The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-07-24
DR.. CLARK WRITES
TO LOCAL FRIENDS
Member of Commission from
American Red Cross to
Palestine
TELLS OF JOURNEY
IN INTERESTING WAY

bIdttlepolo Mdn WIN IolAhCliy ""o
Medical Missionary in Turkey Has
Commission as Captain-on Mission
of Reconstruction in Holy Land.
DIR. Charles E. Clark of this town,
son of the late DR.. and Mrs. Charles
S. Clark of West Brattleboro, has sent
to The Reformer an entertaining letter
descriptive of the journey of the Ameri-
can Red Cross commission to Palestine,
which at that time was at Colombo.
DIR. Clark, who was medical mission
ary of the American Board at Sivas,
Turkey, until the war made it neees-
sary for the missionaries to leave, holds
a commission as captain in the COM
mission to Palestine, the purpose of
which commission is to do reconstruc--
ton work in that country. Ills letter,
addressed to his friends in Brattleboro
and enclosed in a letter to a member
of the Reformer editorial staff, in which
also was enclosed photograph of the
party, was mailed at Port Said and
reads as follows:
At Sea, May p, 1913.
Dear Friends in Brattleboro:
/ have thought YOU might like to
hear something of the journey our Red
Cross contingent is making to reach
our destination in Palestine.
When we arrive in Colombo as we
expect to on Wednesday of this week,
we will have been on the Getty Of
York. for Just ten weeks. Our yoy-
age has been broken several times but
except for two days at Durham, spent
on shore while the boat was coaling,
we have retained our quarters and
taken our meals ON board the vessel.
Despite the length of the voyage, it
has not seemed monotonous. The day
after we left New York our whole
partv consisting of % men and 80
ladies, began regular military drill and
settinr-up exercises and at the same
time started the study of the two
| languages which will be especially
needed in Palestine, aside from Eng
| lish. Arabic and French. A consider
able number of the party have been in
Palestine before and know Arabic:
Several too, have good knowledge Of
French. so that we have had splendid
instruction, and this with the aid OF
photographic records has resulted il
| excellent progress along language lines
Besides daily lessons in Arabic and
| French, we have had lectures along
| lines of medicine, hygiene, and history
| geography, etc. of the country to whiel
we are bound. In the meantime, the
| committee on entertainment has ar
ranged concerts and other forms o.
/ recreation, so that the work we have
had has never been burden.
Whenever we have been on shore
the people have done their utmost t.
make the time pleasant Everywhere
we have been welcomed as the repre-
sentatives of our country, and in gen
eral as the first representatives to ar
, rive in this part of the world since tn
beginning of the war.
Our first stop was at St Lucia, afte
week at sea, This is veritabl
, tropical garden 1t was. formerly
: French possession and the black peopl
Z usually speak the French language. A
/ our boat drew into the harbor it wa
q met by a crowd of the boys, or Wa
Il ter Rats who swan out to catch th
pennies thrown over the rail to then
J. and they usually got them even thoug
e the effort involved good contest an
dIa deep dive, and then the rescued col
e would be slowed away in the mouth {
the swimmer with many others and !;
d ter carried ashore, the whole lot to !
T, counted with signs of pleasure at IL
y unusual haul
e ST. Lucia is now British posse
,el sion and in peace times as many +;
d twenty ships a day stop there. Her
d as in every place we have seen und
British guidance, there is evidence
ID excellent administration. The stree
le are scrupulously clean and the nativ
$ are happy and contented. The folia,
IS of st. Lucia is magnificent and the
le is fine variety of tropical frui
such as bananas, lemons, eocoanut
- pawpaws, etc.
~ From st. Lucia we sailed three wee
: before we reached Cape Town. I
= city is situated close to the southwe
: point of the continent of Africa. t
- peaks beyond the city tower to
:, height of several thousand feet.
= were there only one day. but this bri
"a stay allowed time for a forty mile a
in tomobile ride around .Table Mou
rain' and the "Twelve Apostles
the nearest peaks of the range q
called, and a dinner arranged on t
81 lspur of the moment by our Americ
= Consul General, Murphy, from viii
a. we hurried back to the boat, and
- out again.
~ ~ Our next stop was at another be;