The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1877-10-23
Wisfenank-
The Famine inIndia.

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1t is hard for Us, who live In land of
plenty and general prosperity, to imag-
Inc the horrors Of famine, extending
over wide area of country. Even a
story Of fsmished boats crew, which
has drifted from ships wreck, appals
US; how much more desperate yet must
be the Suffering gs q swarming multitudes
of whole:villages haftilets, who fnust
lie down In Inc, and die at-their
own doorstepss hand in hand with their
dear ones for want OF little food!
Such is the dreadful scourge which
now no longer threatens. but has actually
fallen on vast sections ofibe Fast Indian
Empire. Already, 1t Is said, not less
than thirty thousand human beings have
died III agony Of famine, or of disease
inducrd BY lack Of food; and the dis
iricts in which the famine actually exists,
and those to which it must spread, are
occupied by no less than from twelve to
fifteen millions of people.
This is The second famine which has
visited India within three years. That
Of three years ago extended mainly
through the great province of Bengal, In
rorth eastern India. The present fam
inc is ravaging most seriously in the
province Of Madras, to the southwark OF
Bengal and Calcutta. Some parts oi
Bengal, however, are touched by the
dread visitor, as are also some parts oil
the Punjab, in the extreme north.
As we have before stated, the princi
pal food of the Hindoos VINO occupy in
swarming multitudes those fair ani
beautiful lands that are 80 terribly afiic
ted, Is tice. SO long as they can ge
plenty of rice, they are content; and {
large portion of the fields OF Bengal ani
Madras is devoted to the raising of thi,
healthful ard nourishing cereal
But rice, in order to flourish, needs {
good deal of rain. A tolerably dry sea
son renders the crop meagre and the ker
nels inferior A very dry season; When
as sometimes happens, the longed-fpi
waters fail to descend upon the hot ant
parched soil OF those semi.tropical re
gions, causes the rice crop to fail.
Then famine comes; for the Hindoo:
absolutely depend. for life, upon thei
rice.
In our country, which is checkered al
over with close networks Of rapid rail
way lines, we can scarcely conceive o
the possibility of alarming dearth o
food I'D any one section. For to th,
place where food, from any reason, Il
deficient, the railways straightlv speed
from one section or another with abund
ance
India, however, has hut two or thre
railway lines There is great througl
line from Bombay to Calcutta, across th
continent; and there are lines from Ais
habad to Lahore and Mooltan, from Cal
cutta to Puma, from Bombay to Hyder
abad, and from Calcdtta to Madras.
But these railways are almost nothing
when we consider the vast territory Q
India, with its immense population o
two hundred millions They are onl
useful in very small degree, when fam
inc sweeps over such province as tha
of Madras, many of the districts o
which are hundreds of miles from an
railway, and can only be reached, by no
very good roads, by means of wagon
and carts.
Thus it is that the thousands starv
before they can be reached with food.
i The famine was foreseen by the gov
eminent at Calcutta, and every possibl
effort was made 10 diminish an checl
its ravages Money was not spa ed, bu
the great store-houses OF CalcIt Itta an,
Madras we're quickly heaped up with ric
and breadstuffs These have been for
warded, as rapidly as could be done, I,
central depots in the distressed districts
and hundreds of officials are at this mo
ment engaged in dealing out rations t
the poor starving people.
| Meantime tie English at home hav
raised large subscriptions to aid in tn
good work of saving the peaceful and ls
borious Hindoos who are thus stricken
Measures have been taken to at leas
prevent the spread OF the dreadful ep
denies which always follow in the wax
of famine, and are scarcely less terribl
in the destruction they wreak
Happily at the last moment, too, th
welcome rain has descended, just in tim
to refresh the dwindling crops; and thi
boon of.the clouds is certain to saw
thousands Of lives