Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-02-22
THE FAMINE IN INDIA.
Pathetic Condition of Aban do ned an
Neglected Children.

H&tneGlC CONDITION OF ADan uOACu AL
Neglected Children.
Writing from the Jhansi district, the
special correspondent of the Times of
India says: 1.-THE case of the children
excites my compassion the more see OF
them. They are everywhere the picture
of hopelessness and the innocent victims
of neglect, of selfshness, or of cruelty.
They do nothing but look wistful by the
hour and die without complaining. 1
saw a small boy standing alone among
crowd of grown-up paupers. lie was
pointed her out. Where was his father?
oh, he had taken another wife. That IS
a common case. A man who IN ordinary
times would take a second wife and keep
his first now turns off the first and her
children. A woman deserted by her nus
band takes up with another man; but ne
makes it a condition that she must not
bring her children; he cannot afford to
feed SO many. SO the children are turned
loose. Then there are numbers OF chill
dren who were orphaned before the ia
mine, and have been taken care OF by
relatives. These are now tod tnat tne
times are too hard, and that they may no
longer share the food of the children OF
the house. Thousands Of houses were
broken up before the relief works began.
/ write of the country at large, not OF thls
place The father went one way to WORK
and the mother another IN search OF
work, in many cases never to meet again.
and the children were left in the deserted
hut. Some mothers are kind to their
children, and think of them before they
think of themselves. When they nave
nothing left to share with them or give
up for them, they use their remaining
strength in looking for somebody who Will
take them off their hands and promise to
be kind to them. Other mothers are SIM
ply depraved. They daily starve their
children that their famished appearance
may induce compassionate people to give
them money. One unnatural creature of
this sort, who was daily receiving
measure of flour for herself and one for.
her child, was SO fast growing fat while
her child grew lean. that one day cooked
food was placed before the child to be
eaten on the spot; but the mother
snatched it up and devoured it, almost
literally out of her child's own mouth,
and then held out her cloth for her own
share Of meal.
81 cannot find language to describe the
kindness which. in this time OF trial, IN
duces English, Scottish, German, Ainerl-
can and Swedish missionaries to pick up
these little waits and care for them with
a generosity beyond their means. Ihey
make long journeys, sometimes third
GLASS; and take them themselves 20 their
houses or their schools and stint
their own necessities to give them milk,
medicine and clothing, treating each one
as a special case which would otherwise
have to take it's chances in a poorhouse.
Every child thus cared for is cared for
at famine prices, when the ordinary cost
of the mission schools, without the addl-
ton of these orphans, is nearly double
what was budgetted for.
81 met some Swedes in Sugar, Of a
mission which is one of the poorest in
India. They had taken charge Of fifty
children, and were doing their little best
for them. Their appeal will go to Stock
holm, and, further, whatever help comes
will come from there"