Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-10-17

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children down with hunger typhns. and
then ell the family unable 70 walk, and
then crawling on hands and knees. and
then ons dead In each room, and neigh
bcrs, not quite 80 exhausted, coming Ia
10 bury them, and aftsrward the house
becoming the tomb, with none 70 carry
the dead Il more appropriate sepulcher
whole families blotted cut. That was
what occurred IN Russia IN homes more
than were ever counted, IN homes that
were once as comfortable and happy and
beautiful as yours or mine, IN homes
as yirtuous As yours or mine, IN homes
where God is worshiped as much as in
yours or mine. IL was TO do little some
thing toward beating back that arch
angel Of wretchedness and horror that
ws went, and We have now 10 report
that, according 10 the estimate of the
Russian famine relief committee, We
saved the lives Of l25, 600 peopis.
RELIGIOUS PEAsAsTRY.
As az the hunger relief stations the
bread was handed out-for il was made
into loayes and distributed-many peo-
pie would halt before taking il and re-
ligiously cross themselves and utter q
prayer for the donors. Some of them
would come staggering back and say,
Please tell us who sent this bread TO
u.s." And when told il came from
America they would say: "What part
OF America? Please give Us the names
OF those who sent it," All, God only
knows the names Of those who sent it,
but he certainly does know, and many a
prayer Is going up, warrant you, day
by day. for those who sent -four by the
ship Leo. Perhaps some of us at our
tables rattle off prayer that may mean
nothing, although we call it saying
grace" but warrant when those people
who received the bread which saved
their lives .'said grace" it meant some
thing. Our religion may not demand
that we "cross ourselves" but | have
learned that while crossing ones self in
some cases may mean nothing but mere
form l believe in most cases it means:
"Oh, thou of the suffering cross of Cal
vary, have mercy on me and accept my
gratitude" Prefer your own form Of
religion by all means, but do not depre-
ciate the religious forms Of others. From
all can learn there were several good
people before we were born, and rather
expect there viii be several left after we
are dead. l have travelled in many
lands, but l tell you plainly, as / told
Emperor Alexander III in the palace at
Peterhoff, that had never been so i'm
pressed with the fidelity to their religion
Of any people as by what / had seen in
Russia, and especially among her public
men
said respectfully to a Russian when
saw him cross himself, What do You
do that fory ''Oh," he said, when |
do that l always say. "'God have mercy
on mel" / hold in my hand something
very suggestive. What does that black
and uncomely thing look like? That is
what is called hunger bread from Rus
STA; that is what millions of people lived
on for months before help came from
England, Scotland. Ireland and Amer
lea; that is o mixture which seems to
have in it not one grain of sustenance. 1t
Is mixture OF pig weed and chaff and
the sweepings Of stables. That is some
thing which if dropped in the street
your dog or cat might sniff at, but would
not eat. That was the only food on
which millions of men and women lived.
You must look at that hunger bread Of
Russia before you can get proper appre-
citation Of what an attractive and beau
tiful thing good loaf of bread is. 1t is
so common TO Us we cannot realize its
meaning. Stop and look at it in bak-
cry window or see it on your family Ia
ble-I mean an honest loaf of bread,
white as ball Of packed snow, with
crust brown as the autumnal woods, and
for a keen appetite more aromatic than
flowers-a loaf of bread as you remen-
Der it in childhood, when the knife in
the hand of your father or mother cut
clean through from crust to crust and
put before you. not quarter Of q slice
or half slice, but full round slice
and another and another just suited to
boy always ready to eat and for the
most time hungry, even in well sup
piled house. / remember and you re-
member, il you had healthy childhood,
Just how it tasted. My. My! Plum
pudding does not taste as good now as
that plain bread then. 1t was then
bread at the table and bread between
meals, and bread before breakfast and
bread before going TO bed.
THE NOBILITY OF KINDNESS.
You know we have in America GER
tain names which are synonyms for
observation-disclosures Peabody, James
Lenox, William Z. Dodge, Mr.. Slater,
and so on. What their names mean in
America. Bobrinski means in Russia.
The emperor has made larger contribu-
tons toward this relief fund than any
monarch ever made for any cause since
the world stood. and the superb kind
ness written all over the faces OF EN-
peror and empress and crown prince is
demonstrated in what they have already
done and are doing for the sufferers in
their own country. When few days
ago read in the papers that the en-
peror and empress, hearing an explo-
sion. stopped the royal rail train TO find
ont what accident had occurred. and the
empress kneit down by the side of a
wounded laborer and held his head until
pillows and blankets could be brought.
and the two wounded men were put
upon the royal train TO be carried TO a
plsce where they could be better cared
for. I said to my wife. "Just ike her
yVfa,, 7 savr a four sovS avo =, 49,. -