The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-21
MINISTERS ID AID
 NEAR EAST RELIEF
Birmingham Pastors Are Stirred by Eloquent Plea
 or Assyrian Minister

An impassioned appeal on behalf of sui fering Armenia and Syria, delivered by a native of the near east. inspired pledges of cooperation from score of minis ters representing as many Birmingham churches at the Hilman Hotel yesterday at noon.
 Dr. Isaac Yonan native Assyrian and a Presbyterian minister, who formerly lived at Harpoot, told luncheon audience of sixty pastors and laymen some os the terrible experiences which he survived during the period 1916 to 1919. It was story of slaughter and deportation, theft and destruction of property, en- slavement of Christian girls and the ob- Alteration of two-thirds of the population of a once prosperous region.
 Four hundred thousand Armenians and Syrians have been slain by the Turks, 10000 Christian girls nave been sold into slavery in Turkish and Kurdish harems, and 250,000 orphan children, whose fath- CTS have been murdered and whose moth CTS have been enslaved or have died of starvation, remain destitute on the vefge of starvation, he asserted.
 Miss Ida Vera Simonton, lecturer on the staff of the New York board of edu- cation, and a noted traveller and writer, also spoke briefly at the luncheon, declar- ing to the ministers present that the su- premaey of the cross or the crescent was at stake in the near east, and that Chris tian America must save the remnant ef a race of Christians who have suffered almost total annihilation because of their religious convictions.
 Dr. Scale Harris, state chairman for the near east campaign in Alabama, pre- sided at the luncheon, and introduced II. T. McBroom. state secretary, who ex- plained to the ministers what was to be asked of them Mir McBroom announced that Birminghams quota in the near east campaign was $400o0. the sum desig- hated for the entire state being $1SO,9O0 Canvassing would start next week in Bir- mingham he said and he requested each pastor who would undertake to secure four campaign workers from his church to stand up. There were nearly a score of responses, and the churches will f1r7 nish the canvassing committees for the work next week.
 One hundred lodges and labor unions of Birmingham, said Mr McBroom, would be asked to adopt an orphan eaoh
 on the basis of $6o year for maintenance of each child. Women's organizations and Sunday schools are already cooper ating in the same manner. Four minute men who served during the war have pledged their aid to H. D. Cullen, former secretary, to help reach the lodges and unions.
 The address delivered by Dr. Woman was stirring appeal, not for charity, but for justice to Armenia and Syria. They had joined the great war on the side of the allies, he said. and had furnished 100000
 men in the fight against Turkey, Bulgaria and Germany. Following the collapse Of
 the Russian fighting machine, they had been left to the mercy of the Turks, who embraced their opportunity to annihilate a race of Christians. Once a land of | prosperity, even of wealth, Armenia, he l said had been left desolate, not one stick Or stone left standing where Christian homes had been A perishing people, the 1 Armenians and Syrans are without food, without clothing, without shelter, and
 the bones of 100000 more will strew the deserts unless America helps. The peace
 conference had specified that the Huns must restore stolen art treasures, the
 speaker said, but nothing had been said
 about the restoration of 100000 Christian ! girls sold into the slavery and debauch- | cry of Mosem harems.
 These people don't want charity" Dr.
 Yonan said. They only want chance.