Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-11-05
The Famine in Russia.

The Famine in Russia.
twenty-five million people, most of
them tillers OF the soil, live in a part of
eastern and southeastern Russia. Their
farms. forests, and villages are spread
over an area about equal to that of New
York State. In this large region the tot
al or partial failure of the crops is now
causing the suffering of famine foretold
several months ago In the Sun. The
northwestern limit of the greatest wretch
edness Is the pr ovince OF Mini Novgorod
whose chief town, OF the same name, is
famous for its annual market. Through
this province flows the greatest river in
Europe, the Volga, still winding its
way eastward before it turns abruptly to
the south to make Its way to the Caspian
Sea. Along both banks of the might
river for about 500 miles, or separated
from it by narrow strip of country, lie
the provinces where the severest distress
prevails Other provinces also are affect
ed, and the entire eastern half of Russia,
even to the borders of Siberia, is involved
in the misery that follows upon calami-
tous harvests; but the part of Russia in
habited by most of the people who are
actually starving lies along or near her
greatest .navigable highway In its middle
and lower course. Droughts, insect
pests, and The poverty and improvidence
of the peasant class have done the mischief.
Several million persons must be fed by
the hand of charity during the rigorous
Russian winter or they will perish. 1t is
estimated that at the very least 100000
900 will be required to relieve suffering
and supply the farmers with seed.
Details of the famine have been but
sparingly published, but enough has
been made known to arouse in the more
fortunate parts of Russia the deepest
sympathy and the most energetic meas
ures OF relief. 1t is known that thous-
ands Of peasants are deserving their
homes, having absolutely nothing to eat;
that in some districts they are collecting
acorns. oak bark. and leaves as a substi-
tute for food; that the only food of the
peasantry in the province of Simbrisk is
a hard black mass called bread, made
chiefly of goose foot. plant that is class
ed as an emetic; that i'm districts where
some harvest could be garncred the entire
crop has already been consumed; that
troops of starving beggars are wandering
through the villages; that many peasant
sells his only plough horse for few
roubles to buy food fol his family for a
week: that mortality has increased at a
rate that is frightful, and IN one place.
out of la0 families, forty-seven persons
died of hunger in a fortnight: that the
price of food has risen all over the empire.
and even at Warsaw, far from the scene
of acute misery, the cost OF common arti-
Giles of consumption has doubled.
These stories of frightful suffering have
aroused throughout the western and more
populous parts of Russia the most ener-
getic efforts to carry food to the starving.
The land has hardly another thought to-
day. The national Golfers have been
opened; the royal family has contributed
a very large sum; state balls have been
conference.-the: meetings to raise funds
are held everywhere; the Red Cross Scci-
ETY. is making house-to-hOuse collections:
the wo men are raising famine funds; the
rank and file of the army are contribute
ing; students i'm the universities are FORE
going their annual dinners that their con-
tributions may be larger, and money is
flowing in to the distributing committees
from every direction.
This wide stream of charitable relief is
already reaching the afflicted provinces.
but not yet in such volume as to bring
succor to hundreds of thousands who
need it. 1t is not money bat food that
must be taken to the greater part of the
famine district. This requires time and
involves enormous labor; but happily
there is reason to belive that the crisis
has reached its climax and that next
spring there will be no such story to
record as that of some Indian famiLes, in
which tens of thousands persihed be-
cause of the sheer inability of those who
would have helped them to reach the
starving in time to save their lives.
La all present thoughts of Russia, the
first must be that of sympathy for her
stricken peasantry.-NewI York Sun.