The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-11-05
The Famine in Russia,
New York SUM-

them tilers 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. IL this large region the
total or partial failure of the crops is
now crushing the suffering Of famine
foretold several months ago in the Sun.
The northwestern limit of the greatest
wretchedness is the province 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 mighty river for about sOO
miles, or separated from it by narrow
strip of country, lie the provinces
where the severest distress prevails,
Other provinces also are affected, anu
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
inhabited by most of the people who
are actually starving lies along or near
her greatest navigable highway in its
middle and lower course. Drouths, in
sect pests, and the poverty and improv-
idence OF the peasant class have done
TIE 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 500, 100000 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 rouse in the more
fortunate parts of Russia the deepest
sympathy and the most energetic
measures of relief. It is known that
thousands Of peasants are deserting
their homes, having absolutely nothing
to eat; that in some districts they are
collecting acorns, oak bark, and leaves
as a substitute for food; that the only
food of the peasantry in the province
of Sinlbirsk is hard black mass called
bread, made chiefly Of goose foot, a
plant that is classed as an emetic; that
in districts where some harvests could
be garnered 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 for his family for week; that
mortality has increased at rate that
is frightful, and in one place, out of $50
families, forty-seven persons se,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-
cles of consumption has doubled.
These stories CT frightful suffering
have aroused throughout the western
and more populous parts of Russia the
most energetic 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 very large
sum; state balls have been counter
manded; meetings to raise funds are
held everywhere; the Red Cross Socie-
ty is making house-to- house collections;
the women are raising famine funds;
the rank and file of the army are con-
tKibuting; students in the universities
are foregoing their annual dinners that
their contributors 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 prov
inces, but not yet in such volume as to
bring succor to hundreds of thousands
who need it. 1t is not money, but food
that must be taken to the greater part
of the famine district. This requires
time and involes enormous labor; but
happily there is reason to believe that
the crisis has reached its climax and
that next spring there will be no such
story to record as that of some Indian
famines, ia which tens Of thousands
perished because OF the sheer inability
of those who would have helped them
to reach the starving in time to save
their lives.
In all present thoughts of Russia, the
first must be thas Of sympathy for hel
stricken peasantry.