The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-07
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

The whirlwind campaign to relieve the needs and sufferings of the destitute in the Bible lands of the near east is now sweeping over the city and the county.
 It was inaugurated at a rousing lunch con given at the Tutwiler on Thursday when L. A. Cooper, field director of the southeastern department. made his ap- pearance and presented so graphically the situation and Americas obligation and opportunity to remedy it. .s= The allied army is on the march and will not strike colors until the victory is won, both for the needy ones abroad and those at home, for in the drive some undenominational charities are included Children's hospitals, Mercy Home, two Neighborhood Houses Anti-Tuberculosis The needs of these local institutions are so well known and they have been doing a good work so long that little need be said of their fields of activity or the ser vice which they render to the needy in our great city and imperial county. They deserve well at our hands and should be cared for without stint.
 Now, do not share the opinion of some that the home call should be separated from the foreign one for I cite the old adage that Charity begins at home, '' merely to show thank God, that our cit izenship are not willing that it should end there, but out of their abundance are ever ready to send gifts abroad to those l who are in want.
 1 The call from the near east has been carefully canvassed and checked by ex- perts I challenge any one to show where more pains have been taken to gather the facts and then assimilate them and ! classify them in order to ask for the very lowest possible sum in keeping with hu- manity, and donors may rest assured that their gifts will be wisely and economical | ly spent.
 1 One Armenian mother left her child ! OH tne uOOTSltpS Ol dii <AttiSiiNdli iioiiiu
 with these words a bit of paper: T i cannot feed it. l know you will not le.
 m my baby starve." American generosity during the past four years has had a profound effect on internal conditions ir
 Turkey and will therefore greatly inhu'
 ence the future of that country after the
 war.
 |
 l The American committee for relief in
 the near east has appointed a relief com-
 mission of seven to proceed to Turkey
 as soon as permission can be obtained from Great Britain and France who now
 hold military control there. The chair
 Barton of Boston and the other members
 are Rabbi Stephen Wise of New York
 Prof Edward C. Moore of Harvard uni
 versity, Judge Victor Bowling of New
 York. President J. H. T. Main of Grim
 nell, Ia Dr. William w. Peet of Wash
 ngton and Mir. Harold A. Hatch of New
 York
 | It is the plan of this commission to gC
 directly to Constantinople and, after get ting into touch with the local relief com mittee, there, proceed into the interior of the country about whose physical ant teconomic condition little is known a ipresent except that widespread distress !prevails.
 | A body of 25o relief workers are to fol low soon after upon government trans port loaded with medical and other nee essary supplies and motor trucks witl (which these can be carried into the in terior sections away from the railroads The trucks will also be used to bring tn more than 1500,OO0 refugees back iron lexile.
 The entire country from Constantine jple to the Caspian sea and from the Cau lcasus mountains to Syria and the Medi lterranean, a territory approximately a Large as the United States east of tn Mississippi river, will be covered by tn
 commission.
 Carefully prepared estimates based o reports that have come to the committe jfi omS every part of the near east in whicl
 work is carried on show that there ar