St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-08-27
The Famine In India.
(Correspondence of the CALIFORNIAN

l know, had snare IN contributing w
the Christian Herald Fund, which has
done so much toward relieving the
present distress in India and to these at
least, if not to all, little about the
famine may be interesting.
The fertility OF the soil depends very
much on the annual rainfall. which is
supposed to last about three months
every year, consequently, when the rainy
season is not good one the crops are
poor. For the last two or three years
the rains have not been even normal, and
as a natural result we are having
famine, to certain extent, all over lnoia,
but much worse in some places than
others.
On driving through the bazaar here
one would never imagine there was
famine in the land, for on either side at |
every bunyas shop (grain merchant)
there are heaps of wheat and various
other grains common to this country,
but during the past month the signs OF
misery and wretchedness have become
apparent on every hand, because, owing
to the scarcity OF food in other places,
the prices here have risen so high that
those who were able to live comfortably
before can now get hardly enough OF
even the coarsest food to live, and those
who were poor enough before now neces-
sarily suffer greatly. Many would gladly
work, but they can not get the work to
do, for those who formerly hired work
done are now so poor they are obliged
to do their own work.
Some months ago relief works were
begun and poorhouses opened and a GER
tain sum set aside for distribution each
month to those who were not able to
work and yet for various reasons were
not fit subjects for the poor house but
siuce for some time the policy of those in
charge here has been to take just as few
as possible into the poor house, while the
money distributed has reached its proper
destination in comparatively small
number of cases, this community is little
better off Tor these things. Several times
last month grain was given to those
who would take it, and the motley
GRO wds that gathered on such occasions
in front of our house are beyond my
power of description. Lame, blind, old,
ragged diseased and always dirty, OF
every kind and condition. Some times
: as many as three hundred men, women
and children received grain in one morn
ing. The custom was Tor one or two Of
p the native preachers to talk to them fol
a while, then each would come and gel
n his portion of grain and go away.
z In several instances women have COM
; asking us to buy their children or offer
IT ing to give them TO us, and one child ha
BEEN given, the mother signing pape
L giving up all claim to the child now o
er hereafter. Another woman came hersel
ne as well as her child, and in a very shor
"a time accepted our belief, so that whe
al her baby died, Is days DID, she said sf
ut wished it buried according to our Gu
tom. for she said: 81 am no longer
h. heath hen, am Christian now and he
as bright, happy face indicates it. One yer
he sad case was that of a woman and tw
It. children, one boy of about four and tt
at other a baby OF two months. III
%, mother herself was leper whose hu
en- band had deserted her, as so many ha'
N. done since the hard times came, VIII
&c the baby was, | think, the most wretcht
rt, piece of humanity | have ever seen,
lrt fact nothing but limp, motioness b
es, OF being The mother was told to con
hn every night and morning for milk WHIT
he she would sit down to feed the bah
ia, because if she took the milk away WI
5 her the baby might not be any the cettt
ice as in one case when she had taken l
tie for the night even this was stol
ser from her by another poor beggar t.
ity hungry to resist the temptation. U
the day they had LETT behind the spoon WI
m which to iced the child, but the pc
ia thing was so hungry and the nice, wal
,st cows milk tasted so good that he new
On thought OF crying for bottle, but to-
90 it down as fast as the mother with
ON OF leaf could scoop it up and put 1t in
his mouth. However, the child was
diseased that it only lived about wee
so its troubles were soon ended. Il
nv days ago went down to the city
ellis enquire into the case of one who h
come asking for help. The WON
am brought bed for me to sit on, for tn
rm never have chairs except in well-to-
sea, families, and in short time % won
ca- gathered round me, each with her tale
he poverty and misery. One old woms
the how old shouldn't dare to guess, /
H. she told me she was entirely alone in
hip world, aroused my sympathy very mu
,'le' Last night put some money in
49,, rocket so that in case we met. in
nth course of our ride on our bicycles, anyo
who needed it we could give. Abe
four miles out from the house we pass
'lda a little bit of a straw hut in which {
40 Of +b,se same shriyelled M blind