Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-06-24

state committee of which Former Gov
ernor William N. Runyon is chairman
and Frederick Frelinghuysen is treas
urer is especially anxious TO have it
known that all expenses Of Mr.. Eel
chenko's trip will be met privately
by a member Of the committee.
The Near East Relief has been rails
ing money in New Jersey for more
than three years and before the state
committee commits itself to a budget
for another year in support Of the
ten thousand Armenian orphans
adopted" by the people Of the state
it has been decided to send Mr.. Eel
chenko to make a survey. The state
committee or the organization is COM
posed of hard-headed business men
and, like other contributors, they want
to know how the money has been
spent and what are the chances of
the Armenians becoming self support
ing.
The Truth About Armenia
IF conditions are hopeless I will
tell you so upon my return" said the
state secretary in accepting the mis-
sion. "On the other hand, if I find
that children are still starving,
mothers are still wandering over the
plains from one o~rphanage to another
in search of their infants torn from
them by the Turks, I will say so when
I come back and will appeal to the
people of New Jersey for support
worthy of the cause"
The trip is not without its dangers
for part of 1t will be In the territory
still held by the Bolshevists, who are
not friendly to the American relief
organization. 1t is to places like Ba-
tum and Erivan, recently wrecked by
the hordes from Russia, that the Sec
rotary will go, for little word has
come from these places. The result
of the survey will also be made known
to the national headquarters.
Mr.. Zelchenko, although making his
home in Newark, where the state Of
fee of the organization is located, is
well known throughout New Jersey.
For the last two years, during which
time he has been state secretary, he
has gone up and down the state speak
ing in hundreds of churches and be-
fore many other kinds of audiences in
behalf of the Armenian orphans. He
is often asked if he is an Armenian
for he tells the story of their suffer
ing with unusual fervor, but it is be-
cause he, too, knows what privations
mean, that he is able to feel for those
oppressed In Bible lands.
An Immigrant Boy
His career has been unusual. He
came here from Russia, an immigrant
boy-alone-at the age of fifteen.
without friends in this country he
started to learn the language of his
adopted land through selling news
per in the streets of New York.
After his days work was done he
went to night school, and continued
to do so for evera years.
His first regular job was that of
office boy in a Y. M. G. A., where he
rose to be general secretary. Then
Americanization work, an activity
which had appealed to him through
his own experience, demanded his at,
tention. He was a pioneer in this
work with the Y. M. C. A, and intro-
duced a course In English for foreign
speaking people that is in use today.
His ability to speak Russian and the
Slavonic languages will be of great
service in the Near East.
During the summer he went with the
Near East Relief and put on a novel
appeal in the CatskilI mountains,
raising $4,000 there mainly through
his personal appeal to the hotel guests.
Since that time he has been secretary
- L. .iuaAlon La Arnr.- Innrnu