Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-02
BY EDNA NJ. COLEMAN.

y
Constantinople by $4,000 desti-
tute men, women and children
Il in flight from the bolshevism
Of Russia is one that can neither be
visualized nor described save by eye
witnesses. The plight Of this great
army of helpless. who only resorted
to flight when driven to the last ex-
tremity in fighting for their homes
and their ideals and when exhaustion
and privation made further resist
snce to overpowering numbers hope
less, is one of proportions to intrigue
the interest of the world.
This group. which came with the
wrangle evacuation, formed the
largest OF all of the refugee colonies
scattered throughout the bordering
countries of Russia. 1t was also the
group that had seen the most of the
lighting and was likewise made up
very largely of the aristocrats.
The addition of such a multitude
to the population of Constantinople
placed a severe burden upon the au-
thorities of the government, particu-
larly in its tottering condition. with
the problem Of $1,000 Turkish refu-
gees stranded in the city as result
of the war with Greece. These nat
urally had the first claim to all work
and aid from their countryrnen ana
co-religionists. Great as these difh-
culties were, they were manifolded
with the withdrawal Of the American
Red Cross, which had been spending
something like 900 monthly on
the combined relief necessities.
4 =
ITO meet conditions following the
definite withdrawal Of the Red
Cross support, Admiral Bristol. the
American high commissioner and
chairman of the local Red Cross or
ganized the disaster relief commit
tee. All were volunteers. save two
Russian women, who were invalu-
able in the investigational and cler-
ical work. Cooperating with all
other agencies, this committee opened
an Office and prepared 20 make the
small sum of money and the supplies
turned over to them by the Red Cross
do their utmost. AS the worst need
was for food, all of the relief agen-
cies concentrated on the establish
ment of feeding stations, where for
20 piasters, or about IL cents. hot
meal. consisting of macaroni or veg
etable stew, coffee and bread. could
be bought.
Continued rentals of a number OF
houses. hospital building and lit
tie room for a school were provided
by the American Central Committee
for Russian Relief. The Washington
branch of this organization, with
Mrs. Lansing as it's chairman, decided
to make the refugees of Constantine
Pile and the adjacent islands Of An
tigoni and Haiku its special charge,
sending for their aid $1,000 each
month, as well as large quantities of
both new and secondhand clothing
and layettes for babies. They have
kept up this record for more than
year.
All of these efforts were but drop
in the bucket where there were SO
many in distress. and consequently
all efforts were redoubled to find work
for both men and women in places
where living conditions were not so
congested and where food supplies
were not so scarce or so high.
AS there was no work to be found
In Turkey, the interest Of the Balkan
states was enlisted, and they quickly
opened their doors to the refugees.
They soon discovered that the sci
entists, engineers, lawyers. physi-
clans, electricians. merchants and
scholars of old Russia's upper class
could make valuable contributions to
their own industry and civilization,
while refugee labor could be obtain
ed at lower rates than the natives
would accept. AS fast as arrange
ments could be made for jobs, no
matter how mental or poorly paid,
the refugees were eager to accept
them and were assisted, at least in
part, in getting to the new destina-
ton.
This distribution has been in prog
ress now for more than a year. and
the last group of Wrangle's army