Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 62, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 November 1918 — THE ARMENIAN RELIEF DRIVE [ARTICLE]

THE ARMENIAN RELIEF DRIVE

“The remotest place on the continent in these stirring days is not too secluded to feel the worldthrilj, and to have a part in the great movements that are making, the world a better place to live in, and alleviating its suffering.” Mrs. Sidney J. Ash has been chosen by the Indiana State Sunday School association and the International Sunday School associaton, with headquarters in Chicago, as the leader of a campaign looking toward a Continent-wide Sunday school visitation day, December 1, when every Sunday School in North America will be visited by

a representative of the Organized Sunday School Movement, in behalf of the suffering thousands in Bible lands. , ' Christian North Arc erica is be-

ing called on at this time to pour out its money for Liberty Bonds and for War Service activities of every kind. It is responding nobly. Another challenging call,* however, is sounding in the ears of the Christian people of North America. It is the call of over two million people in Bible lands —Armenians, Syrians and Greeks of Asia Minor. These people, who are the hope of civilization in Western Asia, have endured, and are enduring, such suffering as our American minds cannot conceive. They have been massacred and deported. Men have been separated from their families and ruthlessly murdered. Attractive women and girls have been sold as slaves or taken by the Turks. The rest of the women and the children have been driven into the mountains and the desert,

and the path over which these refugees have gone is strewn with the dead. In the past two year-s----over one million have died from massacre, deportation, exposure and disease. But the dead no longer challenge us; it is thoso who live and can yet be saved. The ravages of war the past year have added to the horror. The Turkish armies have destroyed everything in their wake. Four million people destitute of home, clothed only in rags, are facing the cold of winter and starvation. One million of these can be reached by relief agencies. Four hundred thousand of them arq, orphans. The relief agencies can do nothing unless North America furnishes the, money. I The land where Christianity had; its birth is -asking for a practical. demonstration of that Christianity now. All the denominations have

1 united to answer this call from the i East and a campaign has been -launched to raise two million dollars from the Sunday Schools of North America. Every Sunday School is asked to give a Christmas Season offering to Armenian and Syrian relief work. To make Sure that no Sunday School is overlooked in this appeal, the International Sunday School association is planning to have every Sunday School’ visited on December first for the purpose of explaining the’ need, creating enthusiasm and pledging the schools to ma£e as large an offering as possible. The International Sum day School association in this campaign is working in co-operation wi-th the Armenian and Syran Res lief committee in New York, and the two (million which they are to raise is part a larger campaign on the part of the committee for

thirty million dollars. The Armenian and Syrian Relief committee have already done a wonderful work in ministering to these suffering people and have been enabled to save thousands ot livps. The committee is directed by leading men of the Continent and its work has been highly endorsed by President Wilson, and Sir Robert Borden, the Premier of Canada, and by Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Taft. One feature of the work: of the committee is unique. It is enabled to devote all money collected for relief work to the immediate cause for which it is given. Expenses for collection, printing, postage and administration and the transmitting of funds, are tmet privately. Distribution of all supplies is cared for by the American Consular forces and American missionaries whose services are loaned for this ministry.