The Detroit times., 1916-10-07
Naked Children Slain
In Yards Adjoining
Schools
AMERICANS START
RELIEF CAMPAIGN
l75,000 Ministers Have
Been Asked To As
sist In Work
BY THE RELIGIOUS RAMsLER.

BY The RELIGIOUS ReMbLEN
on all the drives Of the world
war. none IS more significant, or o.
a way, more spectacular. than TIA,
now being prepared for BY the re.
ligious forces Of America in behalf
OF the Armenisns and Syrians. who
are perhaps the worst sufferers from
the war. In all the brilliant annals
OF American philanthropy there prop
ably has never before been az al
truistic effort OF greater magnitude
than that which is now under way,
with Oct % set as the time 70 90
over the top. as the soldiers say.
Every one OF the more than 49,.
900 ministers OF religion in the couu-
Try has been directly asked, BY a
personal communication. 70 partici'
pate. The president OF the United
States has called for the observance
OF Oct. 81 and % as Armenian re-
lief days The American committee
for Armenian and Syrian relief, Of
which Cardinal Gibbons, Rabbi Wise
and leading Protestants are mem
bers has supplemented the call BY
an elaborate propaganda. The Fed
eral Council OF Churches, represent.
ing all Protestant denominations, has
addressed a letter 10 every minister
whose name is on file. TIE Lay
mems Missionary Movement has lent
n stan OF its secretaries 10 direct the
"drive." Sunday schools and Chris
tan Endeavor societies and Epvorth
leagues, already interested in Ar
menia, will cooperate with their 10
cal churches. The religious press IS
supporting the call.
Assuming that all clergymen make
use OF the abundance OF sermon
material for the occasion that has
been supplied them. and that the
average sermon contains three thou
sand words, we have prospect OF
more than half a billion words 10 be
uttered on Oct. % in behalf Of the
prosecuted Armenians. Add TO this
the addresses and talks before Sun
day schools and Glasses and young
peoples societies and women's meet
ings and special gatherings, and the
volume OF appeal becomes stagger.
Ing.
Az q feat OF propaganda the ef-
fort 10 notable. The aim Is 70 lay
the case Of the Armenisns upon the
heart Of America. To that end. the
church is the most efficient method
OF approach, II direct results are de-
sired Broadly speaking. IL is the
church people who DO the bene7o-
lent giving OF the country.
The remotest corner OF America IS
reached by the church. There are
no longer any considerable number
OF unchurched communities. Where
politicians never go. there ut'.e
churches are 20 be found More.
over. the members subject them.
selves voluntarily every week 20 the
influence OF the preachers mes.
sages.
Any cause that gets a wholesale
hearing In the churches Is also pow
erfully reflected IN the public schools
and in the secular press SO from
all angles. the cause 81 Armenia r.
likely 10 be considered IN an SIS a.
poets during the present month
These ancient people, whose home
was beneath Mt Ararat, have beer
pre-eminently the martyr church q,
Christian history Since they are
q church, rather thar sta-e they
have a peculiar claim upon Chris
tlans.
Despite all that has been prin'e,
about the Armenian atrocities, %.
worst remains unwritten. The Nos
lens have been guilty OF peculiarly
revolving horrors which may not b.
told In the English language. Th
10000 Armenians who were recently
slain IN the neighborhood OF Tarsu
were less cruelty treated than th'
moro than a million. mostly womer
and children, who were "deported'
from their homes, most or them q
die a natural" death from -Etarva
ton, exposure and hardship.
Final figures cannot yet be given
because Turkey has rigdly shut el
doors, but II r. known that AT leas
thrce-duarters Of million person.
have perished. and rs many more II
imminent danger OF death Amos
one-haif OF the total ARMENIAN popu
iation OF the world has been wiped
out.
The plight OF the survivors. driv
en- into desert places or into regions
remote from their homes, hcggar'
description. The Germans in the
faculty % the German high school
AZ Aieppo, Syria, sent sn appeal 20
the German foreign once TO put an
IA On the doede Of It's ally. Three