The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1920-12-31

than billions of dollars spent later in
suppressng international warfare and
strife"
Mr.. Vickrey considers the need in
the Near East and especially in Ar
menia greater than anywhere else in
the world, because, as he says, "In the
countries of Central Europe there are
going governments which have merely
been temporarily impoverished by war.
In the Near East, on the other hand,
there is no such thing as stable gov
eminent. The whole fabric of the
state has to be created from the be-
ginning, and the innocent and help
less children have to be trained to the
responsibilities Of future citizenship.
Peace in the Near East and, In great
measure, throughout the world, will
depend very largely on the character
of the citizenship of the peoples of the
Near East"
Irresistible Appeal of Orphans.
Describing the orphanage work of
the Near East Relief in the Armenian
Republic, Mr.. Vickrey said:
Eve have at Alexandropoi in the
Caucasus, one orphanage where there
are approximately 10000 homeless
children, fatherleSs or mOtherleSS,
many of them having no known living
relative. Some of them do not even
know their own names, or the place of
their birth. They have shown wonder
full ,recuperative powers, and to see
them play their kindergarten or other
games under the direction of our Ameri-
can relief workers, one could never be-
lieve that they had passed through
the years Of suffering that most of
them have experienced since they, or
their parents, were driven from their
homes in Central Turkey five years
ago. ...-..-
For the accommodation of these or
phans there are sixty splendid stone
buildings, erected as barracks for the
Russian army. These buildings are
now given to us by the Armenian gov
eminent for period Of ten years and
lend themselves admirably to relief
purposes. --..-.
This orphanage at Alexandropol is
but one Of the 800 orphanages that the
Near East Relief is now operating in
various parts of the Caucasus, Anato-
liza, Cilicia, Syria and the CONSTANT
nople-Straits area.
Thirty miles from AlexandrOpOl. at
Kars, there is another group Of Rus
sian army barracks, which were given
us by the Armenian government for
relief purposes. was going through
the dOrmitories of this orphanage at
Kars when the young AmepS-Jn col
lege girl in charge turned to me and
said: Mr.. Vickrey, it sometimes makes
me feel just. a little older than Me-
thuselah to be called Mother" by
5000 Of those Armenian children
And that is exactly what she was
the only mother that these 5000 Ar
menian children have, except as she
avails herself of the organized assist
ance Of native Armenian women, in
caring for this large family.
SIN the hospital at Kars l found
1,150 beds, which, the day was there,
were occupied by 1,26S patients, it
frequently being necessary to put two
or more children in a single bed. At
Alexandropol we have in one hospital,
or group of hospital buildings, 1,560
traehoma patients. At Karaklis, forty
miles east Of Alexandropol we have
an orphanage devoted exclusively to
the care and training Of the blind
children. At Delijan we have another
orphanage, located on mountain side,
for the care of tubercular children,
this segregation being as much for
the welfare of the healthy children in
the orphanages as for the care of the
unfortunate consumptives At Erivan
we formerly had twenty-six distinct
orphanages, though they have now
been reduced and consolidated 80
seven in number. There are some
thing more than 5000 orphans in the
region OF Harpout."