Show x FOUR CENTS A DAY What It Costs An Armenian Lady to Live The little silver coin known in Turkey Tur-key as the pIastre is worth 4 cents In our money and one piastre a day is the average earning of an old Armenian Arme-nian woman whom I visited one day at ScutarI along with an American missionary mis-sionary worker Scutari Is the most Turkish part of Constantin ple and lies across the Bosphorus from Pera and Stemboul which are better known to Europeans Four cents a day to live upon that I does not seem very much and yetI yet-I when we came out of the burning SUn I this July morning Into the poor ittle room where the old lady was working I think we both felt the air of contentment content-ment almost of joyfulness that pervaded per-vaded the place What a smile of welcome wel-come shone on that smooth yellow face with its white hall falling low over the ears How she hobbled forward presenting pre-senting the one broken chair that she had in the world and saluting us from her eyes and lips and heart She wluld have kissed our hands had we allowed her to and this in no whining cringing spIrit but with gratitude and pride because the mi5Sioaaries had bought her lace when all else had tailed tail-ed and because her knotted old fingers were still able to make the lace She had learned the patterns as a girl but she had not forgotten them oh dear no and she laughed with all her wrinkles wrink-les until her dark red fez bobbed its tassel in sympathy The talk ran on hi Turkish I coming in now and then with an approving chok Ei which means very good and at this she would laugh again and bid the missionary worker express the hope that prosperity would come to my house Then she got out a pasteboard box and with trembling fingers drew forth her treasured lace patterns rare pieces which she unrolled lovingly and declared de-clared that she would not sell for many I Iuras I liras they were more to er than bread But I miht have some of these if I would honor her by accetIng them l Oh 10 she would have none of my money Well three piastres if I in I sisted and she prayed my wife would bear me many sons Then blushing protests pro-tests and surprise on her part Whatnot What-not marrIed InshaIlah Shchad been I a mother at 14 and a grannmother before be-fore 30 And how old was she now Allah bille God knows And was she all alone in the world No indeep she had Nesdar herJiL tIe dog whose hair was very soft She produced Negdar forthwith and held t1e little animal In her old arms as one I would hold a chIld Then I asked where she slept for I saw no sign of a couch and forthwith she opened a door covering a shallow hole in the wall and drawing out a thick ourgan with the sheet stitched fast to It made slg how she would spread Won the floor And what did she rot Oh in ny things bread in sheets and boulghour boiled wheat and some 1 times grapes > No meat I ot unless the missionaries brought it bit God was good to her since she r had a well of pure water to draw from f This she showed me at the rear and I drew up a brimming pailful I took a 1 good draught and exclaimed cook eyi I to her great delight Ah yes the gentleman gen-tleman saw that her words were true I i and that God was indeed good to her I Who pays the rent I asked as we went away The American board said the missionary I mis-sionary worker but you see she is not a beggar she works 10 or 12 hours a day at her lace making and earns her I own living Earns 4 cents a day Cant she make more than that The Armenian Woman Who Lives On Four Cents a Day Sometimes she earns as much ascents 3 I as-cents a day but at other times when her rheumatism is bad she earns nothing noth-ing Ve have Armenian women making mak-ing lace who can earn 3 or 4 plasters In a day but they are younger What do you do with the lace Sell it In German and England We are trying to sell it in America also and I am sure many people would buy It if they knew how much good the money would do to hundreds of starving I starv-ing women Besides the lace Is quite beautiful Does the old lady never complain Never at least only once that I remember re-member It was about her yourgan She said the wool was hard and we gave her anothera quilt to spread on the floor for a bed that was all she wanted I ment And so ended this study In content |