The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-10
TO SEND AID TO INDIA.
A Mass Meeting TO BE Held Next Hon
day Night.

day Night
The ministerial association met yesler-
day afternoon in conference with num-
Der of ladies at the Young Mems Chris
tian Association rooms to consider means
for raising subscriptions for the famine
and plague sufferers of India.
The report of the special committee, con
sisting of Rev A. j. Smith OF the tlrsl
Presbyterian church, chairman; Kew, D.
II. Scruggs of Trinity and Rev. M. ). Up
ting of ST. PauTs Lutheran, was submit
rcd The committee advised the holding
of a public meeting and the ministers
concurred with the committee In the be
lief that such a plan would be conducive
20 the best results. Wesley Monumental
church was selected as the place ana mon
day night as the time of the meeting. Ad-
dresses on the situation in IN
dia, and plans for the rehel
OF the starving and plague-strlcken
inhabitants will be made by DR.. James y
Fair of the Independent Presbyterian
church. and by Rev. John D. Jordan OF
the First Baptist church.
Pictures representing the horrors OF
daily scenes in India will be exhibited by
a stereopticon. Photographs are now be-
ing made for the instrument OF illustra-
lions of these scenes. From them an ldea
of the extent of the ravages to when the
people have been subjected by munger
and disease may be GdLneISu.
The relief Of the poor of India has peeh
a hone near to the hearts of several Sa-
vannah ladies for some time, and the IN
terest their efforts have aroused bids fair
to soon bring about the realization OF TINS
hope.
Several causes have combined to produce
the appalling situation now existing III
India one of these is the large proper
ton of the population depending absolute
" on the tiilage of the soil. In countries
where there are extensive manufactures,
or stores of mineral wealth, or CONNER
cial enterprises, a failure OF the crops
would affect only certain classes ana tnese
would be able to find temporary occupa-
ton. or at least receive assistance from
+be classes not affected by the dearth. But
in India. according to the estimate OF Lord
Dufferin. an ex-viceroy, there is an aver
age of four natives in every five dependent
on the soil or belonging to classes support
ed by the agricultural population, such as
weavers potters and petty artisans VINO
can find no market for thelr ProuuCls
when the farmer and his laborers
are in straits for food. Another cause Is
the normal poverty of the people. Win
the rapid increase of population amounting
10 10 per cent. every ten years, ana with
few opportunities of the agricultural
classes becoming absorbed in industrial
pursuits, there has been subdivision Oh
holdings.
tably in Bengal and Upper India, there are
millions of families whose support Is ue-
rived from farms averaging less than SIX
acres. 1t is obvious that such persons
must be perpetually on the borderland OF
destitution. And famines are inevitable
The productiveness of the soil depends en-
tirelv on the fall of the rain which the
wind. called by the Hindoos the mon
soon brings from the Southern ocean in
the months of July, August and Septem-
her. and again in the months of November
and December. Without these rains the
soil is as barren as the sand of the desert.
If they are late or sparse, or II there Is
break in them, the rainfall ceaslng after
a short time, the crops are ruined and the
farmer sees starvation literally staring
him in the face, As matter
of fact and record there is on the aver
age a partial failure of crops in districts
of greater or less extent once In every
twelve years. and in every twenty years
there IS famine in large areas but not
more than once or twice in a century Is
theLwhole country in the grasp of The
dreaded monster Not since ITO has there
been such famine until now, and In that
famine not less than 100000 persons
starved to death. The next great fam
inc was that of 1877 when the deaths num-
bered nearly 100000.
The present famine is the most extern
autumn rains failed altogether over a
broad belt running through the whole
length Of Central India, while in the adj
jacent districts on each side of the belt
they failed fully one month before the us
ual time. BY September of last year scar
city began to be felt through the vast
area of $4,000 square miles, having a
population Of eighty millions. There was
a hope then that the winter rains might
partially remove the pressure, but the rain
was irregular, copious in a few districts,
insignificant in the great majority and
absolutely dry in the others. 1t was learn
ed, too, that even in the districts where
there had been an abundant rainfall fun
advantage had not been taken of It, many
of the people having eaten, in their need,
the corn which should have been reserV-
ed for seed BY the close of the year it
was officially stated than an area contain
ing $4,000, 900 persons was in the grip Of
famine, and that extreme scarcity existed
in an area containing A 100000. In all,
therefore, there are S0,OOOOOO persons-a
population larger than that of the whole
United States-who need help and need it
IN the most urgent way.
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