The times., 1897-05-06
HELP FOR STARVING INDIA
Results of DR.. Talmage's Tour
Through the West.
CORN GIVEN BY SHIPLOADS
The People of Chicago Contributed
$4,000 and One Hundred Carr
loads of Corn-LiberaI Response
in Other Cities-The Greatest
Famine Known to History.

Rev. T. De Witt Talmage yesterday after.
noon returned TO this city after a two W eeks'
tour through the West. for the purpose Of
securing breadstuffs and money for The
starving people of India, NJ
When seen at bis home last night by a
Times reporter, Dr. Talmage said that be
was greatly pleased with the success of the
work. j
''Our final meetings. he said, were
held In Chicago night before last. Two
meetings were heIG-one in the Auditorium
at 9 O'Clock and the other in the Central
Music Hall at g. 80 O'Clock They were
both great meetings. one hundred car loads
Of corn and $40 600 in money vera
contributed.
THE work was begun at Springfield,
H., at the capitol. The senate and house
of Illinois were addressed in the senatorial
hal, and the citizens OF the city were
addressed in the han OF representatives.
Afterward the people OF Bloomington, De-
catur and Rock Island were appealed to
with great results At Xenia, Ill, three
carloads of corn were donated before the
meeting was opened II
After the meeting in Decatur a long
row OF persons was in the street waiting
to enter contributions. We passed into
Iowa and visited Dubuque, Davenport and
Des Moines, where the governor OF the
State presided over the meeting. Lincoln,
Neb., was the most western city visited.
The trip was then resumed east ward, end
ingin Chicago, Monday night.
Congress has donated several ships TO
transport the corn TO India. The first
will leave San Francisco next week, and
it is expected that the next one viii sail
from New York the following week"
"A cahlegram has been received from
Lord Elgin, viceroy of India. stating that
an nything from america will he gladly ac-
cepted, and one was received from Lord
Salisbury's government. in England, while
was in Davenport, stating that the English
government would provide additional ships
as transports, if needed"
Almost daily kilograms are being re-
ceived showing that the famine is becoming
worse all the time. The newspapers have
Gone work which is not ephemeral, but
one that has gone into the hearts of the
nation, publishing editorials, and giving
TeportoriaI accounts of the meetings, and
also continuing the work begun, at the
meetings The reports, which were pub
lished by them, which Were correct at the
time of publication. are not now the real
facts, because the spread of the famine has
been so rapid. "
Half of the population of India or 150,-
600, 900 persons are affected. and in
comparing the reports from the mission
aries and officials from the places visited
by the famine. with the places visited
by me on my tour of India, l find that
the famine has spread into the most dis
tant places Whole towns and villages
have been depopulated, leaving none to
bury the dead.
II know he continued, ''fOr a fact
that many fuII-grown men in the stricken
region have dwindled until they weighed
but forty pounds. and that children five
years of age weighed but ten pounds"
ut has been estimated by the Chris
tian Herald that enough ccrn has been
raised to fill five ships.
Already $4,000 has been distributed
in forty-six cities in India. ship load
of corn was distributed a month ago.
Relief can be cahled in twenty-four hours.
Money S sent by telegraph so that whea5
may be purchased Immediately in countries
near the stricken region"
''Tbis is the greatest famine that the
world has ever seen. Other India famines
have been in certain localities. but the
present famine is widespread"