The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1917-04-05
ORGANIZED RELIEF
FOR WARS VICTIMS
Heppner Organizing to Garry on .
Sustained WOrk-Meeting Sum-
day Night Arouses Much
Interest For War
Victims.

The great war In Europe has been
going on for about two and half
years and has left In its wake up-
told want and suffering among the
non-combatants in various countries
on the continent. Organized relief
was undertaken at an early stage Of
the war in this country. and the peo-
pie of Belgium have been the center
of much Of the relief work that has
been carried forward. We quite well
remember that not long after the be-
ginning Of the war a meeting was
held in Heppner in behalf OF the Bel
gian relief fund, and considerable
sum of money was forwarded to the
committee as a result. Since then,
so far as we knows there has been
no effort made to help further along
this line until the meeting on Sun
day evening at the Christian church,
which meeting by the way was not
largely attended by the citizenship of
this place though those who did come
were well repaid for the time spent
and were enthusiastic in their res
ponse to the invitation given them to
contribute to the relief funds. We
have not forgotten, of course that the
war still goes on and that the people
of Belgium, Poland, Armenia, and
Servia are literally starving by
the millions, and yet America has
been the great benefactor, finacially,
of the war, and perhaps because Of
the fact that the war and Its suffer
ers have become to be such COM
mon, everyday happings, we fail
to respond to the call for aid that b
constantly coming to US, and in a
measure have forgotten the duty we
owe to humanity.
The meeting on Sunday evening
was planned for the purpose Of cali
ling these things to our special IT.
tention and arouse the proper spirit
Of charity in our breasts. Mayor
Notson presided and in short ad-
dress set out the object of the gather
ing. He was followed by Attorney c..
E. Woodson, who, in well chosen
words made a plea for aid for the
war sufferers in Belgium and closed
his address by making number of
sensible suggestions as to ways of
saving some dollars for this purpose,
and also impressed the plan of pro-
perly sustained effort from the people
of Heppner, this to be kept up until
the war closes and beyond that period
II necessary, as it is realized that
the suffering caused by the war will
not end when 1t ceases.
Pastor Macdonald also spoke upon
Belgium and emphasized the good
points set out by Mr.. Woodson. He
was followed by Pastor Noyes, who
spoke more particularly on the needs
of the Armenians and put before the
audience a we'll authenticated picture
of the terrible conditions that pre-
vail in that devasted country the peo-
pie of which have been the unpro-
tected victims of the Terrible Turk"
A voluntary contribution was call
ed for and $97.66 raised. This sum
has been considerably increased by
other money that has been handed in
and it will be forwarded to the pro-
per authorities to be sent on to its
destination in Europe.
To further the idea of organizing
permanent and sustained relief work,
committee consisting of T. B. Mac
Donald, H. A. Noyes, Vawter Craw-
ford, c. E. Woodson and T. E. Child
sey was appointed to take steps to
this end. This committee met on
Monday and decided upon a plan of
action which has for its object the
enlistment of the entire community
in this work. All of the churches,
secret societies and benevolent or
ganizations of the community will be
called upon to appoint a representa-
tive from their respective bodies to
form general relief committee, and
this committee will then come togeth-
er and formulate plan of action.
They are called to meet at the office
of Woodson & Sweek on next Monday
evening at 1880.
There is no question as to what
Heppner will do; our people are sym
pathic and liberal and this call will
be met in the right spirit.