Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-09-12

India, with the exception of ten years
ago. when seine relief was afforded
as the rcsul. OF the earnest p eadiDgs
of . few English philauthropists /;
but. now that the part Of India un-
dergoing the most deprivation is
claimed as her own by GreatBritain,
it would seem that the subjects OF
that part of Victoria's realm should
not be left to die like beasts in a
time of plague. The Empire of
Great Britain is counted as the rich
est on the globe, and civilization
cannot but expect that the present
famine will be SO overruled 10y this
wealth and power that the eXtremi-
ity Of 1866 will not again be reached.
Great Britain has a %stupendous
work before her in bringing up
British India That great extent
Of country and its millions Of inhab-
itants mnst not only be saved from
the horrors Of famine at this time,
but be SO directed in the application
of advanced s~icience as t save it
from ha! yestless years in the future.
Ancient rulers of India had learned
of these decadal yisitations OF famine
caused by drouth, and guarded
against calamity by constructing
rude but effective reservoirs of gil
gantic size for purposes of irrigation.
Great Britain, aided by the masters
of civil engineering in the whole Sci
cntifc world, must carry TO a state
of greater perfection this system in
augurated by barbarous minds in
earlier ages, if she would protece
her own from destruction. In time
India would pay for all such protect
ton, as the political economists d..
Great Britain must well understand
In the midst Of a season of almost
phenomenal blessings in the yield of
agricultural products, it would seem
that America should feed, with her
surplus, the breadless millions Of IN
dia, and, more, it would seem that
the surplus wealth of Great Britain,
the owner and guardian OF the sui
fering regions, should assist in the
distribution of this self-same Ameri-
can surplus of breadstufis. But if
the realm Of Queen Victoria does
not early put moncg or something
into the work of saving the famish-
ing of East India, then should we of
America pot in enough of humanity
to cause steps to be- taken to th'.t'
end. In a world Of plenty let no
creature ~starve.
1t is a relief to learn that there is
a movement in England to assist the
sufferers in India-a movement head
ed by the philanthropic Florence
Nightingale. About 100000 has
been subscribed, which is very little
i'll view Of the great need, and this is
TO be Immediately diabprsed for the
shipment OF food to the victims Of
the famine.
There is another famine prevailing
in the Far East, in what is known
az the Shan Tung districts Of China.
There. it is reported, the inhabitants
manage to keep soul and body to-
gether only by selling all their pos.
sosessions, even wives and children,
and subsisting upon the bark Of trees
MOSES and domestic beasts Of all
kinds.
1t would not be practicable to
send relief to these poor people, who
are too far away and under the
charge of the Chinese Government,
whose duty it is TO feed the subjects
in the tamiue-ridden districts, just
as the work Of relieving the poor
creatures in India deyoives upon the
more civilized Governments of Great
Britain.