New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-08-21

y ESTERDAY 1t was necessary for me
" to make trip to the north,
the edge Of the tribal lines Of the
Kastrati At military headquarters
met General Jelosh Joka, the Albanian hero
whose deeds are praised in of the national
songs that spring from the hearts of these
people. "Pray to God for Jelosh Joka, King
Of the Mountxineers, the refrain runs,
the children sing it every day our play
ground.
He Is a splendid figure, this old Albanian
Tall, as all his mountain people are, straight
commanding, with keen eyes that deserve
so few eyes outside of fiction do, to be COM
psred with those of the eagle that gives Al
bania its quaint native name, "Shipniya." He
wore the costume of his clan, the trousers of
black-hraided, fet-lined cloth, the nlany-col-
ored sash that holds silver-hilted pistols, the
long blue coat lined with red, the red-embroi-
dered waistcoat crossed in 'front.' and half
dozen marvelously wrought chains of heavy
silver around his neck. His troops, in ragged
remnants of the same costume, stood behind
him, silent and respectful
II thank America for what you have
brought u.s." he said. "Since you have come
have learned to wash my hair and my gar
IASnCS nave AedEu0Q WNdL IL M0uHS 10 CIlc
soul to be clean. We did not know these
things, we men of Shpniya, before you came.
Shipniya has been always at war to save her
lands and her people, since first the Slav came
down from the North many thousands Of years
ago. That is the we have forgotten
these things. But you have told US, and we
glad. We are grateful. We thank you,
and L." he smiled, II who have learned to be
clean, thank you.''
This was very remarkable speech to come
from the lips of the most famous cheftain in
all the Albanian mountains The influence
of our "Children's Clearing House. in Sou
tart had spread without our knowing it,
through the voices of children in their homes
clamoring to be washed, and had reached
even the heights of Kastrati. The story of
this "Chiidren's Clearing House." an institu-
ton undoubtedly unique in the world, is worth
telling.
When I came to Scutari for the American
Junior Red Cross found a city Of &C., 600 in
habitants, the center Of the northern Albanian
tribes, who had been at war almost continu-
ousfy for twelve years.
Turkish Montenegro, Serbian, Greek, Bull
garian and Austrian armies had successfully
ravaged their lands, RACED their stone villages
and slaughtered their people. The armistice
in the west-ferociously seconded by the I'M
conquered and still fighting bands in the
mountains-had driven out the Austrians, and
Scutari was occupied by international Allied
troops under the command of the French
It was necessary to remember, as basis
for any action in the chaos, that the Albanian
people, though forced by centuries of oppres-
sion and warfare to the most primitive and
even barbarous methods of living are the
bearers CT an extremely complex culture and
civilization which they have maintained from
prehistoric times. They have preserved it by
unrelaxing enmity to every form of foreign
influence. They are paszionately and patheti-
eslly eager to seize upon any opportunity to
develop themselves, but an attempt to impose
upon them ideas and methods, however good
that were not in harmony with their own de-
sircS has always failed. They are an intensely
cohesive people. Even antagonistic religions,
which have divided the Eastern peoples
broke harrnlessly against this race feeling and
found Mcslezns, Roman Catholics and Greek
Orthodox A1banians living amicably together