The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-06-10

only one. sixth of seething multitude in India.
whose daily life from birth to death, verges
upon starvation. .Es n asa sGssf5 -
Tho Governor.G General of India, in IN official
statement, says there are $1,000, 600 in the
famine districts and "A, 600 600 more in scarcity
districts whore the food is insufficient to
maintain health, leaving tho people prey
to the disorders which for want Of better
name have boon called the plague. The spread
Of the plague in tho Government of Bombay
has caused paralysis of trade aud manufacture
which has greatly added TO the distress of those
who have lost their cattle or agricultural
crops and seeds from the drouth.
A report from Agra is to tho effect that
large quantity of crops have dried mp. while to
add calamity to calamity tho rest have been
destroyed by hailstorms. Famine, fever and
cholera will set in with the present month and
will rage in great violence to the end Of Sep
TENDER. Other diseases are epidemic.
In the famine sf 1877 100000 persisted, and
Sir Edwin Arnold. high authority, predicts
that 100000 will die in tho present famine,
unless tho whole world gives aid. Chief Just
and says The whole world will hsve to help"
OFFICIALS BLAMED FOR THE SUFFERING.
India has been afflicted with great fsmines,
both before and since the British occupancy.
In 1877 the Government of India raised mil
lion pounds sterling to be used in case of
another. As has been indicated the people
always live from hand to mouth; they touch
no meat, being veRetariaHsss and whom last
year the crops failed they were left perfectly
helpless Then the officials began to look
about for the famine fund, amounting in all to
twenty million pounds sterling, or 500 DOC, 600.
but no famine fund was to DO found. and Brit
ish and native officials are accused OF appropri-
ating it to their own uses. fs
The famine fund WAS raised by taxation
upon the natives, and it is charged that many
officials who had the handling of the money
are now living in luxury in London, while
their victims starve on the plains OF India.
These things have besn brought to light
through tho missionaries, who naturally in
quire by what right the famine fund Was di-
verted from its proper uses.
Awful pictures are given by the missionaries
Of the suffering and starvation among the
people in their respective districts. Meth.
odst missionary stationed 1t Jabalpur reports
$4,000 deaths from starvation in four months
in his district alone. The unfortunate crea-
lures 90 about seeking food until they drop
wherever they may be. An instance is re-
ported in which . father. mother, and two
children we're being photographed, and when
the artist went to change their position be
found the entire family dead.
The blood of tho famine-stricken becomes 80
thin that the brain ceases TO act, and they spend
u
anything around them. missionary reports
that he made trip through the central prov.
inces, and found the natives 90 emaciated that
they scarcely resembed human beings. They
would tight like tigers over . morsei of rice.
Many resort to suicide through chewing pois.
onous herbs that grow in the jungle.
Women try to sell. their children, hoping
that they may thereby save their lives: The
Bishop of Lucknow writes of 500 in the poor
house, hundreds reduced to extreme emscia-
ton. He says the sight Of the skeleton babies
clinging to their skeleton mothers is one of the
most piteous sights he ever beheld.
Mrs. Jeanette G. HouseF, secretary of the
Indian famine relief fund, 40 Bedford Gardens,
Kensington, w. London, now temporarily at
Monnett Hall, Delaware. O., writes Us that the
British people in England, Ireland, and Scot
land are coming to the assistance Of tho Gov
eminent in response to the call for help, and
prxys that the American women may join them
in the work. lE 4; sn
GREAT NEED OF CLOTHING.
In her appeal she writes that one great need
Of the suffering people Is clothing, many of
them being without any vestige of wearing
apparel, their depleted condition making them
very sensitive to chill and dampness
The famine belt extends from Raywalpindi
to Bellary, and is 1900 miles long and 400
miles wide. The population ranges from 400
TO 450 to the square mile. No one goes upon
the relief until everything he has is expended.
his home broken up. his cotton clothing worn
to scantiest threads, and hope perishcd out of
his heart. There each one receives from the
Government kitchens pound OF unleavened
cakes and pulse in exchange for such work as
he can perform through the day.
In none Of these districts is there any chance
of fresh food supply till September, and tho
entire population must be supported for at
least six months. They are homeless, house
less, ragiess wretches. Hundreds of thousands
of them have not 80 much ss yard Of muslin
for their whole wardrobe. ~2
The end of the misery is far in advance.
During the long hot season, when the heavens
are as brass and tho earth as heated rock, star
walton will red0uble its harvest. With the
breaking of the monsoon III June fever will
burn out the last vestige of life for hundreds of
thousands and as the only half ripened grains
of the hoped-for harvest, will be ,deyoured in
August and September, another, vast host will
be swept away. sa5oT g.s4s9
Mrs. Houscr says: "We who have seen fam.
inc in India know that the photographs of the
starving people, such as are appearing in
American newspapers, are not specially Sc.
lected for the purpose. There are millions
more just like them, save in this respect, that
those photographed have been given Q bit of
loin cloth to make the pictures decent in our
eyes,"
l1OuSeI UoSccCuo0 otl 6OCleLle8 OF WO.
men. benevolent, literary, or church, to lend
their aid in sending relief to the suffering
people Of India. She particularly appeals to
the benevolent women Of the Relief Corps.
The Hindoo woman, who never needs but
two garments skirt aud chadah or vail
has not vestige of either now. To make the
skirt take FIVE yards Of print ginghsm. or any
close. woven goods and sew the ends together.
Along one edge add eight inches of any con-
trasting color, turn down hem an inch aud a
half wide and run in stout draw-string. To
the bottom add = three-inch bias strip Of the
same material as used atcthe top. Turn mp =
two-inch hem, and the skirt is done. The vail
should he three yards long and yard and .
quarter wide and may be made of any cotton
material. bleached or unbieached, white or col
Ored. Native Christian women and little girls
wear skirts with plain hens at the top and bot.
tom without any contrasting coi0rs. 81
PATRIOTIC TEACHING.
Massachusetts, the past few weeks, has been
expressing in variety of forms its grand
work of patriotic teaching. We have numer-
Gus accounts of the introd uction of flags and
instructive matter into the schoolro0ms. A
very systematic movement is being conducted
by Mary G. Deane. Chairman of the Committee
on Patriotic Teaching.
Our correspondent, Sarah E. Cain, reports that
Watertown Corps has placed new flag in each
schoolroom to replace the Gags which have be-
come soiled from use ; that Robert A. Bell Corps