The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-11-06
10000 CHILDREN
IN NEED OF HELP

walton. it was declared here today by
the Rev. F. w. MacAllum, missionary
IN Turkey for the American Board
of Commissioners for Foreign Mis-
| sions, Just returned from relief work
at Tiflis and vicinity. In the Ca,.-
casus, which he described as noun
famous with severe winters, he SAID
there are 100000 Armenian and Sy-
rian refugees from Turkey, mostly
women and children, as che men we've
| massacred by the Turks.
/ THE Turks made three drives
against Russia, which brought into
the Caucasus, which is Russian, large
numbers of refugees" he said. .In
1914 more than 10000 Armenians fled
| before the Turkish advance. The
i next year 10000 more migrated.
! s"The third drive is known as the
Alashgert capaign of July 1915. The
| Armenians Of the district of Alash-
CERT in Turkey were by it compelled
! to flee to the Caucasus. It also
caused the evacuation of the city of
Van By the Russians. This city
had been defended in April and May
by the Ar-.enlan population against
strong Turkish army. Russian aid
had arrived just in time to save it and
the Turks ran away, but when the
1 l.
vance toward Alashgert, fearing their
line of retreat might be cut off, they
evacuated Van and retreated to the
Caucasus, taking with them all the
Armenians and Syrians there.
| 'This was by far the largest in
flux of refugees. They were attack
ed by Kurds on the way and 1000
were killed. About 10000 died of
cholera, typhoid and typhus after
reaching Russia. The total number
of refugees from Van and vicinity
was about 100000. In these ways
| some 100000 people came to the
Caucasus in great restitution, after
losing large numbers, especially of
men, and all their possessions,
relief work by the American COM
! nlittee for Armenian and Syrian Re-
lief began in January, 1916, and is
still going on and growing. in extent
and iportance. The Russian gov
eminent has helped the refugees gem
erously, having given them up to the
present nearly s10,00o,00O. This sup,
piled them with food, paid tier rent
anu made it possible to provide for
5000 orphans, but owing to the fl
| nancial difficulties of the government
this aid is now cut off.
"The American committee has Civ
en- clothing and bedding to $4,000 of
the most needy refugees and has also
provided large quantities of tea. SUI
gar, kerosene and fuel where most
| needed. During the summer of 1916
the work of repatriation was under
taken and hundreds of farmers were
| returned to their homes in the pro-
vince of Van and supplied with oxen,
plows, seed and so forth. This most
promising work, however, was inter-
| rupted by the evacuation of that re
g1on by the Russians in August 1915
| and the committee hes decided that
the time for repatriation on a large
scale will be only after final victory
| over the Turks has been won.
Among the refugees are compa-
rat1vely few men as more of them
than of wcen and children fell in the
massacres. AS a result there are in
the Caucasus today 10000 fatherless
children sin need ofHi1nmediate aid. Of
these the Ame--~on committee is al
ready helping 5000 bv giving them a
small monthly grant for food in their
homes.
fifteen thousand mare appeal for
similar help but no funds are avail
able at present:-0 The committee Is
now organizing an orphanage for 300
ligence and sound physique will be
taken in with view to quick train
ing in trades, farming and education.
These boys will be prepared to act as
leaders along these lines and fitted to
take the place of the artisans, indus
trial leaders and teachers who were
killed.
"Of the 100000 refugees in the
Caucasus and the conquered provinces
of Turkey, 100000 are without en-
ployment and dependent on charity.
The committee has begun work in
spinning and weaving, giving employ
ment to about 1000, mostly women
and girls. The moral effects of
work are very noticeable. The life
of refugee with nothing to do but /!
stretch out his hand for charity is ex-
tremely demoralizing and discourag- i
ing. Many of the women to whom |
the committee is giving work come on |
foot from places as distant as 10 to /
ID miles and say what they value .
most is not the money they earn but |
the mental and spiritual relief en-
rloyment brings them.
"Great gratitude is expressed for
the aid sent from America. It seems +
to them very wonderful that a coun-
try so far away and so entirely with /
out any political aspirations in those
REGIONS should make such large con-
tributIons to relieve their sufferings.
The prestige of America has been
enormously increased by this disin- ,
terested philanthropy.
"The American committee has at
no time taken up the question of the
political future of Armenia. brit If the
statesmen who have to deal with this
~
Armenians and Syrians and other
small nations such decree of liberty
as will insure safety 20 life. honor
and property, they will have done