The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-09-17
TIE FAMINE
Starvation and Dealt In the Pebble street. Of
the cities Of India.

RON ne london Tine.
MADRAS. Aug. SAIL HindoOs are charita-
ble by nature. Most families have crowds OF
hungry hangers on even In the best OF times.
but with this great dearth the family burdens
have been greatly added to. In going through
street OF the more wealthy part Of the town, il
is common to sec at almost every house a num-
Der Of poor people collected waiting for the
daily dole OF food. and in this way the native
communities OF this and other towns have been
doing quietly and unostontatiously n great deal
life. 'O'
But. from all that ] can learn distress Is
hlruady rehching the class above the very poor.
With these there are caste difficulties about get
ting food ut the regular relief houses. and many
are gradually starving before the pressure be-
comes so great that they will leave behind their
PRIDE AMI social rr'pudices and Join the COM
mon'herd at the G9vernment kitchens. With
regard to the town Of Madras the local commit
tees are now making inquiries regarding the
numbers of the better classes " no are in want
Of relief and this relief will be administered as
far as posi- bic in Il manner cpnsOnant with the
feclings and usagcs Of the classes we wish to
benefit.
II is certain that the destitution is very real
Within n stones throw of my own house s n
native village tcnanted by servants Of Eu-
ropcans. small shOpkecpers and others. and for
some time past my wife has been feeding few
title ,stnryelngs belonging to this village on
nr'uu hnu mug. THESE are not Immigrants.
hut children of our local poor. and out Of u
dozen little things who como every morning for
their food, two or three are far gone that they
will not be saved. II we led all who wanted
help out of this small village. we should have
hundreds on the list.
As write there comes before me n woman
with two children. the woman III the last stage
Of exhaustion. one child at tho breast with tho
lace lik" u title wzened old man. and its body
q mere skeleton, the other child little girl of
I'VE years OF age. extremely emaciatcd and
feeble. With this family IRE two girls. both
mscraby thin and famine stricken, and with
their strength quite spent. They all speak with
voices that are thin. and sounding "a II far
away, Just rs happens in patients in the lust
stage 81 cholern. A title warm soup and bread
and milk for the children reViVcs all OF them in
wonderful way. After a rest they get a meal
OF curry and rice. and are sent of in cart to n
relief camp. Standing at the entrance gate Of
my house can in half an hour count hundreds
Oi wrctched creatures who have hardly strength
enough left to drag their weary limbs along.
These are the hOuseless and homeless wan
der"rs from different villages. for whom the
Government provides centres Of relief: but the
people Will not rest quietly and conserve their
energies. They drug themselves and their
feeble children about. wandering from camp to
camp. until the time comes for them to lie down
and die.
Death in the street Is getting more frequent,
One day last week saw "a small crowd ASSEM-
BLEED near the Government House. The people
were gathered round q famine family one Of
whom. cir OF seven. was dying OF exhaustion.
me hysiandcrs were tr ing to feed her with
milk and rice. but She could not swallow. In
Hhngnlore / hear that the people die in the
streets at the rate of fifteen or twenty day
and the police in Madras are reporting such
cases oil death rs common. There comes "a
time in the course OF every famine when the
people affected by the scarcity can neither exert
themselves nor bear any climatic changes with
privqtlon are very susceptible - fatigue and
weather changes. The last ten days have been
rainy time. and the mortality among the
iamine camps has been higher than ever