Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-02-23

y
ragged In Wild Cry Of Spending!"
II this headline which recently APP
peared in . prominent New York
daily il true, and everybody Ia hay-
ing such . good time being extrava-
CANT then the near east relief has a
suggestion to make for promoting
it: Its treasurer wants to know II.
the next time you are seized with
the uncontrollable 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 un-
derwear to b. sent to the Syrians
and Armenians. Or, perhaps If your
particular orgy has proceeded far
enough, you might even adopt an
orphan over In the destitute prov
inces Of Asia.
Tho treasurer Of the near east
relief has his office at its headquar-
ters-at Madison avenue here, and
you will find him there any day,
surrounded by grim Photographic
evidence Of the awful conditions ex-
listing in Armenia and Syria; by
even grimmer records Of peoples
suffering, and occasionally by real
witnesses of that suffering, who
have just returned to this country.
Naturally, living in such an en-
vironment day after day, the treas
urer has become 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 1t is to buy
a new automobile or a fur coat. The
treasurer has done both in his time,
you see, so he speaks from expert
ence.
The near east relief workers who
are coming home to recuperate
after their strenuous activities in
the devastated provinces Of Asia
also share this preference for relief
work when it comes to being ex-
travagant.
Il am afraid I shall never regain
my old outlook on li;e," said a
young relief worker just back from
Armenia, who visited the headquar-
tiers Of the organization the other
day, on the way back to her home
in New England. II am not good
person for you to talk to concern
ing conditions over there, because
l saw so much suffering that it
seems actually commonplace to me.
When, you live amidst starvation,
misery and disease, and death.
every day Of your life for weeks at
a time, you eventually become used
to it-never hardened to it. but hay
ing reached a certain point, If you
know what l mean, you can't eS-
perience any more horror.
II thought l would never feel
horror-struck again, but l did. II
was when l reached New York, and
walked up Fifth avenue, and saw
all the marvellous luxury of its
show windows, the expensive limo
sines blocking traffic, the thousands
of women in rich fur coats, and the
satin boxes of b0nbons on
display in the big candy stores. Fol
the price Of one of those limousines
a hundred Syrian babies could
have been fed; for the price of one
box OF candy whole Armenian
family could have been supplied
with -four for a month.
II suppose my viewpoint is quite
morbid, but you see l have just
come from Erivan, the present capt.
tai of Armenia, where the streets
are lined with shivering beggars,
barefooted, their emaciated bodies
wrapped only in bits of sacking.
Winter is bleak and cold in this
part Of Asia, and the population is
totally unprepared for it. Tiny
children wear only the shreds OF
filthy rags, and crouch on the
streets numbed with cold, whimp-
ering with pain. Often they are
compelled to fight of the hungry
parish dogs. which driven by hun
ger, attack any living thing. We
did what We could to gather in
those who were too helpless or ex-
hausted 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, dispassionate voice; her elo-
Quence was cold and unanimated
She complained Of this herself "Ii
I could only make you people here
at home feel what l felt when ]
first reached Armenia, but it is all
gone. After 1 get rest, perhaps
Miss Louise Chamberlain, another
American girl who has just return
ed from service in the near east
relief hospitals at Erivan, also COM
plains that her outlook on life is
changed forever. ut isn't too much
tn raw that nv Soul waS frnzeu