Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-07-09
HOOSIER BACK
AFTER 4 YEARS
IN RELIEF WORK
John Keller of Lafayette Says
People in Near East Are
Starving.

LAFAYETTE, Ind, July 9.-After
nearly four years service overseas, first
with the A Z. f, along all fronts in
France. and from the armistice on with
the Near East Relief at Derindje, Turkey,
John Keller, has returned here with his
Wife having landed from the SIS. New
Amsterdam In New York this week. Mr..
Keller, who was detailed as one of the
officers in charge OF the great American
warehouse on the Bosphorons, brings q
most vivid picture Of conditions In tie
Near East and of the efforts OF American
philanthropy to relieve them.
What the American people are doing
through the Near East Relief organiza
tions in Turkey is marvellous" he said
on his arrival in New York "Not until
one has seen a long line OF ragged. hun
CRY. destitute people-men, women and
children-march in to the American sta
ton and ask for help, can he appreciate
the task that the organization has IN
dertaken and accomplished. America Is
the one hope to these people and so far
at any rate she has not failed them.
REFUGEE CAMPS
KEPT CLEAN.
The refugee camps, which are any
thing from ruined churches to discarded
stables. where thousands of these help
less people who have been driven from
their homes by the Greek Turk warfare,
are kept, have been converted from mud
dy, crowded pens to clean; orderly in
stitutiOns-al1 through American money
and the efficiency and untiring devotion
Of American relief workers. To see be
fore YOU a group Of some thousand PEG
pie and know that every one of them
owes his life to what you and the peo-
pie back OF you have done is a wonder
full thing. and I wish every person who
has contributed In any way to this work
might see st."
The best work Of all is with the chill
dren. Mr.. Keizer declares. The first
steps always taken with them. now that
facilities permit, Is q general cleaning
ups They are, OF course. always the
first ones 10 be fed-and the last, If
there is any shortage Of food.
I'VE had about three hundred at De
rindje" said Mrs. Keller. "and when we
left you couldn't find a finer lot Of chill
dren anywhere. Many OF them are or
phans and it is up to the Americans 20
give them what training they get. And
they need It, After all the frightful
scenes they have witnessed their ideals
OF conduct and life aren't too high. But
efforts are wasted on them"
SCHOOL HOUSE
Is ERECTED.
Just before his departure Mr.. Keller
built a school house for the three hun
dred orphans The tables and benches
we're built out OF an old Bagdad rail
way freight car and for the building he
confscated an old Bagdad railway ware
house
The floor" explained Mr.. Keller,
was Of cobble stones and the legs which
held up the tables and benches were OF
gasoline cases sent over from America.
There were no bIackboards and almost
no books. but the youngsters who
flocked into that schoolroom on the open
ing day we're the most eager lot that ever
gathered before a schOOlhouse in the his
tory Of the world"
Mr.. Keller said that there was prac-
ticaly no wealth in Asia Minor today.
Everything had been lost II a farmer
counts unto himself a pair Of oxen, cart
and few chickens, he is considered pros
porous and lucky When he left Derindje,
the Greek Government was just begin
ming TO draft refugee men. The sight OF
these half starved, almost feeble old men
going off to the front was a most pa
thetic one. he said That they could offer
much more than a target seemed impOs-
sihle.
Mr.. Keller believes that despite the ad-
vances OF the Turks, the American re
lief workers are IN no danger. The re-
syect for America and the men and women
with the Near East Relief is universal
among all races.