the needs Of those congested in
Jerusalem.
The State Department has shown
deep interest and concern in the mat
ter. and at the request of Father
Schilling sought to transmit the aims
collected in the United States for the
Franciscan missions in the Holy Land.
Thus far, however, all efforts in this
direction have been unsuccessful. None
of the banks or express companies
on account of conditions, would under
take to transmit these funds. The
Standard Oil Company then agreed to
deliver 1t through their agents
in Alexandria. the State Department
Tennessee to Jaffa. But it was found
that the Standard Oil Company could
not make the delivery This company
now says that they have channel
open to Constantinople, AleXandretta,
Smyrna and Beirut. three of which
The Franciscan commissariat is now
negotiating to see il the State Depart
ment can take it from any of these
places to Jaffa, to be consigned to the
American consul in Jerusalem.
The commissariat also wishes to find
way of shipping food supplies. and
to this end has been in consultation
with the American Red Cross head
quarters and with Italian and British
ambassadors.
The Franciscan order has been Gus
todian of the Holy Places for seven
centuries and to 1t the Christian world.
it is claimed. is largely indebted for
the preservation of the sacrosanct
sacrifice on the cross. Missions of the
Franciscans in the Holy Land include
all the converts and stations in
Palestine. Syria. Asia Minor Egypt
and the Island of Cyprus.
The personnel of these missions is
made up of more than 500 monks in
the Order of Friars Minor. who have
jurisdiction over So, 900 persons, speak
ing eleven different languages.
The Franciscans maintain fifty-five
sanctuaries, nine converts, forty-two
residences. twenty eight parishes.
eighteen mission churches, thirty-four
chapels, one Seraphic college. six
houses of study. five free dispensaries,
two orphan asylums, sheltering $50 or
phans. and one printing office. They
ten trade schools and f1fty-two ele-
mentary schools, which are attended
by 1000 pupils.
The Franciscans. moreover, maintain
AIS houses where poor families are
lodged gratuitously. besides which they
give support to several thousand
poor. In addition to these institu-
tions they have nine hospices for pill
grims in which a cordial hospitality
is always accorded to visitors regard
less of creed or nationality.
Rev. Godfrey Hunt, recently return
ed to the commissariat in Brookland
after having lived for nine years in the
Holy Land, in discussing the present
conditions of affairs said:
THE housing of the other orders;
mostly of French extraction. expelled
because of their nationality. is no new
experience for the Franciscan COM
munity. At other similar crises Chris
tians of all nationalities and denomina :
tions have found protection and hospi-
tally with the Franciscans in the Orient
For more than 700 years the mem
bers of the Franciscan order have
worked to gain possession of the sa-
cred shrines, to restore them, to beau