Norwich bulletin., 1920-01-22
STORIES OF THE WAR
Italv's After War Population.

Italy has emerged from the war with a greater population than she had before, though with a considera- bly, lessened number of men. This Is due to the addition of 1000 600 by the Restoration of Italian territory heretofore under Austrian rule and to the high birth rate which, it is es- timated, kept the population up to its normal of 36,000,0O0, despite the loss of 5o0,00O by war.
 The trend of the population toward the cities is great but perhaps not greater than in other European countries. Munition works and war industries of all sorts attracted labor which shows no disposition to return to the farms and villages. Many families which became rich during the war have moved to the important cities and are spending their money lavishly for luxuries. One newly rich family in Rome hung an entire apartment including the servants quarters with elaborate tapestries and purchased seven pianos.
 The population of Milan has grown from 59s, 900 in 1914 to 750,000. Genoa has increased from 250 900 to 300 ,0e0 Naples had 66S,00o at the opening of the war and now has 800 0000 Venice 1 was in danger during so much of the | fighting that it was deserted tempo rariy Sy much of it's population and is no larger now than it was before the struggle began. Florence grew but 1 little during the war and was less af- i fected by the world crisis than any other large Italian city.
 Taranto and Spezia, the two great l Italian naval bases have developed markedly. Taranto had about 70000 | inhabitants in 1914 and it now has 1S0 900. All the Allied fleets center i there ;ald it's shipyards, arsenals and naval supply works have been greatly increased. Ten years ago Spezia had only 1000 or 5000 inhabitants. It is
 now a city of 100, 900.
 Terni an industrial city located six ty miles from Rome has grown in ten l to 54,000. It has greater waterpower | than any other industrial city of Italy.
 Sufferings of Nestorans of Persia.
 The following appeal to the British nation on behal1 of the oppressed Nestorians of Persia has been sent by 1 the Deaconess Esther of Urumiyah, l Persia. where for many years the Sis l teFs of Bethany of hloyd square l maintained an establishment in con nectien with the Archbishop of Can i terbury's mission to the AssyFian 1 Christians During the war these Nes- l torian Christians suffered, as will be
 seen, very cruelty at the hands of the 1 Turks who involved them in a like l condemnation with the Armenians. Deaconess Esther writes
 ''The atrocities against the Nestefian people have been going on now for five years. and even yet the British peo- l pie have little or no idea as to the
 true facts.
 ''The massacre began in September l Urunfiyah). a city in northwest Per 1 sia. On Jan. 2. 1915, it was my lot te share with others the drinking of the | bitter cup of suffering in Urmi itself | After a fortnight of general massacre we were besiegedg and for five months 1 existed under the protection of the American flag. We ived-if life it car ! be calIed-under the most appalling conditions, heFded together so tightly
 that we lould not lie down to sleep but laid our weary. heads on eact others shoulders.
 We were unable to wash and were consequently sverminoUs te the last de gree. Dying at the rate of 90 and 4( l day. the bodies of our dead were
 packed in cellars until opportunity
 came for burial These were +hroyvr |
 trench, with the fear ever in OUT heart,
 of being captured, tortured and mas
 sacred ourselves. whilst perfernins
 loves last sad office. Yet SC terrific
 was our condition that when thes,
 loved ones died we shed no tears only
 a sense of relief 'eame to us, finding it
 expression in the lftteraPre 'Tha al
 God they are at rest!' All the time VI
 were thus hesieged unspeakssle atre 1~
 and it seemed as if hell were let loose
 One of my own relatives was take, by the bioodthirsty n1urd efers, and
 while still alive, nailed through tn
 head to the wall of a roomi Other 1 were packed like ffewood into rooms and burned alive. From one band 0
 100 men one was eheGen. and the ski
 torn piece by piece from his body be
 fore their eyes, after which the part,
 of my own relatives who survived t
 tell his story of horror He ha,
 crawled from beneath the mass o
 dead bodies, but died shortly afte reaching refuge. through the shoeI oeea asioned by his experiences.
 Our women were subjected te tn uRbFidled lust of these monsters, an-
 when they had finished with then } their poor, quivering bodies wer II CiOfSn III LHdAIl 4I0Itl l1S lOH0T tIfHp to the head. My woman heart break
 within me at the memory of it all, am 3 cannot write more. But, oh! now , plead with nberty-leving England t r make such things impossible in ou f land in the future, and even nor
 earnestly de I~elead with the ChurcI 3 of God to use all possible means t f hasten. government intervention on ou s behalf.
 3 Surely it is not the will of our low r ing Heavenly Father that our Nestori t an church should be destroyed. afte sIFch valiant witness to the gospel c 9 His grace, while others were sunke 7 in Bagan darkness.
 ) Will you not pray that the bless t ings of your peace may shine on us r an will you not be touched and stirre
 to action by the story of our need
 As a people we are homeless and des
 titute, yet we do not ask charities 5 only the right to live and worship on Saviour without interference an