The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-02-07

"atchmen engaged. tho hungry mum
tude goes hungry still.
This preliminary want preceding &C
knowldged famines makes the latter IN
more terrible.
The population Of India f. almost en-
urely agricultural; hat IS. about go on
OF It's 800 millions live In villages or coun
Try towns. ana are dependent upon TN
land for their support. IL ~ IN thes'
villages ;hat the chronic want eNists' ah'
that the pressure OF famine is most like
That the pressure OF famine is most Keen
~ felt
TN tho towns wages arc higher, en-
ployment IS more easily obtained. and
the charity Of rich natives obviates any
serious amount Of suffering. Hence. also
the existence and extent OF the chronic
suffering como 90 be doubted. as IT Is
judged largely from the comparatively
iiourshing condition Of the cities.
Tho East Indians, no matter how poor.
arc a most polite, gracious, hospitable
! people. They address ali government Of
| ncials MS 'maban' another and father or
| 'gharibharwar' (nrotector Of the poor.
and so wicked do they think IT to turn a
beggar away empty-handed that ehy viii
| give their last grain Of rice and be COM
| PEELED 10 pawn their eating or cooking
! vessels TO yet more. j SHAH never for
get ono oxperience in some villages. The
country was a veritable Paradise. To the
ordinary European and official eye there
was no sign Of want. Indeed tho har-
vest had been abundant, the soil was pro-
life, and everything appeared 10 be -four
lshing. But | was not there a san Off
cial. II was as a Salvationlst, dressed I'm
the native costume. with bare feet and
begging bowl, that l had gone from hut
TO hut collecting my midday meal Of cook
cd rice and vegetable curries. on return
Ing 10 the thatched howell which was the
homo OF the village Salvationist. who
was my host. he remarked that at one OF
the houses visited by mo the last hand
ful OF rice they possessed had been emp
tied into my begging bowl. l FASTENED
10 return II with interest, but could hard
" persuade the givers 10 accept IL. That
night there was an cutlery or Their
Thief! so common in these villages rs
10 be almost taken as a matter Of course.
provided that IL did not happen 10 be
your house that had been broken into.
] discovered the next day that the rob-
berry had been traced 10 the house Of
man who had been without food for five
days.
Driven 10 desperation by the suffer
irgs Of his wife. who lay helpless at home
with an infant at her bosom, he had bro
ken into a neighbors house.
a curious thing is that the greatest
number OF deaths from starvation occur
in the most fertile districts. Now let
MS trace back the cause Of the fearful
mortality. A trade union system two or
three thousand years old prevails in the
villages or India
"Tho centre Of every model village Is
occupied by the land owners. il is dl-
v!dcd into five sections. one is occu-
pied by the cultyators OF the land. anoth-
er by the weavors another by the tam
ners. tho fourth by the potters, who
make the cooking and eating vessels, and
tho last by the sweepors or scavengcrs.
1.-THE system is such that every man,
woman, and child is taught to FOLLOW !
some profession. or, rather, occupation.
and TO assist mo the harvests. Some |
times there are two harvcsts, again three |
i'm year.
mo matter what these people do. they |
arc paid I'm food that is. grain Another |
source Of wealth Is the huge herds OF /
buffalo that bring the landowners regu-
lar incomes.
"A clarified butter called CHI IS made /
from the milk. and this is shipped TO
the cities. lhe castles who watch the /
cattle. and whom axe tho CHI, are paid /
every day in buttermilk
Every morning nc O'Clock the house
wives In the villages get up. and You can
hear them grinding the days supply Of
corn. They throw little Of the -four
into bowl OF waterod buttormat and
make food called ehens. The suDply
is always sclnt, for the housewife knows
that II DO vain falls She and her ramil,
viii not have enough grain TO carry them
over 10 the next harvest. So il is all
ways, stint. stint. stint, and when il
Isn't stint 10 is starve.
Gould the landowners reserve enough /
grain TO tide over these times of want?
They could. but they don't want 10 do
hat. They turn it into money for them
.eives, exporting much Of it.
The salvation Army 10 agrcat plan
Of dazzling with the root of this trouble.
To begin with. IN different parts Of India
here are vast tracts OF fertile land living
die. In British India alone the Govern
neut returns show 1900 square miles.
while there is as much again 10 be found
u the various native States These lands
ire amply capable OF maintaining I'm com
lartvo comfort the whole OF the starry
ng population oil The empire, and of meet
ms the natural increase Tor years 10
ONE, W The people who need 10 could
My be placed upon II under conditions
hat would enable them al once TO work
{ and ulrtake Of the results Of their
abor. The Government Is paternal and /
administers honest justice, and its laws
ne among the most perfect Of human
avs, but the difficulty here is that the
tarying masses are lOw-caste people.
Suppose one OF these low-caste villag-
rs applies 10 the Government for tract
4 waste land. lie has 10 do so through
ative' officers who are landowners. and
e soon finds that IL any more is heard
( his wanting % be landowner he will
uner Tor il. However much tho Gov
rnments possessing this waste land may
esire TO have the poor people enjoy IT'S
cneilts, and however anxious the poor
cople may be t0 avail themselves of the
ppOrtunity, Il is almost universally al
littcd that the cooperation OF some out
ldc organization is necessary 10 effect
he desired result.
Now. this IS our plan. We 90 10 the
government and ask for. say loo acres
this waste land, Us near to the villages
S possible. Then We 90 to the land
wners Of d village and say: We have
his land. your people are starving; let
s have nifty families. The landowner
nswers: What. you want fifty Of my
milles? Never You can't have them
cry wei. then. the Salvationist an
Fcrs. we will take a whole caste. They 3