The Detroit times., 1915-04-03
REFUGEES
TO
MISSIONS
Americans I'm Levant
Give Food and Shell
ter to Natives
MISSIONARIES
ARE IN PERIL
But in Spite of Danger,
They Render Val
liable Aid
Nv THE RELIGIOUS RAMBLER.

II
The serious stories that are com
ing N meager and rather Cryptic
leablegrams concerning the refugee
ing OF Christians In the Lerant upon
the premises Of American missions
together with the massacre OF Chris
cians and attacks upon mission
aries. are puzxiing to the average
reader. Behind them lies sitia-
ton OF grave significance TO Ameri-
lean prestige. and 10 the welfare Of
ImyTiads OF imperiied lives.
HAppily, Americans have no par
aiIel N their own experience for the
practice OF refageeiag. In the nm
stable conditions OF life In Turkey
and Persia. however. as well as In
points in the farther cast. there has
grown NJ not only the right Of asy-
irm Tor political refugees in foreign
legations and consulates. but also
tho custom OF Christians heeing for
protection in times OF persecution to
the mission compounds OF the vari.
Gus nations.
AT the present time. America be-
ing the only neutral nation. with
missions I'm Persia and Turkey. It's
Hospitality has been heavily taxed
by the terrified and suffering natives,
who sheep-iike fiock 70 the American
shepherds In distress.
SO great Is the prestige OF the
American nag. that Il has frequent
~ happened In case u Massacres In
Turkey. that two or .hrse urarmed
missionaries have been able to pro
tect within their compounds thou
sands OF native refugees, AT Tar
sus. during the massacres OF 1899
and 1910 Mrs. Christie and two
other women alone stood between n
bioodthirsty mob and thousands Of
threatened Armenians. rho had
bearded in the compound Of the
American school This Is what Is
happening AT the present time In
Persia.
In addition to providing protection
az the present time. American mis-
sions All over .he Levant are giving
shelter and food to the hungry ma
tiyes. who have been driven from
their homes by the military mp
heayai.
All this involves a measure OF
peril; for there IL ever the possible
lily that some group. especially Of
Turkish soldiers. win get out of
hand and do violence even TO the
foreigner. Two Americans. Messrs.
Rogers and Maurer. were slain in
the Adana massacre I'm 1909, and be-
cause nobody was punished for this
the lives Of ell other missionaries
in Turkey are In greater peril to-
day.
Making Friends with cgtthrosts.
The people who have been slaugh-
tering and burning and persecuting
the Christians I'm western Persia are
the bioodthirsty Kurds. who are per-
haps little quicker with the knife
and the trigger than any others on
earth, not even excepting the tribes
men Of Afghanistan. They are q
virfie staivart people. who have
been holding the mountains OF Kurd-
istan for thousands Of yeara yield
ing only nominal sovereignty to
whatever empire CHANGED 70 be In
control.
Friends OF the Presbyterian Amer.
lean mission IN Turkey---the only
American mission In that country
have felt rather serene in this time
OF upheaval because Of the known
friendship Of the Kurds to the Amer
leans. The bountifui work Of medi-
cal missions. which has been done
among the tribesmen By the Amerf-
cans, has won their gratitude.
Missions Ministry In the War.
An elaborate Red Cross work Il
being done I'm Turkey. and this a
made possible by the presence OF the
missionaries. The American Red
Cross IN Turkey" originated with
DR. Mary Eddy, a Presbyterian won
an missionary OF Beirut, and n wa,
fathered and furthered largely By
@. Bic Ravendai. United States con
sui general At Beirut. II has since
grown until Il embraces most Of the
missionaries In the Turkish empire
and many Of the American bushes.
men.
Now this American Red Cross Ia,
become potent factor In Turkey,
present plight The Britssh and
French hospitals IN constantinopls
were carly turned over 20 the Amer
lean Red Cross. And IN addition
the American mission. hospitals al
Konia Ito which city the sultan II
said 10 have fcfj. ccsarea Marso
van. Erzeroum. sivas. Harpout. Ain
4.