Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-01-26
GEN. AzGAPET|AN
|. TELLS OF ARMEN|ANS
Gave Graphic Description Of
Hardships Before Local
Audience.

by birth and n cosmopolitan by edu-
cation. made an eloquent plea yester-
day afternoon for the orphans OF the
who with Mrs. Philip ID. Laird had Is
sued the invitations to the gathering
In the ballroom OF Mrs. Coleman du
Pout's home presided at the meet
ing.
General Azgapetian recounted brief
ly Armenias gallant stand In the war.
when against the threats and promises
OF the Turks. she sided with the AL
lies. AS a result Armenia lost 1,000,-
600 people and the revengeful Turks
deported the girls into slavery,
massacred the old people. and left the
children to starve. THE Turk may
appear to tho visiting American to be
n very hne gentleman" the speaker
declared. but In reality he Is cruel
and vengeful to all dogs ofinfdels,
rs he recalls anyone who Is not a
Mohammedan." The general said that
Armenians all over the world are
sending percentage of their earn
lngs to their starving countrymen
but that without the help from
America, the entire nation would
perish. II ii were possible for the
Armenians to go back to their farms
for contrary TO popular belief, Sc per
cent of the people are farmers, one
good harvest would make all except
the orphans self-supporting. So long
as the Turk is in power, the Armeni-
/ ms paret pc,,a,,
! The general devoted much of his
talk to the 100000 orphans. The Near
East Relief cares for 10000 chill.
dren, but the others cannot be taker
| In, for there liz no money 10 support
/ them. Although a child can be fed 70,
seventeen cents day, the 10000,
children outside the orphanages are
dying of starvation and exposure.
More funds would also rescue tn,
young girls, many of them cultured
and we'll educated. who are the slaves
OF Turks, for their masters would now
be willing TO set them free. The re.
lief stations cannot take them be.
cause they cannot even care for al
the children and must tell the girl.
TO return TO their mosters where the,
VIII have food and shelter, such a.
Il Is.
General Azgapetfan described tn,
work of the Near East Relief, which
Is chartered by an act of Congress.
and has strict Federal supervision. III,
displayed two reels OF moving pic
lures which showed a modern "Alic,
in Wonderland" visiting the Neal
East and seeing the relief work be
ing done among the Armenians
Syrians. Jews, etc. The part O
Alice was played by q charming lit,l,
Armenian gir< from an orphkrag,
there. The pictures gave yivi,
idea of the happy home life Of III
Near East Relief orphanages, wher
the children are fed and clothed an,
trained 10 be self-supporting. In con
trast TO these fortunate ones wer
shown groups of the children who be
siege the orphanages daily, begin,
TO be taken in. The efficiency of tn
Near East Relief in converting al
by-products into something usefu
was shown by the pictures Of SINAI
boys proudly wearing shirts mad
from empty American f1our-bags.
|, After General Azgapetian,s address
G. Z. Silloway. regional director O
Near East Relief. spoke briefly an
forcefully about the work of the Nes
| East Relief and urged each of tn
audience TO adopt child by payin
. ior It's support. He announced that
; drive for worn clothing will take Mac
} soon and gave graphic descriptio
or 10000 Armenian men stripped h
the Turks and turned into the prairie
IN snow storm, without any cIothin
except the empty -four bags that he
been distributed by a Near East Re
lief Secretary.
lie said that although the Nea
East Relief had to pay executive eY
penses. these expenditures were praf
tically balanced by contributions fo
that purpose and the high rate of ir
terest paid by the banks and that 3
, ieast 80 per cent and often more of III
money given gets 10 Armenia an
the other stricken countries. Outsid
or foreign missions Of certain church.
ne declared he had never seen wor
so imbued with the true pnissionar
spirit.