Oxford Democrat., 1918-12-03
Schools and Armenian Relief.

Sunday Schools and Armenian Relief.
DR.. C. L. Buck has been chosen by the
State Sunday School Association and the
international Sunday School Association,
with headquarters in Chicago, a. the
leader of the campaign in Oxford Coun-
ty which has provided Continent-Wid
Sunday School Visitation Day December
1st, when every Sunday School In North
of the Organized Sunday School Move
ment, In behalf OF the suffering thou
sands in Bible lands.
Christian North America is being
called on at this time to pour ont its
money for Liberty Bonds and for War
Service activities of every kind. 1t is
responding nobly. Another challenging
call, however, 10 sounding in the ears Of
the Christian people Of North America.
1t is the call of over two million people
in Bible lands-Armenians, Syrians and
Greeks in Asia Minor.
These people. who are the hope Of
civilization in Western Asia, have on
dured, and are enduring, such suffering
as our American minds cannot conceive.
They have been massacred and deported.
Men have been separated from their
families and ruthlessly murdered. At
trsctive women and girls have been sold
as slaves or taken by the Turks. The
rest of the women and the children have
been driven into the mountains and the
desert, and the path over which these
refugees have gone is strewn with the
dead. In the past two years over one
million have died from massacre, depor-
tation, exposure and disease. But the
dead no longer challenge us; 1t 10 those
who live and can yet be saved.
The ravsges OF war the past year have
added to the horror The Turkish
armies have destroyed everything In
their wake. Four million people desti.
tute OF home, clothed only in rags, are
facing the cold of winter and starvation.
One million of these can be reached by
relief agencies. Four hundred thousand
of them are orphans. The relief sgen-
cies can do nothing unless North Amer
lea furnishes the money.
The land where Christianity had Its
birth 10 asking for practical demonstra-
tion of that Christianity now. All the
denominations have united to answer
this call from the East and a campaign
has been launched to raise two million
dollars from the Sunday Schools of
North America. Every Sunday School
Is asked to give Christmas season Offer
ing to Armenian and Syrian relief work.
To make sure that no Sunday School
is overlooked In this appeal, the Inter
national Sunday School Association has
eudeavored to have every Sunday School
visited on December first for the pur.
pose of explaining the need, creating
enthusiasm and pledging the schools to
make as large an offering as possible.
The International Sunday School Asso-
citation in this campaign 10 working IN
CO. operation with tho Armenian and
Syrian Relief Committee In New York,
and the two million which they are to
raise is part of larger campaign on the
part of the committee for thirty million
dollars.
The Armenian and Syrian Relief Com.
mittee have already done wonderful
work in ministering to these suffering
people and have been enabled to save
thousands of lives. The committee is
directed by leading men OF the conti-
nsnt and it's work has been highly en-
dorsed by President Wilson, and Sir
Robert Borden, the Premier Of Canada,
and BY Mr.. Roosevelt and Mr.. Taft.
One feature of the work of the com.
mittee is unique. 1t Is enabled to de-
vote all money collected for relief work
to the i'm mediate cause for which It 10
given. Expenses for collection, printing,
postage and administration and the
transmitting of funds, are met privately.
Distribution of all supplies is cared for
by the American Consular forces and
American missionaries, whose services
are loaned for this ministry.