The record-union., 1892-01-07
TEE STARVING RUSSIANS.
Appeal Of the TolstOi Family for
Aid in Their Behalf.
a Catastrophe Beyond Comparison,
Which has Caused Frenzy and Panic
Among the PeopIe-Dificulties in
the Way of Re1iefSystematicC Char
liable Work Begun.

The December number of Free Russia,
the monthly publication of the Friends
OF Russian Freedom, states that the IA
nous Count Tolstoi, his great-hearted
wife, with their sons and daughters, have
given up the pleasant leisure of their
country home, and are now in the famine
stricken districts of Russia, saving from
starvation people who, but for their efforts
and timely contribution of friends, would
in all probability perish.
From Moscow the Countess Tolstoi has
issued an appeal which, will be read with
worldwide interest. AS translated from
the RuSskdyd Vyedonlosti (RnsSidR Ga
Sette), her letter runs as follows:
SIR: The help, in money and other
wise, given up till now for the relief of
the starving people, has been SO great
that L hardly dare touch upon the ques-
ton. But the distress also is proving far
greater than any one had expected, and
always more and more has to be asked
and given.
My whole family has broken up to go
and help in various parts of the country.
My husband, Count Lyov Tolstoi is at
present with our two daughters in the
Dankov district, trying to arrange the
largest possible number of free soup
kitchens, or as the peasants have named
them, Care for Orphans" My two
elder sons, who serve in the Red Cross,
are actively helping in the Chernski dis
tr1ct, and nay younger son has gone to
the province OF Samara to open soup
kitchens there as far as his means allow.
But, in such great need as this, indi-
vidual persons can do nothing. And yet
every day that we spend in a warm
house, every mouthful that we eat, seems
to reproach us with the thought that in
this very moment some one is dying
with hunger. All of US who live here in
Moscow in luxury and cannot bear to see
the slightest pain suffered by our chill
dren, how should we endure the sight
of the desperate or stupetied mothers
looking on while their children die of
hunger and cold?
THE SOUP KITCHENS.
quote from letter that my daughter
has written to me from the DankoV dis
trict, referring to the soup kitchens which
the local landowners have opened:
Il have been in two of them. In one,
which has been opened in tiny chicken
house, awidow cooks dinner for twenty
five persons. When / entered lot of
children were sitting at a table, each with
piece of bread, and eating soup. Several
old women were standing and waiting
their turn. l talked with one of them.
The poor things are kept alive simply by
these free dinners; they have absolutely
nothing at home, so they have no break
fast. They receive two meals day at the
kitchen; and the cost of this, fuel in
cluded, is from 50 kopecks to one rouble,
30 kopecks a month tor each person.
Thus thirteen roubles will save from
starvation till next harvest one person
But there are so many that enormous
sums are needed. Let US, though, at least,
try what can be done.
If each of us saves, according to his or
her powers, one, two, ten, or hundred
lives, our consciences will be lighter
Surely God will spare us another such
year in our lifetime!
/ venture to appeal to all those who
are willing and able to help for material
aid in the work that my family have UNI
dertaken. All donationswill be employed
directly to feed children and aged per-
sons in the soup kitchens opened by my
husband and children.
Donations may be forwarded as follows:
Count Lyov Nikolaevich Tolstoi, No 10
Dolgo Khamovnichesky, Pereoulok,
Moscow.
1t viii not be for me to thank those
unfortunate people whom they will save
from starvation. SOPHIA ToLsToI.
Moscow, November 2, 1891.
Count Tolstoi has also addressed a long
communication to the Russian papers on
the subject Of the famine. He describes
the famine as 'a
CATASTROPHE BEYOND COMPARISON,
Worse than any flood, and beyond COM
parison more general" "The failure of
crops" he goes on to say, ''has extended
over full third of Russia, and that third
is just the most fertile part of the country;
1t is the part upon which the remaining
two-thirds have always depended for
sustenance. In the second place, the
harvest has failed also in the neighboring
countries; and, therefore, large quantity
of corn has already been exported from
Russia. Wheat, indeed, is still being ex-
ported. In the third place, there are not
and cannot be in Russia this year any
stores Of old corn, such as there were for
instance in the famine Of 1870"
The Count further speaks of the panic
created by the famine, as "a terror which
people catch like infection, one from an
other, and which paralyZes their power
of acting in concert. This panic shows
itself in the successive prohibitions of
the export, first of rye, then of other
kinds OF grain (wheat, for some reason,
eXcepted), and also in such contradictory
measures as, on the one hand, the assign
ing of large sums for the relief OF the dis
tressed, and, on the other, the collecting
OF taxes by the local authorities. The !
panic is also strikingly noticeable in the
eVer-lncreasing disagreements between |
the various local Jurisdictions. As is alS
ways the case in times of epidemic terror
some rush one way and some another. A |
further proof of the panic is the attitude |
and behavior of the people-for instance, |
the general rush for work, and the des- |
perate swaying of the masses to and fro |
from country to town, and from town |
to country. Does not this clearly prove |
the frenzy with which the people are |
possessed? All these signs, the panic !
especially, are gravely significant, and |
show that we have good cause for fear. |
The enemy terrible enemy-stands |
right before us, and it is useless to say we !
are not afraid of him. for we know that |
he is here, and in our hearts we know
that we are afraid of him.
Since Count TolstoiS letter was written, |
1t has been shown that there is defici- |
ency of corn in Russia to the extent of
55,000,0 600 bushels.
Some account of the difficulties placed |
in the way of relief are given in the cur
rent number of Free R0SSid. This |
Government" says that publication, "be- |
ing avowedly unable TO meet the emer-
gency, has permitted public subscrip- |
lions. But it insists upon having abso- |
lutte control over both the collection and |
distribution of relief funds. All combi- |
nation for purposes of relief, unless spec |
tally authorized, is strictly prohibited, |
and only individual philanthropy is toll |
Grated.
Every Russian can make an
APPEAL TO CHARITY
In his own name, and collect funds. Hun
dreds of Russians-authors, editors, |
clergymen, whose names or positions |
carry weight-have ayailed themselves of |
this privilege. But two persons are not |
allowed to make such an appeal in their /
collective names, and would lay them |
selves open to prosecution on the charge |
OF forming an illegal association a