The sun., 1897-01-18
INDIA'S FAMINE PROBLEM.
ooMM<SDER BoorH-TUoEER TELLS
OF A REMEDT.


with the Extortien OF the Gousy Le.derr.
Few persons In this country are better In
formed about the starving millions OF India
than Frederick Booth-Tuoker. commander Of
tho Salvation Army. Commander Booth
Tucker was born In India and has spent most
Of his life thcre. He has studied tho people not
only from an of1cial view point, but also from
that of the native. He has looked at the sit
uation through English eyes, through East
Indian eyes. and through American eyes, so
that very little has escaped him. He has been
able to do this because n there ever was cos
mopolite in blood as woll as feeling. the Com
msnder is one. During the French revolution
one Of his Hreat-uncles. tho Count de Lautour.
was guillotined, and his maternal grand
father left France and settled in India The
family established one of the now oldest bank
ing houses In India. His Maternal ancestors
were English. Some Of them took hand on
the American side In the war of Independence,
fought In the early battles of the Revoluti tion.
and afterwnrd went to Bermuda. and came
very near being shot by the British for their
services to America. One Of Commander
Booth fuckers earliest childhood recollections
Is Of tho mutiny in india II was the CRY Of an
older sister. waking him up one morning with
Get up, Freddy The mutinesrs are COM
ing" He and the other children were snug
Rled into q waiting carriage. In order not to
arouse the su,picions Of the natives. and hur-
ried OF to stca mer. which bore the family to
q place Of safety. Soon after this he was taken
TO England 10 be educated. After being grad
uated from college no passed tic East Indian
civil service examination, received his COM
mission. and returned TO India. As Gov
ernment Official he lost no opportunity 10
study the natives and do missionary work
among them. Finally . copy Of the War Cru
fell into his hands. After reading IL care
fully he asked for leave OF absence. lie went
to London, and. after making . study of Sal
walton Army principles and work, threw up
his East Indian commission and Joined the
Army. That was sixteen years ago. Since
then he has been tho commissioner for the
Army In India most of tho time. and he came
directly from there to this country at the time
of tho split Ia the Army last year.
While in india Commander Booth Tucker
made two tours through the country with
Gen. Booth to look into the condition OF the
poorer classes, with q view to working out
some scheme Tor their relief by tho Salvation
Army. The last tour was made tho year be-
fore he came here. and the first four years pro-
vious. Couple these two tours with his ex-
periences, the years spent in Army work among
both high caste aud low casto natives. and It Is
no wonder that the Commander speaks with q
clear understanding on this subject.
"Fa minor Have I seen II In India2" he said
In response to u question. There arc districts.
and those some Of the fairest, where hunger
is never absent, wiero cholera averages
three hundred thousand deaths in an ordinary
year. Starvation claims ut least ono million.
The Official, actuarial death rate Of India
amounts to Al q thousand. That is the aver
age. The local death rate ranges from.2o to
on t1Ana anA Tt.zH H.. anfsl sl. II af
New York 10 about "a q thousand. that Of tho
State being less than go a thousand. The
death rate of the entire United States
averages only IL thousand. In other words.
without tho pressure of any special famine,
under ordinary circumstances. 1e. .000, 900 .,eo-
pie die yearly. II Is certain that At least
1000 900 OF these die Of starvation and its at
tendant diseases.
'Sir William Hunter. the historian Of In
dia. and tho greatest living authority on In.
dian statistics, calculates that from thirty to
forty million people scarcely ever lose the SEN
sation Of hung,r-in fact, do not know the
feeling Of full stomach. except In the mango
season. Even this exception. existing only
over few weeks In each year. needs aualinca-
tion since every mango tree is iealously y.gunrd-
oil, and, barring the extra watchmen engaged.
the hungry multitude goes hungry still. This
iamines makes the latter the more terrible.
Tho population OF India is-almost entirely
agricultural, that Is, about 275 out OF Its 900
millions.live In villages or country towns. and
are dependent upon tho land for their sup
port. 1t is in these villages that the chronic
want exists. and that the pressure OF famine
10 most keenly felt. In the towns wages are
and the charity OF rich natives obyiates any
serious amount "f suffering. Hence, also. the
come to be doubted. as il Is Judged largely from
the comparatively nourishing condition OF the
"The East Indians, no matter how poor,
are a most polite, gracious, hospitable people
they address all Government orncials as
war; tprosee9or Of the % poerp. p' and a. so Wcksd do
handed that they wiIl give their last grain Of
cooking vessels to got more. shall never for
get one e.Osrsnfs q some villages, The
dinary European and offieiai eyo there was no
siRn OF want. Indeed. the harvest had beon
;hnU the so I. Va. prC And
tioni;!. drssssd IN Di'. tho na,lvs Costume, with
from hut TO hut collecting my midday meal Of
cooked rico and vegetable curriss On re-
so%s t the Sss hGSs wssa Ssa WAS ,nS
visited By ms. tho last handful OF rice they pos
bowl. / hastsnsd to return It with interest.
but could hardly persuade tho Eivers 10 ac.
TkieiE .;rhisff 50 common in these Villages
~ 70 be almost taken as q matter Of course.
provided that II did not happen to be your
cred the next day that. the robbery had been
TRACED TO- the house OF a man who had been
without food for five days. Driven to des-
p.rration by, the sufierings Of hts wife who lay
helpless at home with an infant at her bosom.
he had broken into neighbor's house.
"A curious thing Is that the greatest num-
ber OF deaths from starvation occur in the
most fertile districts. Vow let MS trace back
tho cause of tho fearful mortality. trade
union system two or three thousand years old
prevails In the Villages OF India; The centre
OF every model village is occupied ly the land
owners. It is divided into fve sections. one
is OCCUPIED by the cultivators Of the land, an
othor by the weavers, another by the tanners.
the fourth bv the pUtters who mako the cook
ing and eating vessels, and the last by tho
sweepers or scavengers. Tho system is such
that every man. woman. and child Is taught TO
follow some profession. or, rather, oeoupatlon.
and 20 assist at tho harvests. Sometimes there
are two hnrvests, again, three. in y year. 40
matter what these Deo Ole do, they are paid in
food, that is, grain. Another source of wealth
Is the huge herds OF buffalo that bring the
N