The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-03-12

NEW YORK. March 12-"Nation En-
gagged in Wild Orgy of spending!" If
this headline which recently appeared in
prominent New York daily is true,
and everybody is having such a good
time being extravagant, then the near
east relief has suggestion to make for
promoting 1T, Its treasurer wants to
| know IL, the next time you are seized
with the uncomfortable impulse to part
with cash, you won't let him know so
that he can sell you some flour or
some canned milk or some underwear
| to be sent to the Syrians and Arme-
mans. Or, perhaps il your particular
| orgy has proceeded far enough, you
might even adopt an orphan over in the
| destitute provinces of Asia.
The treasurer of the near east relief
| has his office at it's headquarters at
Madison avenue here, and you will
| find him there any day, surrounded by
| grim Photographic evidence of the aw-
| full conditions existing in Armenia and
| Syria; by even grmmer records Of a
peoples suffering. and occasionally by
| real witnesses of that suffering, who
| have just returned to this country. Nat
urally, living in such an environment
| day after day. the treasurer has become
a trifle prejudiced in favor Of relief
work. He thinks it is lots of fun. He
thinks to be quite explicit, that 1t Is
| much more fun to save the life of
an Armenian. who Is starving and in
need of medical attention, than it Is
| to buy new automobile or fur coat
| The treasurer has done both in his
time, you see, so he speaks from ex-
| perience.
The near east relief workers who
are coming home to recuperate after
| their strenuous activities in the devas-
tated provinces of Asia also share this
| preference for relief work when it comes
to being extravagant.
Il am afraid | shall never regain
my old outlook on life" said young
relief worker just back from Armenia
who visited the headquarters of the
| organization the other day. on the way
| back to her home in New England. 81
| am not good person for you to talk
| to concerning conditions over there, be-
| cause | saw so much suffering that
| II seems actually commonplace to me-
| When you live amidst starvation, mis-
cry and disease, and death, every day
| of your life for weeks at time, you
eventually become used to it--never
| hardened to it. but having reached a
certain point, If you know what j mean
| you cant experience any more horror.
II thought | would never feel horror
struck again, but l did 1t was when
| | reached New York, and walked up
| Fifth avenue, and saw all the marvellous
luxury of its show windows, the eX-
pensive limousines blocking traffic, the
| thousands of women in rich fur coats,
and the satin covered boxes of bon
hons on display in the big candy stores.
| For the price of one of those limousnes,
hundred Syrian babies could have
been fed; for the price Of one box Of
| candy a whole Armenian family could
! have been supplied with flour for a
month.
Il suppose my viewpoint is quite
| morbid, but you see l have just come
| from Ervan. the present capital of Ar
menia, where the streets are lined with
shivering beggars, barefooted, their
emaciated bodies wrapped only in bits
| of sackng. Winter is bleak and cold
| in this part Of Asia, and the population
Is totally unprepared for it. Tiny chill
| dren wear only the shreds of filthy
rags. and crouch on the streets numb
with cold, whimpering with pain. Often
they are compelled to fight off the
| hungry parish dogs, which driven by
| hunger, attack any living thing. We
| did what We could to gather in those
who were too helpless or exhausted
themselves to come for aid, but every
| day we came across dead bodies in
| corners where the poor people had
| dragged themselves. seeking shelter
! from the wintry blasts"
The young woman spoke in a calm.
| HlSpaSS,onate voice; her eloQuence was
| cold and animated. she complained
| % Shis herself "f could only make
| you people here at home feel what I
| felt when I first reached Armenia, but
II is all gone. After l get % rest, per-
| haps-"
Miss louise Chamberlain, another
| American girl Who has Just returned
| from service In the near east relief
| hospitals at Erivan, also complains that
| her outlook on life is changed forever.
| 1T isn't too much to say chat my soul
was frozen within me over there in
| ErtVan,' she says.
with my own eyes have seen liv-
| ing children IN the shelters sleeping on
what | supposed at first were dirty
mattresses in a courtyard, but noe until
We reused the little ones did we see
| the mattresses were the blackened bod
| les Of their companions, some OF them
Gead for several days. I asked some of
| the children why they slept on the
| bodies and their answer was chat they
had Go have something TO sleep on to
keep their almost naked bodies From
| the frozen ground.
| III you had sees children in the
streets OF Ervan pounding with stones
| the bones of animals into rough, pasty
mass and greedily devouring IL; II you
had known that in the cemeteries bod :
les had been stolen and the next day