New-York tribune., 1920-11-14
Eclipse Those of New York
at Its Worst Period, Says
DIR. Larsen, Secretary of
National Lutheran Council
Food Situation Serious
All Kinds of Supplies Need
ed i'm Rumania, Austria
and Hungary, He Reports
From Special Correspondent

conducted by the COMMISSION sent to
Europe by the American Lutherass
for the relief of the distressed peoples
OF the Continent. Here he met Pro-
fessor ]. A. Moorhead, who has been
in charge of this work for more than
two years. Professor Moorhead until
last spring was president of Roanoke
College, Virginia, but resigned, as he
has been absent in Europe for more
than two years.
DR.. Larsen has been travelling in Ru-
mania, Hungary and Austria, and he is
now looking over the situation in Ger
many preparatory to his early return
to New York. In regard to Germany
he said:
"Our commission began work here in
vuly, 1919, and was the first foreign
agency to arrive except probably the
English Quakers. We work through 8
German auxiliary commission, which
has headquarters at Leipsic. This lat
ter has subcommittee in the various
states and provinces, which study the
reeds of hospitals, deaconesses' homes,
siums missions and other institutions
and report to Leipsic. The central or
ganization there makes recommended
tions based upon this information to
cur European commission, which makes
the final decision and allotments of
money, food and clothirg
German Conditions Improved
eve find through these agencies that
food conditions in Germany have i'm
proved somewhat within a year, but
there is still serious need for assist
ance. Requests just made from insti-
trtions like those mentioned totaed
about 100000 marks. 1t was thought
that this sum would enable those char
ltable institutions to continue their
work during the next four months.
This allotment has been made. We also
have distributed considerable food and
clothing in Germany"
Referring to conditions in Berlin.
DIR. Larsen said:
Berlin used to boast that it had no
slums; but | have just seen things
here that eclipse the slums of New
York at their worst period. In one
small room, not more than 10 bv Is
feet, saw nine Baltic refugees. They
were doing all their cooking, washing
anc sleeping in that one room.
There is vast amount of under
nourlshment, poverty and disease.
There is a skin disease for which the
have found no cure: it re-
suits from lack of soap and under
wear. There has been terrible ia
crease in tuberculosis. The superin-
tendent Of one hospital told me that so
per cent of all diseases here are ye-
nereal, or approximately 10 per cent of
only per cent. The ministers speak
OF the frightful decline of morals"
Situation in Poland
The most important work Of the Eu-
ropean commission has been done in
Poland. OF what they found there and
the commissions work since then. DR..
Larsen said:
Our agents found that 125,00O men
from Lutheran Communities alone, not
counting women and children. had been
taken away from Poland by the Rus
sian forces when they evacuated the
country before the advancing Germans.
They were sent afoot to Siberia, and
one Polish pastor told DR.. Moorhead
that their march to Siberia could be
traced by the mounds Of children's
graves left along its path-thirty Or
forty graves daily. These people have
been returning to Poland in small
groups for months. They return to
absolute destitution; they possess only
the rags they wear; their houses are
in ruins, their livestock gone. They
were without food. DR.. Moorhead found
entire families that had been without
any food for weeks, except a soup made
Of nettles.
'The Bolshevists swept over the
same region again this summer and
carried out a second destruction. Thew
reaped the crops, smashed all farm i'm
plements, carried away what little stock
was found. pillaged houses and took
away the clothing that the Lutheran
commission had distributed. Thev
pulled the wedding rings from the
fingers of men and women. In some
cases children starved to death before
food could be brought in.
Potato Only Crop Left
About the only thing left the people
was the potato crop, which was then
growing and could naturally not he
wholly destroyed. | think that this ex
perlence has cured the Poles from anv
desire to go Bolshevik.
Our Polish group Of workers drew
up a Plan for making loans to the
sum of 20,500,000 Polish marks thew
organized such societies in the various
folsh congregations, and these socie
Tics nave been recognized by the Polish
government. The banks were CHARGING
20 to 20 per cent for money. but our
societies made loans at per cent. with
the understanding that the interest
was to be used for the work of the
Church and that the capital, when re-
paid, should be devoted to building
churches and schools. In addition to
tcod and money our Polish group dis
trlbuted 100000 pounds of clothing.
Next to. Poland the greatest need
at present is in the new Baltic states.
Our representatives tell of going
through a region 200 kilometers long
and about twenty kilometers broad
where everything was destroyed by the
Bolsheviki. About forty Lutheran
churches were destroyed in the Baltic
states. Our commission supplied
money, food and clothing there, and
the food situation has improved"
Rumanian Policy Oppressive
DR.. Larsen spent some time in Tran
sylvania. which has been taken from
Hungary and given to Rumania under
the peace treaty. While the largest ele-
ment of the population Of Transylva-
MIA is Rumanlan, there is also large
element of Germans, the descendants !
IF emigrants who settled there hun
ireds of years ago. They maintain the |
German language and are Lutherans.
n regard to his observations in Tran
ylvania Dr. Larsen said:
!. "The Rrmanians are trying to make
Catholics of the Lutherans by using
forse than Prussian methods. 1t is
ase of an inferior civilization being
imposed upon a superior one, yet was
ot o. hIo fO fud INV rol;oiouc nnrcoo,,