The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1921-10-27

today that left New York; How
blissfully ignorant I was that day,
for then / did not know that as much
grease and oil existed in the whole
world as have consumed since then.
Speaking Of the Asyrian children.
You should see the native teracher
that comes with them. If the kids
make mistake that would cause
hilarity in a bunch Of American
youngsters, he bangs them over the
head and they cover just like whip
ped puppies. He swears at them
constantly. Well, he doesn't bother
us much, for as a rule he sits down
in some shady spot and smokes Gig
arettes. There is absolutely no dis
cipline, and yet everything is run on
as stiff military scale as a Cor
man school. Leave it to such q sys-
TEN to crush Individual spirit and
produce bad eggs.
One Of the Y men here had some
classes in games in some of the or
phanages and schools last winter,
and finsally the boys. got to like it fine,
but then would not play except when
he was around. The native teachers
wonder why. It is easy to see.
Maybe you think that supervising
play is a waste Of time and effort.
But remember that these youngsters
never heard of such thing before.
All are war orphans. Many, per-
haps most of them. have seen their
fathers and mothers butchered, their
sisters carried off, their older brothers
killed, and the escape of each from
death is miracle. Now do you see
why the play spirit is crushed? Who
wants to be an orphari anyway?
Remember these are not Near East
Relief orphans. Those boys are the
luckiest youngsters in Asia Minor.
I'started to tell you my duties and
! got off on the Assyrians. Several
forenoons have spent visiting Turk
lish officials in an endeavor to get
some more Turkish boys for our
camp. l spend most of my after
Moons ard evenings with the Turks,
and those Armenians who come, at
the Turkish center of our work of
which I have charge. We have an
Armenian interpreter and an Arab
"chore-boy." We play games, check
ers, etc. The idea is to teach them
how to deal with other people. 1t
really is doing their manners and
tolerance lot Of good, and if a
Turk lacks anything those are the
two things he lacks.
Every Monday evening run q
cinema show for them. We usually
have about 100 here. l fix the ma
chine, turn the crank, frame up the
pictures, which is quite job on the
worn-out films we get, keep one part
Of the old machine from going faster
than the other by holding it back, and
translate the French wording of the
films into English SO that our inter-
prefer can put it into Turkish. Some
| job, believe me-and it is a hot one.
Then / also have general super
vision over the recreational groun1a
with it's croquet court, basketball,
tennis and gymnastic apparatus
But due to the hot weather there
isn't much doing outside Of croquet
as the thermometer hits 108 in the
shade and there isn't much shade.
I am collecting some facts about
1900 Armenian refugees who were
driven out by the Turks last June
from Zeitum. Twelve have SO fal
reached Adana, one is on his way, Of
1.-TWO others the location is known
seven have been reported to have
reached Anitab, and it is known that
81 were killed at or drowned in the
passing of the Dyhoun The rest
are either killed or are living like
hunted beasts in the mountains be-
tween here and there. / will sent
you full particulars later.
! One Of our friends is sitting op
posite me watching me write. They
of course write from right to left. HI
speaks German, having been sent Il
school by the Turkish government
in Germany for three ard one-bal.
years during the war. It seems 81
strange to work with people to whom
one can only say "Bon jour" and ,
few other things. One Of the fellow
is teaching me Turkish. He enjoy
it and / will never learn enough i
clutter up my brain, so might d
well spend my time that way.
Il Now ! will tell you some NOR
about the city and the country as
whole. The city is situated on TIL
western bank Of the Sihoun river