The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-08-07

as l see show the effects OF the famine
still, and you can count the ribs on the
cattle In the fields The loss of horses
throughout the famine districts must have
amounted to many millions in number, and
in some of the districts fully half of the
livestock has been killed or sold.
Ind Ii hard to give an idea Of the famine
situation in Russia, the Russian peasants
are so different in every respect from the
people OF the rest of the world. They live
differently, they are governed differently
and they 90 their work and manage their
affairs after different manner from the
farmers OF Europe or the United States.
Their wants are so small that cents a day
per person has kept thousands alive during
this famine. and at SaTatoY | was told that
SIS a day had been the total cost OF feeding
400 people for weeks. This was among
the Catholic Germans, and they each
got one and q half pounds of black
bread day apiece, and this bread
furnished al cost amounted to cents. 10
some places l found soup Kitchens giving
dinners at253 cents meal, and such kitchens
are now established in all the towns. Think
OF feeding man Oh so or 20 cents a month
aud you get an idea of how these people
have been living during the past winter.
This gave them rye bread and water with a
meal of cabbage soup, and in some Of the
districts they did not even have this In
parts Of this Province of Samara they made
bread Of dried grass mixed with lttle
bit Of rye, and l have seen specimens of this.
The same SOFT OF bread was made In kaZan
and Nijni-NoVgor0d. A deceBt American
horse woHld turn up his nose at il. In
parts OF Saratoy the dead cattle and
horses were made into sour, and at
ono place 900 gallons eff water 40
pound. of rye and hihdquRrter OF dead
horse formed the materials out OF which the
soup for the village was made. Near Mini
there were instances OF children biting their
arms and fingers 10 satisfy their hunger,
but | have SO far heard of 40 cases of cant
balism, though such have been reported.
The most Of the deaths from the famine
have been from typhus aud disease, but
considering the vast number of destitute,
ranging from $4,000, 300 10 10000, 900, the
mortality has been comparatively small and
much less than 1t would have been among
any other people of the world. The diet Of
the Russian peasant in the best Of times
consists OF little more than cabbage. soup,
rye bread and potatoes BE gets fat on
pumpkins and eucumbers and knows but
little of meat. He has now and then a
piece of dry fish aud his religion gives him
manyifast days. when he does not dare 10
drink milk or eat butter.
| see everywhere the work Of the Russian
Government in behalf Of the famine suffer-
ers. l do not think that the machinery of
the Gar in managing his people is by any
means perfect. i think, ia fact ii is far
from being so. and there is probably as
much oppression and corruption going on
In the Government here as in any Govern
ment in ChristendOm. Still, l believe in
giving the Russians credit for the good they
are doing and for the millions they are
spending } help the people. In Nljni-Noy-
gorod, where i first struck the Volga, 4
found about COCO men at work widening
the, roads and laying out public
parks under the Government surveyors
and / was told that their wages came
out OK the Government appropriation