Imperial Valley press., 1919-01-23
VOICE FROM DEAD
PLEADS CAUSE
OF ARMEN|ANS.

The following letter and accom-
panying article are self-explanatary:
''The Editor, Imperial Valley Press,
El Centre, Calif.-Dear Sir: Please
find enclosed copy of a short ar
ticle written by J. Elliott Druiff a
short time before his death. Mr.. Dru
iff wrote this with a view to having
it published for the benefit of the
present campaign of the Armenian
and Syrian Relief Drive here, and
if you can see fit to use it you may
do so. Yours very truly,
ar. P. ROBBINS.
In view of the extension of the
campaign, the following letter on Ar
menian relief, written by the late
Elliott Druiff just before his death,
is interesting:
":THE CRADLE OF IRRIGATION.
"Irigation Canals and Irrigation
Troubles as Old as History.
"'Born in the high plateau of Ar
menia, in Asia Minor, ard flowing
thousand miles to the Persian gulf,
are the two great rivers, the Tigris
and Euphrates, the parents of irri-
cation. Travelling parallel through
country not unlike our Imperial
Valley, on grander. scale, they come
together near the sea and enter the
Persian gulf. From the earliest times
the land between these rivers have
been great historic centers, and the
lower portion-an alluvial plain
formed by silt brought down by the
rivers in very much the same land
making process as is now going on in
the delta Of the Colorado. Under the
ancient irrigation system, this mod
ern Mesopotamia, or ancient Baby
lon, was the garden spot of the
world. Like our Valley land, under
irrigation it was capable of wonder
ful fertility. but neglected, it quick
lv returned to desert. The land that
witnessed the birth of the human
race and civilization drifted back to
the barren desert and swamps, with
canals silted up until they became
but carriers of malaria and fevers.
"'The whole of Babylonia was a
network of irrigation canals and
levees and even after 5000 years OF
9xposture to the elements these great
,evees, and even after 5000 years OF
exposure to the elements these great
| levees are still there, pointing out to
Us that our efforts of controlling
he waters are but rehearsing the
| science of our early forefathers.
"'The houses of .this greater I'm
| rerial Valley were all built of mud
! bricks or adobe, and are so to this
| day. -,
".There is no doubt but that the
dav is not far distant when these
| Valley lands of history will astonisf
| the whole world with boundless ag-
ricultural possibilities and production
| Before the war the traveller could
have seen the Armenian husbandmar
at work in his field with his wooden
| 2low, used somewhat as a shovel, with
! The foot on wooden cross-piece, and
! met g family going to market IN q
WAGON with its solid wooden wheels
and yoke of oxen But now after
| four years of war and Turkish op-
preston. ruin and starvation stalk
| everywhere. TIE haunting cries OF
starving children, the horrible results
| Of deportation and massacre are on
| every hand.
"'Tha American Committee for Ar
nenian and Syrian Relief are asking
for funds for help-simply money to
save from death these in abject
want. Four hundred thousand OF
these refugees are orphan children,
utterly estitute-children living in
the Oldest irrigated district in the
world-calling for bread, and we
citizens of this most wonderful irri-
gated land in the New World must
not let them call in vain. Everv dol
lar goes to the relief worker. There
are no administration expenses