The Ordway new era., 1920-02-27
Armenia Stories
Are All True

'MerclIu SDu, III MI true! NoDouy
has ever told the whole truth! Nobody
could r.
Thus Eleanor Franklin Egan, in the
Saturday Evening Post, quotes How
ard Heinz of Pittsburgh, Herbert
Hoover's representative in the Near
East, on the real conditions in Arme-
mia as he saw them with his own eyes.
Mr.. Heinz has been one OF those who
had believed the stories of starvation
and death in Armenia had been eXag-
gerated Not until he went himself to
the Caucasus did his views change,
Then he was shaken to the foundation
of his soul by what he saw.
Fearful! Awful Horrible Unbe-
lievable!" are some OF the ndiectiyes
Mrs. Egan says mus oe used in speak
ing of conditions in the Near East,
where Near East Relief, Madison
avenue, New York, supported by COR
tributior; iprsp the American people,
is conducting~the only organized effort
to save the lives of these utterly desii-
tute millions. Everything she saw ana
heard Justified the necessity for quick
and generous aid from America. Her
story of what she witnessed re-enforces
for stricken Armenia.
"'The Hunger grin is everywhere
evident" Mrs. Egan writes. "The piti'
full hundreds seemed to me to be weep
ing constantly Not profoundly as IN
grief, but whimperingly, appealingly
as in unbearabie physical distress. a
terrible population. Unspeakabiy filthy
and tatterdemalion thrOngs; shelter
less, death stricken throngs milling
from place to place, children crying
aloud, women sobhing IN broken mar
ticulnte lamentation !; men utterly hope
less and reduced to staggering weak
ness, needless of the tears rolling down
their dirt -streaked faces"
That is her picture Of the Armenians
most In evidence in Armenia. These
are the throngs. Then she turns to the
mobs. "Laree numbers here and there,
wIde-eyed. eager, hands Outstretched In
woifish supplIcation: teeth barred In d
CHASTITY grin that had long since ceased
20 slnile--an emaciated kln-stretched
grin, fixed and uncomfortable"
"Is II any wonder" she asks, that
I could not swallow my food7 threw Il
to the children In the rnvenlng hordes
and started small riots. The children
fought Together. snaried and ciaNed ~
one another for small hits of army bis
cult or morscIs of bully beef
"And then ! was told that many o!
them were SO starved that solid food
was likely to kill them instantly This
was too terribly true Yet in the whole
length and breadth Of the land there
was not an ounce Of food Of the kind
necessary for such cases, Al kars |
saw one man die with hrend In his
teeth. And If You viii consent 10 look
with me upon too awful thing I will
add that lie slowed evidence OF having
eaten too much rsass.
81 went hungry in Armenia, and /
associate remembered pangs Of my
own with MI my recolections of the
terrible land had plenty Of food with
me. hut for davs on end could not
eat II was n physical impossibiiity."
OF her first sigh1 in Armenia of the
terrible condition of the people Mrs.
Egnn writes of the scenes on her way
to Kars,
"Evrrywhere in the fields there were
people down on their knees searching
for grasses to cnt. Those near the rail
road lifted their heads and gazed at
our train ms it rushed past, and l
caught glimpses of terrible faces. An
old man sitting on the top of an en-
bankment waved handful of grass at
me where | stood at the car window,
then threw his head back and laughed
II manlacal laugh I hcgnn then to feel
the cold chills with which I was to
shiver for days on end"
or Kars she writes:
'"They were n multiple Lazaruh and
the train was the rich mans table.