#32: Business as usual? (1920-1921)
The school year 1920-21 opened as per calendar, September
8th. The full staff numbered 21, of whom 15 gave full time
to teaching, markedly strengthening the work over the year
before. Of these regular teachers four were American, three
Armenians, four Greeks, one Russian, one Swiss, and two Turks.
And we lived and labored together in the love of God, and
the fear of God and good-will for all mankind. Two Turkish
lads from the city persuaded their parents, who were not rich,
to pay their bills as boarders instead of going home to live
when lessons were over, because they would rather stay in the
College and share in its evening studies and its sports and
general life than to go to their own homes. This certainly
speaks well for the companionship they met from the Christian
students who were already in the College. Our relations with
the local government officials were very intimate and very
cordial.
During the school year 218 students entered the College, 29
of whom were Turks. This was a marked increase of 52 over
the numbers of the year before and indicated the thirst of
people generally for education, and their confidence in our
administration. During the year students paid into the
Treasury $20,000, an average of nearly $100,000 per student
and these figures are a wonderful proof of the eagerness
for American education on the part of the people who had
lost almost everything during the war.
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Relief work continued to hold the first place in all our
thought and care and efforts, both in personal service and
in the use of our plant. Healing the sick and cleaning up
unsanitary conditions; repatriation of refugees and deportees
scattered over continental areas; feeding the near-starving
and clothing the near-naked; teaching multitudes of orphan
children and training them toward worth-while manhood and
womanhood; the share of us American Anatolians in this service
claimed at least the right hand of everyone, in addition to
all that was undertaken and accomplished by our fine relief
recruits fresh from America.
NEXT: Ataturk offers a ride
(1919)
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