Evening star., 1919-11-30
TELL OF fIARDSHIPS FACED
IN RELIEF WORK IN ARMENIA
Americans Had Two Exciting Years Or
ganizing and Administering Aid Among
Victims of Merciless Turks.

| tars. placing the newly founded
| Armenian government in a desperate
| position. Arms ammunition and pro
| visions were scarce and the people
We're in want. so the two Americans
| decided on a bold course.
| To get supplies for relief work they
signed drafts on the Near East Re-
/ lief. though unknown at that time to
the American officials of that organ
! iZation. But thew trusted that when
| the nature of their work became
| known the drafts would be honored.
and they were not disappointed Their
work grew until they had relief stores
dotting l2J square miles of the coun-
| try. but financing them became in
! oreasingly difficult and the two Amer
leans decided to branch out as con-
! tractors
The Armenian army was in need of
supplies. and Arroll and Elder offered
to provide ii with clothing and shoes
If given an advance payment of
1.00O0 600 roubles. After much argu-
ment they received the money and
Immediately organized gangs of cot
| ton p!ckerS employed women to spin
and weave. and also began the manu-
facture of woolen goods. The MAX
ing of the clothing presented even
greater difficulties. but with the eXer-
else of American diligence and energy
| the task was accomplished
! students in the high schools that
| the two men had established proved
willing workers. and Arroll and Elder
spinning and weaving industrie
! When their first contract was COM
pleted they had balance of 1000. 900
! roubles, which they spent in relief
work.
J From that time forward the two
Americans were powerful factors in
| the Armenian government. which
finally succeeded in pressing back the
Turks that hemmed them in.
Left Country After Armistice.
Months after the armistice was
signed Arroll and Elder made their
way out of the country they had
helped to save. They returned to
America greatly admired as men and
| fighters.
Never in all our experience did
we see or hear of an Armenian SOL
der molesting an enemy woman or
| child said Arroll. Il want to
go on record as saying that the Ar
menlan i1.s man and nation is well
| worth saving. but unless America acts
promptly there will be neither left
| to save.
american assistance sufficient to
put the Armenian government on it's
feet is imperative at once. Action
must be prompt. The remnants of
the Syrian Christians are being
crushed to death because Of politics,
| while the Turk. defeated but tri-
| umphant. is only waiting for the
! Jealousies of the so-called great pow
ers to give him his chance at the
| hemmed-in Armenians."
Arroll and Elder got their first bit
| of excitement during the first boil
! shevist revolution. They were escort
ing two Y. NJ. c. A. gir.s and a man
j worker with their baggage through
| to Moscow. and. though the roads were
md fhnt
ened repeatedly, they got through
i safely with their charges
After the exciting days of the Mos
COW revolution the two men were or
! dered to the Caucasus. Their journey
south was fraught with much uncer-
tainty and adventure, but their real
i excitement did not begin until after
their arrival at Erivan.