The Denver Jewish news., 1922-08-09
The Magic Worked by
American
COMPARISON AND ACCOMPLISH
MENT OF WORK BY MAN AND
METHODS.
BY FRANK j. PRICE.

ana methodS, who in the short Inter
val of one month transformed it from
II city of death to rity of renewed
life and hope are wildly portrayed by
Frank j. Price of the American Relief
Administration, which he has soLt
from Russia to the publicity depart
ment of the American Jewish Relief
Committee.)
Thirty-siN days ago tearly in May)
| stepped from train in the city of
Odessa with Il group Of American Re
lief Administration and Joint Dis
come here for the purpose of feeding
the hungry children of Odessa.
The picture that greeted us will
never be forgotten. Once one of Rus
sia's most beautiful cities. world IA
nous for the perfection of its streets
and public buildings and known MS
the Rivera of Eastern Europe. Odessa
was cloaked in gloom. as though some
evil geni had carcssed her people with
a whitening claw.
The horror of il all has not been
exaggerated. The unlightcd streets
literally We're cluttered with dead. and
starvation was striking down its vic
tins faster than the authorities could
remove their bodies The cemeteries
were shahles-their soul living occu-
pants the ghoul dogs of which so much
has been written heretofore.
have seen the removal of bodies
from children.s hospital where the
death for 81 hours had been rs. There
was no effort Mt careful handling for
other institutions had sent urgent ap-
pcals for help. The bodies were cart
ed away in truck, and somehow or
other. as they were passed from hand
10 hand and placed in the truck I re-
called II trip To n Wisconsin lumber
camp where I had seen the workers
piling logs. Certainly there was little
more sympathy in the atmosphere.
In the hospitals the patients were in
unspcakable distress. The equipment
was entirely inadequate, medicines
were not to he had. and to he strick-
en- by any of the prevailing diseases.
such typhus cholera or typhoid was
tantamount to death warrant.
But all that was thirty-six days ago.
What of the Odessa of today:
Each day during the past week
have toured the entire city. searching
in vain for some of the famine signs.
The only dead found was the body of
Russian soldier who apparently had
been struck by an automobile. There
were no sick lying in the streets. and
those men. women and children I
passed seemed to be different pcpp'c
than those who moved dejcctcdly
through the streets little more than
u month ago.
The Improvement was particularly
noticeable among the children. They
have begun to play their games again
in Odessa. and to laugh and sing and
enjoy themselves ms is the rightful
heritage of children. Thirty-siN days
ago faces We're carc-worn and pinchcd
by hunger and they carried themselves
with the timidity of people who have
suffered long.
The cemeteries no longer held their
crucSomc exhibits. Bodies have heen
dccently buried.
Hospitals now conduct visitors thru
their wards with pride. for they have
clean linen and ample medicine to care
for the patients.
And with this return to normalacy
another great change has hccl
wrought. Shopkccpcrs who in the try
ing days feared to resume activity.
because they were certain the dcspcr-
ate people would loot their plnrcs.
have opened their doors and Odcssa's
shopping zone is functioninc well
This transformation can he ascrib-
ed only to the American Relief Ad-
ministration and the Joint Distribution
committee who jointly commenced the
feeding campaign in the Ukraine on
April 80. and when the history of
Americas efforts in this part of Rus
sia is written il will he read with pride
by those Americans mt home who have
not had an opportunity to experience
this tragedy at close range
From the time of their arrival IT,
Odessa. the Americans set to work Ia
do their share in bringing order ont
of chaos Theirs is the theory that
ruption and they proceeded 20 dll the
stomachs. To date the inmates OF