Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-10-06

out warning, for the most part penni-
less, and suffering for want Of food and
drink. Fearing an epidemic, the Allied
! Control refused to allow them to land
for several days, and the dirty crowd
ed ships lay at anchor in the bay.
Every effort was made to keep them
alive by taking out bread and water,
but the city was already overrun with
refugees, making the task of adequate
relief almost impossible.
| One storming night l went out in 4
small skiff with a Russian boy who
/ was searching for the ship that con-
tanned his family. VIC took with us as
much bread as the sliff would hold.
It was an unforgettable scene. In the
blackncss of the night one could hear
the moaning and sobbing on every
side from the dark unlighted ships that
heaved at their anchors like looming
ghosts. We discovered the water to be
swarming with little boats similar TO
ours and likewise crammed with bread
and water We came upon q dozen of
them clustered about the lowered
gangway of a refugee ship. We heard
the voices of the boatmen and the hys-
I'terical shouting Of the starving peo-
ple on board Then we discovered
that the mysterious boatmen were
bargaining with the Russians offering
bread and water in exchange for
jewelry and gold-and the Russians,
jammed in so tightly that they could
OF water crazed with hunger, were
giving their last possessions, all that
stood between them and starvation, if
they should ever reach the shore.
The boatmen were Levantines, hy-
brid Greek and Armenian merchants.
There was not Turk among them.
For hours we rowcd about in search OF
the snip and came upon dozen re-
plicas Of the same horrible scene. The
fact was known the next day. through
out the city, but the press, effectively
muzzled by the Allied Control, made
no mention of it. At that moment the
British government was interested in
stirring up approval for another loan
to Greece.
The European powers have been
meddling with Turkey for the past
hundred years. Their battleships have
been anchored in the Golden Horn,
their diplomats have been weaving
webs of intrigue under the very nose
of the Turkish throne, and their peo-
pies have been Systematically fed with
propaganda. And all because Constan-
tinople and the Dardanelles are the
key to Eastern Europe and the Near
East. Jealousy and fear have been
the motives.
They have looked longingly at the
fertile fields and oil wells of Anatolia.
They have watched each other like
preying vultures covering their greed
under the cloak of the Christian BAN
ner. Colonies of Greeks have settled
the seacoast with no intent to remain
there as Turkish subjects, but with the
idea of becoming powerful and rich
enough some day to claim the country
for Greece. 1t is as if France should
suddenly lay claim to Quebec and
Louisiana, or Spain to Florida.
1t is easy for US to overlook the fact
that Turkey is not savage country.
1t is older than we are. 1t has rich
civilization behind it, background Of
stirring history. Turkey is Oriental
and Indifferent to progress. They are
skeptical OF the blessings Of our
modern complicated system, and point
to the many sore spots OF our exist
ence. If they do not have railroads
and typewriters, neither Go they have
strikes and insane asylums as social
evils.
They have maintained their empire
for 500 years with fewer changes and
l. less internal strife than any other
in modern times. 1t is their right to
live as they see fit to worship God
through the word Of Mohammed rather
than through the word of Christ if it is
more to their liking. The important
thing is that they keep the faith as
/ they see it. 1t is my belief that they
! are more devout than we-their mos