The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-09-13
Great Famines.

The India famine, whose terrible pro.
portions increase rather than diminish
with further news,is all the more shock.
ing in it's features because in such startl.
ing contrast with what we are pleased to
call the progress Of civilization. In the
middle ages, when international rela.
tions were very chilly, and individual
States much more isolated than now.
when steam transit was yet undiscovered,
and Interstate commerce in its child.
hood, it was perhaps natural, and at least
inevitable, that famines should occur. Lo.
cal scarcity, and failures in crops, occur.
ring, there was no inflow, as now, Of the
surplus food Of other countries, seeking
a market, and the afflicted com
munity had to bear up as best it
might. The humane mind recoila, shud.
dering, from the mere mention OF the
most notable Of these great famines in
history. The seven years famine Of Egypt,
taught us in our Sunday schools, is sup.
posed to have occurred about l70S b. C.
In Il. G. 43G a famine occurred at Rome Of
such horrible proportions that thousands
Of people, in despair and hunger, threw
themselves into the Tiber. In 272 A. D.
Britain suffered from famine which
drove the hardy Inhabitants to chewing
the bark Of trees for the sustenance OF
life. In EDgland, in the year SO, a fam.
inc occurred in which 10000 people are
said to have persisted. In the italian
famine OF 40, parents, according to Duf.
resnoy, turned cannibals, and ate their
own children. In lOl6 Europe was sillict
ed by one Of the most awful famincs on
record, 80 widespread that there was in
deed no one left to borrow from. The
estimates Of those who died from starva-
tion and want are almost passing belief.
In 1893 a famine fell upon England
which bred presidential fever LISTING
three years, and again in 1875 the scarcity
OF food was so great there that the people
were driven to the eating Of rats and other
vcrmin. In 1888 the French peasants
were driven, by the failure OF cereal
cropE, to making bread from fern roots;
and in 1915, in famine at Cape De Vetd,
over 10000 people persisted.
These were days before the introduction
Of steam, and when food could not be
transported from other countries in time
to save the dying. But no such explana.
tion or apology prevails in the case Of
Ireland, lS4G, or in the repeated iamines
from which India has lately suffered
The fifty millions Of dollars granted BY
the French Parliament, in 1S47, and the
abundant charity OF this country, did not
prevent enormous loss Of life in conse.
quenCe Of the failure Of Ireland's potato
crop; and all the vast expenditure and
labor OF the British Government has
gone but little way in staying thesuller.
ings Of India. The following table gives
n faint idea Of the extent Of territory
and the number Of people affected, BY
her last five famines: g..r
1881 10000 to $1,000 square miles. $500 900 souls
1901 h,4bI square uilci."....-.."l80 ss 100 souls
lsG5. SOi27 iquAIe l6 23G 5G FOULS
lsIl. 40 100 square 7Gi $50 souls
lS'6 1921 squire sol, 81 souls
The sad fact with regard to India, and
in less degree, to Ireland also, is that the
causes which made general famine posi-.
BILE in former centuries, still obtain in
those countrIes-they are, 70 far as
means Of transportation go, still uncivil.
lied. When India is cut up by railways
and good roads, when steam craft run
on her rivers, and her projected canals
are in full operation, then 1t will be i'm
possible for such famine as now atllicts
her lone OF the greatest in history to
starve hundreds Of thousands Of people
to death.