Evening star., 1924-01-30

=, Last Monday cable brought the
fnewsfrom Athens, Greece, that hun
orSds OF refugees from Turkish
atrocities had frozen to. death, the
day before. Thousands were suffer-
ing from extreme cold, inadequate
clothins and undernourishment.
Greece, with her population of
o,oo0,o0o. Is endeavoring to give the
world the impression that she is
properly caring for the more than a
million Greek and Armenian refu-
gees from Turkey. who have fled to
her territory. But it is whispered
by those who are in close touch with
the Neat East Relief that the present
Greek government does not dare let
II be known that the "care'' she Is
fable to give the refugees amounts
TO only cents day. with which to
buy food. and that thousands are
What? Confess that the new re-
public. which is asking TO be reooe-
nized as the de jure and de fscto
government, is unable to feed and
cIothe the refugees who have fled
the recent war with the % Tnrks 81 !
How, then. can she hope to get rec.
|ognitlon from thu powers?
X X X
An order was teIeeranbed This
week from the Washington head
| quarters of the Near East Relief to
| the New Orleans branch which re-
suited in the immediate shipping of
250 tons of clothing, but it will re-
quire nearly four weeks for the ship
ment TO reach it's destination. A cry
has come to send over twenty tons of
quinine, to allay the fevers, lest a
terrible epidemic sweep the country
Another cry has come that the
American Red Cross lend it's aid. but
that appeal is not likely to be re-
Sponded to, because the relief" al
ready working there ought to be
supported without duplication of 'ef-
fort.
The Near East Relief. chartered by
Congress and manned officially by lead
ing Americans with an overhead cost of
only per cent. has spent more than
sS2,000,000 in saving lives of refu-
gees and of the Greeks and Arme-
mans still in Turkey. II is supporting
Beirut and observation-disclosures the
domain of Turkey-57,0 900 orphans.
The work needs s1,O0O.000 a month
from America, but is somewhat fall
ing behind in collections. America"
has become the synonym of all that
is hope and benevolence and good
ness in the minds of millions of the
oppressed in Asia Minor. No other
nation has come to the rescue OF the
100000 ArmenianS as has America.
Before the world war there were
oO0. 900 Armentans; the reduction TO
800 000 indicates the extent OF mas
sacres and famine. 49,:
When the American eXpedittonary
force TO the total of a little over
9. .00O, 900 was sent across the ocean,
through the great resources ana or
EaniZation Of the United States gov
ernment, spreading the fleets over
wear. the feat was rated an eXtraor-
refugees equal to half the A. Z. F..
crowded across the water n all sorts
of boats into Greece, unorganfZed, |,
unfed and unclothed. Many hundred
thousand more are even Yet seeking
means Of escape, but. being penniless,
are still in peril within Turkish ter
ritory.
A thousand years ago occurred the
famous children's crusade Of 10000
children out of Europe, bent upon
rescuing the holy sepulcher from
Moslem hands. The crusade ended in
wreck and slavery OF the childish
survivors. Then another 10000 chill
dren followed the same year, crossed
the Alps, but fortunately they were
persuaded to return after reaching
Genoa. These crusades have come
down in history as great tragedies ,
How much has the modern world
heard of the Crusade" of freedom
wherein 10000 Armenian children
marched on foot across Turkey, 500