Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-11-03
For Relatives IL
Syria, But Found Only Their
Skeletons, Says Mrs. MOultri
Near East Relief Worker,
Who Soon Will Come To
Grand Forks To Make Her
Home, Tells OF Conditions
As She And Her Husband
Found Them.

The Minneapolis Journal Of We'd
nesday evening printed an article re-
garding conditions in Syria, which
will be of considerable interest to
Grand Forks residents, inasmuch as
Mrs. L. G.. Moultrie; who, gave the in
terview, soon is. to come to Grand
Forks to join Mr.. Moultrie. They are
to make their home on University
venue for the winter. Mr.. Moultrie
formerly was a minister At Valley
City, but resigned his position to enter
Near East Relief work in Syria. Earl
Moultrie, his son, is an alumnus of
the state university and at present is
connected with the International Har-
vester Company offices in this city.
The interview with Mrs. Moultrte,
as published in The Journal, follows:
"'And so they took the roofs
and window castings Of their
because wood was high and they
could get quito a little money for
it. But. when they couldn't find
any, more wood to sell-then they
lay down inside their little stone
houses and died OF starvation.
And their relatives, came from
America to find them and take
care of them, found the skeletons F..
inside the broken walls
THAT was Syria, not long ago., Mrs.
L. G. Moultrie, a Near East relief
worker who has. just returned with
her husband to her home at 2745
Third ave. S., said today. .
But Syria a changed
Where, not so long ago., the people
were dying like flies from starvation
and disease. Mrs. Moultrie said, they
now are beginning to support them
selves. The French are helping in re-
Mobilization, developing trade and US
ing their mandate in Syria to help the
Syrians rather than to gain for them
selves. They also r cooperating
to the fullest extent with American
relief workers, Mrs. Moultrie said.
The Syrian people will not starve,
they are getting on their feet she
said, and 500 will be entirely self
supporting. But it is to the children
Of Syria that we owe care. We now
have 1000 Syrian orphans In. relief
orphanages in the Beirut-Aleppo dis
trict alone. These children are being
taught trades; we are planning and
hoping to be able to care for them
for at least 10 years, 80, that when
they leave the orphanages they can
take care of themselves. The MAORI
ty of children in the orphanages are
under 6 years Of age; many are only 3
or 4 ear old.
Relief Still Needed.
"'Can we turn these children into
the street and let them shift for them
selves? Syria. wrecked, war-torn as
h is, cannot care for them. So our
duty seems to be plain. If we do not
care for the orphans, they-many Of
them at least-will' die. F.
The o terrible suffering is
owe But, even now, when we go
over our books, where the lame and
families of the orphans are listed. we
, find again and again the notation
Died Of starvation" Nothing more.
1t is a marvel that 20 many children
survived .N,' T..
Mrs. .Moultrie, with her husband,
! went to Syria in 1919, to serve for one
year. At the conclusion of the year,
they. re-enIisted for another year.
We liked the work immensely she
said. 80
Mrs. Moultrie. formerly was Mrs.
Sophia w. Small of Minneapolis. In
December, 1919, she vas sent to Syria
on the same ship with Mr. Moultrie,
and on their arrival at Beirut they
were married. at the home of Major
James H. Nicol, director of relief
work in the Beirut-Alloppo district.
Her husband is in Grand Forks, N. D.,
where he is entering business, and
Mrs. Moultrie is to join him there in
the near future"