The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1921-02-25

1 wistful faces. In about an hour out
they came, with pans of cooked food
steaming.
Brave American Woman
The girls heaped their plates with
food, and it seemed that the food dis
appeared in the twinkling of an eye.
We filled them up. For once they
had enough. | stood there beside Doc
tor Barton, the leader of the Near
East Relief Work in all that land.
This noble man was watching these
unfortunate children, and 7 saw the
tears flowing down his cultured face.
"Oh, Writ" he said, isn't it beauti-
ful?' | said "What-feeding starving
children?" Yes, that and more
You mean, doctor, these fifty girls?"
Yes" he said, that, and what is
more-that little woman. Helen Blake
ley" What of herr" And he told me
this incident: A few days before, the
Turks had come and tried to get her
girls. They surrounded the home and
demanded that they be released. She
SAID, mo, you can't hae them. Go
away They did SO, but returned lat
er with renewed demands; again she
managed to deter tehm. Then came
a regiment of Turkish troops and sur
rounded her building. The major came
to the door and said: Miss Blakeley,
let us put an end to this foolishness.
We want your girls. We are going to
burn your building if necessary. These
are nice girls, musical girls, educated
girls, n we want them for the har-
ems of u Turkish officials, and we
are going to have them" Miss Blake
ley turned and snatched an American
dag. She threw it DER the threshold
and said: Sir, you can have my girls,
but only over that flag and over my
dead body" He saw she meant bust
ness, turned and went away, and with
him went his villainous crew. These
girls are alive today becuase the
Turk respects American womanhood
and he respects the Stars and Stripes.
tell you that but for the five hundred
and t|hirty-nine pair of American eyes
in that land, watching the unspeak-
able Turk, with access to the Ameri-
can cable and the heart of, Christen-
dom, he Armenian nation would
have persisted ere this. Your relief
workers stand today between them
and death, and are doing more for
the preservation of these people than
all the armies and navies of Europe.
Children Beat at Gates
Now, just one more incident, and |
must close. Come with me to Alep-
pc, a city full of starving children.
Here are forty thousand Armenian
refugees; by and by we are going to
help them. Here are several thou
sand Christian girls in harems, and
by and by We are going to help them.
but not now. The first charge upon
Near East Relief is the welfare of the
children. Well, we gathered up two
thousand of them. We got four or
five Turkish buildings connected up
and were soon ready to open the orp-
manage. We had two thousand little
outfits of clothing, and we had food
for all. We sent word to the scatter
ed orpahns by underground methods.
If we had SEN it publicly the dogs
would have beer set upon them. One
morning | looked out of my window
and saw a sea of frowZy heads. We
opened the gate-to them the gates of
heaven; we gave each a big bun, and
they were happy. We took in a thou
sand, two thousand, and then came
the word, CLOSE the gate, we have no
more room" The gate was closed,
but l val never to hear that sound
beating OF little skeleton
hands against the gate. ooh, let me
in. Isn't there room for just one
more?" We tool in a few more, and
then had to close the gate perma-
nently, and turn away, literally, hun
dreds of little children to die in the
desert, to go back to the holes in the
ground and to the city's streets, where
they were beset by Turkish boys and
dogs. You remember a little Strang-
er anne to that land two thousand
years ago. There was no roo for
Him in the inn, but they found room
for Him in a manger. The inns are
full today in this land of Christ, and
we want you TO help us find some
managers for the remnant of these
children, children whose parents died
because they loved the Cross and moi
\ the Star and Crescent.