The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-03-04

than billions Of dollars spent later IN
suppressing international warfare and
strife"
Mr.. vickrey considers the need In
the Near East and especially In Ar.
menia greater than anywhere else In
the world. because, as he says, I'm the
countries Of Central Europe there are
been temporarily impoverished by war.
In the Near East on the other hand,
there IL no such thing as stable gov
ernment. The whole fabric Of the
state has to be created from the be-
ginning, and the innocent and help
less children have to be trained to the
responsibilities Of future. citizenship.
Peace In the Near East and, In great
measure, throughout the world, viii
depend very largely on the character
Of the. citizenship Of the peoples Of the
Near East.
Irresistible Appeal o. Orphans.
Describing the orphanage work Of
the Near East Relief in the Armenian
Republic. Mr.. vickrey said:
We have at Alexandropol in the
Caucasus, one orphanage where there
are approximately 10000 homeless
children, fatherless or motherless
many Of them having no known living
relative. Some Of them do not even
know their own names, or the place Of
their birth. They have shown wonder.
ful recuperative powers, and to see
them play their kindergarten or other
games under the direction Of our AmAri-
can relief workers, one could never he
lieve that they had passed through
the years of suffering that most Of
them have experienced since they. or
their parents, were driven from their
homes In Central Turkey I'VE years
ago.
For the accommodation Of these or.
phans there are sixty splendid stone
buildings, erected as barracks for the
Russian army. These buildings are
now given to rs BY the Armenian row
eminent for period Of ten years and
lend themselves admirably to relief
purposes.
This orphanage 1t Alexandropol Il
but one Of the 20 orphanages that the
Near East Relief II now operating In
various parts Of the Caucasus, Anato-
lia. Cilicia, Syria and the Constants
nople- Straits area.
Thirty miles from Alexandropol. II
kara there Is another group Of Rus
sian army barracks, which were given
rs By the Armenian government for
relief purposes was going through
the dormit0ries Of this orphanage AZ
kars when the young American col
iege girl In charge turned to me and
said Mr.. Vickrey, It sometimes makes
me feel Just q little older tkan Me-
thuselah to be called Mother hv
5000 Of those Armenian children,
And that is exactly what she was
the only mother that these coon Ar
menian children have. except as she
avails herself Of the organized assist.
ance Of native Armenian women. Is
caring for this large family.
In the hospital It Kars / fonna
LIoO beds which, the day was there.
were occupied By 1,268 patienfe =
frequently being necessary to puf two
or more children In single he'd a.
Aiexandropol We have in one hospital
o. group Of hospital buildings 15ef,
Tachoma patients. At Karaklfs. fortv
miles east Of Alexandropol We have
an orphanage devoted exclusive1v -
tne care and training Of the blinn
children At Delijan we have another
orphanage. located on mountain sId.
TOT the care Of tubercular childrer
tnis segregation being as much Far
NE welfare Of the healthy children 8
sne orpnanages a. for the care 81 tie
Unfortunate ccnsumptiveA AT Eriv.r
IS formerly had twenty-six distinc.
$50 - though they have now
- secueeo anA consolidated t.
nan< moEe than oooo orphsns = ~.
1G1e1 - Hnrpouks