Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-05-27

10 and r. nothing on them but natures
own covering, so spent by famine that
! all flesh was gone You wondered how
| their little bones held together. You
could count the joints of the back bone
through the skin in front. The abdo-
men having appeared-leaying the
| skin clinging to the bones of the back
| indeed unless | had seen the sight with
my own eyes, | could not have believed
| it possible for human being to become
| so poor and still live. The poor little
| things Were almost free from suffering
| was very much stirred up by what |
had already seen-and this awful sight
was lust more than | could endure and
| wept over them like child. a poor
| starving mother. with her little, thin
babe in arms, seeing that felt sorry for
these girls said to me, They have no
one She was sitting between them,
and was kept the swarm or flies away
| from their faces, and tried to cover them
them with an old dirty rag. | loved
her because she was doing what she
could for those little motherless child
ren.
As turned away from that place of
| suffering from lack of food, think |
| felt more humble and unworthy than
ever before-more thankful for the dai-
| " supply of foOd-with a determine
| ton, dear friends, to use my pen i'll be-
| half of the suffering people of this land.
| One little orphan girl had come to me
| just after | entered the poor house, and
| slipping up behind me put her arm
around my waist and followed me all
around | felt sure she had come from
some place where missionary ladies had
been working She asked me to take
her away, but had to tell her | could
! not but, oh, how | wished that she
only knew enough to run away and
come to me.
The keeper of the poorhouse is
hard hearted Mohammedan and seeing
the child was attracted toward me he
was very careful not to leave us alone,
so l had no chance to talk to the child,
may God save that helpless child from
life worse than death from starvation.
We have heard of dreadful things in
connection with traffic in famine girls,
but we cannot get hold of these things,
but one thing we do know, that very
few girls are to be found either in poor
houses relief works or on mission Com
pounds and while there is no lack of
men, women and boys, the question can
not help but come where are the girls?
But my letter is growing two long and
| must hasten to tell you of our collec-
tion of boys AID the homeward trip.
We could not take those who were very
much reduced. nor those who were sick
so many of them get sick when they
get food we did not want any but or
phans, so we picked out about thirty
five, put tickets around their necks, as
soon as the children knew that
we wanted children every body wanted
to go to the Punjab although few, if
any of them had any idea where the
place was. Several who were thought too
large pleaded so hard that they won
the day, until our number swelled to
forty We got unblea ched muslin and
clothed them without the help of needle
or thread. Having secured reduced
rates and special genana car, third
class, we started at midnight with our
children. The children had been put
in the car early in the evening and
most of them were sleeping when we
came to start.
A third class car has few accommoda
tions. Just board seats reaching across
the short way of the car. The children
did not know how to use even what ac-
commodations they did find and 50
often it was not very pleasant to lie in
the same car; but as we had lots of
pretty good order, by calling in the
water man with his goat skin of water
and the sweeper with his red broom and
the two working together on seats and
floor made the place inhabitable.
We expected to be about sixty hours
on the way, so had provided about 300
native cakes and hundred loaves of
white bread, and several pounds of raw
sugar,
Our children were much interested
in all they saw along the way. 1t was
a new thing for them to be riding on
the train. They We're remarkably good
and quiet to have been gathered in so
recently from the jungle. The people
along the way were interested in them.
And before they reached Ranal Pinde
W here they are now, they had received
several treats of sweets. One man
wanted one of the boys for a brother
who had no children, he was told to
send down to Allahabad and get fifteen
or twenty for himself In due time we
reached the end of our journey and l
have since heard from the boys and |
girls that they are getting along all
right. l must not forget to tell you
that one of the little boys we brought |
was called by the missionaries Cactus" |
because his mother had twisted his |
neck, arms and legs, and left him to |
die in a cactus hedge near tire mission |
house in Allahabad. He was gathered |
up and a hundred and thirty thorns |
taken from his little starved body his |
neck braced up by the kind lady doctor, |
and was doing nicely.
And now my friends why have 1 |
written you all this? Have you already |
guessed the reason? 1t is because l
want you to help the famine sufferer in
this land.
God has so abundantly blessed so |
many in Butler county that you might |
give your hundreds and not miss it,
and ! want all to have a part. / want |
every one who reads these lines to send |
me something, be it ever so little and
| think the best way for you to do this
will be for You to send your money to
the editor of your paper, and l am sure
he will gladly acknowledge all gifts
and send them on to me and | shall
send them to the missionaries who are
feeding the starving. God has so
abundantly blessed our land think we
should all be ready to help those in dis
tress If any one would rather send
their contribution direct to me, ask
your banker to give you draft on the
bank at London and send it on to me.
The postage to India is five cents. My
address you will find at the beginning
of this letter
[ am sure all my friends will be glad
to know | nm we'll and very happy in
my work for the Master.
Yours sincerly,
EMMA DEAN ANDERSON.