1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



903 



written for publication, is expected to be re- 

 vised by himself. In fact, since he has had the 

 typewriter the most of it has been re-written 

 by himself. 



In Gleanings for Oct. 1, 1893, will be found 

 an excellent picture of the Alchley family; and 

 in the issue for Aug. 1, 1893, will be found a 

 picture and sketch of Willie Atchley. Miss 

 Amanda, the eldest, is her mother's "right 

 hand," and it is she who makes the candy for 

 the queen-cages that carries queens so success- 

 fully all over the world. 



HOW TO SAVE ALIVE THE ORPHAN CHILDREN 

 OF MARTYRS IN ARMENIA. 



[We take pleasure in giving below a few ex- 

 tracts from a tracL which is being published by 

 the National Armenian Relief Co., having lis 

 headquarters in Bible House, New York. 



The tract seis forth ihe need of the thousands 

 of Armenian chilaren lnft by the Turkish mas- 

 t-acres in utier destitution, and proposes a plan 

 for their rescue, not only from present extreme 

 distress, but also from Turkish Mohammedan- 

 ism in the future. 



In our tirsi number this year we published an 

 appeal for the Armenians in general, which 

 was generously responfled to, and over ^100 was 

 forwarued; but the exigencies of the case de- 

 mand continueo effort; and especially this plan 

 to save the lives of the children, I am sure, will 

 appeal to the hearts of all our readers, and they 

 will be glad of an opportunity to make some 

 sacritice in its aid. 



It may be that the Powers will soon put a 

 stop to this awlul carnage; but in the mean 

 time the sufferers must have help. Just read 

 these facts.— Ed.] 



TBE SITUATION. 



It is now more than two years since the massacre 

 of peaceable, industrious Armenian Christians In 

 Turkey began. A reg-ion .500 miles long, and 300 

 wide (large as New England, New York, and Penn- 

 sylvania), with hundreds of villages and cities, has 

 been given over to murder, rape, and robbery. The 

 survivors, 300,000, largely women and children, are 

 utterly impoverished. 



One of tlie saddest results of the massacres in 

 Armenia is the helplessness of thousands of orphan 

 children, some of whom have lost both parents by 

 death. 



Miss Clara Barton's official statement says : 

 "Without outside support, at least .50,000 of tbese 

 persons will have died of starvation, or perished 

 through accumulated hardship, before the first of 

 May, 1^97." 



[From the letters of missionaries on the field, 

 we gather the following: — Ed. J 



Our relief so far has been simply to keep the 

 people alive; and how near the brinli of starvation 

 they have come you can judge from a village which 

 I visited to-day. It was formerly a village of about 

 150 houses. Perhaps 15 remained. In some houses 

 there was a little bread. In all there were little 

 bundles of grass, which is now their principal food. 

 The faces of the women and children are emaciated 

 and yellow. I asked one little boy if he liad eaten 

 bread that day, and he replied "No;" he had eaten 

 only grass. When we sat down on the ground, sur- 

 rounded by most of the villagers, some of the chil- 

 dren were all of the time pulling up grass, and eat- 

 ing it, roots and all. So far as I can judge, there are 

 only a few days between the people and starvation. 

 The people meet us with a look of pleading, and ask, 

 "Is there no hope for usV" I pass the question on 

 to you. 



My heart; is sick and faint with the pressure of 

 want and misery which we can not relieve. 



Two or three cents daily will feed one person, 

 while (jne dollar will go a long way toward clothing 

 an individual or furnishing the winter's fuel for a 

 family. 



Moreover, the establishment of orphanages under 

 miesionary supervision would utilize our large mis- 



sion plant and put our work on a footing difficult of 

 attack by either Turk or Russian. 



It is not necessary to construct, at large expense, 

 orphanages into wliicii children can be gathered in 

 great numbers, and which might obtain the opposi- 

 tion of the government. All through the stricken 

 districts there are yet standing a large number of 

 houses belonging to native Christians, which, if 

 properly systematized and arranged, will easily 

 accommodate from ten or fifteen to t'ortj- or fifty 

 orphans; these houses could be secured. 



For additional help, if necessary, the land is full 

 of Christian widows who would gladly give their 

 services night and day living with the children in 

 return for a safe liome. 



We know full well from the past that the Turks 

 will make every endeavor to bring these children 

 into their homes, in order to secure them for the 

 future. It is very apparent that the Lord is opening 

 the way for immediate missionary effort along the 

 line of protection for the orphans of that country. 

 The general evangelistic work has been hampered; 

 many of the schools are broken up; but here is a 

 work, broader than any thing which the mission- 

 aries have engaged in hitherto, lying ready to be 

 taken up. 



In view of the fact that the Turkish Government 

 will not allow the orphans to be removed, provision 

 must be made for tliem wiiere they are. 



Orphanage shelters can be located, as needed, at 

 the twenty disttibuting centers, where the work of 

 relief is now being carried on by American mission- 

 aries, with the co-operation and help of British con- 

 suls. 



Money given in connection with the orphanage- 

 shelter scheme will not be used for the erection of 

 buildings, but for providing food, clothing, care, and 

 temporary shelter for orphans and destitute chil- 

 dren. 



The expense of living varies in difl'erent parts of 

 the country; but one dollar a month will, on the 

 average, provide the bare necessities of life. 



$i;i will provide the support of one orphan for one 

 year. 



$120 will provide the support of ten children for 

 one year. 



$1200 will provide the support of 100 orphans for 

 one year. 



The supporting of orphans will mean in many in- 

 stances tne relieving of widows as well, as in many 

 villages five or ten orphans may be entrusted to the 

 care of a Christian widow, who by this means will 

 earn her own livelihood. 



HOW CAN THE NEEDED AMOUNT BE SECURED? 



Tliere are persons of wealth who may be willing to 

 assume the support of the orphanage shelters of 

 one center at a cost of $13,000. 



Various organizations, such as Young People's 

 Societies of Christian Endeavor, Women's clubs. 

 King's Daughters' circles. Woman's Cliristian Tem- 

 perance Unions, Young Men's Christian Associa- 

 tions, might each undertake, by subdivision of the 

 work, to secure through its members the support of 

 the orphanage shelters at one center, each local 

 society undertaking the support of one or more 

 orphans. 



The sum required could be raised through the 

 coming year, and paid month by month, in install- 

 ments. 



CHRISTMAS GIFTS. 



If Christians whose hearts are touched by the 

 story of this need would thU year refrain from giv- 

 ing Christmas gifts to all (or all but a very few) of 

 their friends, and give the money thus saved a 

 birthday gift to Him whose birth they celebrate, 

 to be used for the relief of the starving children in 

 Armenia, tens of thousands of orphans would by this 

 means be saved alive, and the givers would win the 

 approval of Him who has said, "Inasmuch as ye 

 have done it unto one of the least of these my 

 brethren, ) e have done it unto me." 



The missionaries being surrounded, as they are, by 

 thousands of homeless, helpless, starving people, 

 can not endure the sight of such suffering unless 

 they have means on hand to give some measure of 

 relief. 



How can they stay at their posts to mock, by 

 their presence, these suffering people? Their cour- 

 age and health will give wav, and, with breaking- 

 hearts, one by one, they will be forced to leave 

 their own and return to this country. The Turks 

 will then have the Armenians, in those places, in 

 their power, and their triumph will be complete. If 



