Evening star., 1924-11-04
ARMEN|A'S HOPES
STILL REST IN US.
PreIate Condemns Allies,
Charging Country Was Be-
trayed to BoIsheviks.
Er the Associa ted Press.

Er the Associated Press.
ETCHMIADZIN, Armenia, Novem-
Der Armenia still looks hopefully to
the United States to take an active
part in the direction Of the destinies
of that distracted little country, the
Armenian Catholicos said to the AS
sociated Press correspondent recently.
Although the Catholics admitted
that Armenia under the BolShevik
regime of Moscow had made consider
able strides toward recovery, he con-
demned the European countries in
unsparing terms for what he termed
their abandonment and betrayal of
Armenia to the Bolsheviks. If" said
he with great vigor and emotion, I'VE
knew these countries were going to
prove false to their promise to Ar
menia, would not have made
enemies of our near neighbors, but
friends We are now reaping the
penalty of having opposed Russia,
Turkey and our other neighbors
during the World War. Our inde-
pendence is gone. our territories are
disme membered. our population is dis
united. and half our people are dead
Was it fair, was it Christian"
continued his holiness, ''for the Eu
ropean states to throw us to the
mcrcies of our enemies, after We
had given tens of thousands of our
Americas failure to accept the man
date for Armenia under the League
of Nations was also bitter disap-
pointment, but all menians know
1t was due in no way to the Ameri-
can people. whose charity, brother
hood and generosity toward us have
been manifested in a thousand diff
ferent ways We know rather that it
was due to the perjudices and mis-
nf
Get Property Back.
The Catholicos received the CORES
pondent in the sacristy of the ia
nous Cathedral of the Virgin. In an
adjoining room were stacked scores
Of huge boxes and trunks con tanning
gold chalces, ikons, candelabra,
NcstmentS and other property seized
from the church by the Moscow So
Wet authorities during the famine of
1920-l921, and which were recently
returned to the Catholics by the
Bolsheyiks.
The Catholics spoke with deep
gratitude of the work of the Ameri-
can men and women engaged in or
pl?anage and other relief work in
Armenia for the Near East Relief
organization. "lf it were not for
their help, we certainly would have
pcrished." said the aged prelate.
They came to US in our hour of
greatest peril and gave us generous
ly of supplies from across the ocean.
Today you will find half the popula-
tion Of Armenia clothed in garments
contributed by your ever-charitable
people. But YOU must turn to our
orphans for Armenia'S real measure
OF gratitude to the United States for
its assistance. Every one of our 50,-
600 parentless children is a living ex-
ample of the unSelfish and devoted
work of your men and women in
Armenia"
Church lN Curbcd.
The Catholics referred Sorrowfully
to the restrictions and difficulties i'm
posed upon the Armenian Church by
the Soviet authorities. He said Ar
menia was now without a single SEM
mary in which to train its youth for
the priesthood or in which to instruct
the younger generation in the prin-
ciples of the Christian religion. He
complained that the Soviet author
tiles forbade religious instruction in
the Armenian schools.
Discussing the present welfare of
the Armenian people, the Catholicos
said the country was steadily making
progress toward recovery and that
the health and economic outlook of
the population was better than for
many years. He argued, however,
real national home for the Armenians
unless the districts taken from it dur
Ing the war were restored.