Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1897-08-18
Harvest Of Death In India,

Rev. DR.. Crane, missionary to India,
gave highly instructive and entertaining
lecture in the Methodist church Sunday
evening on the subject, ''The harvest Of
death in India" He is a pleasing and
forceful speaker and spoke of what he
knew from personal observation.
He spoke first Of the plague which made
its appearance in India last September. 1t
is the same plague which ravaged London
in 1863-4-5 and Russia at an earlier
period and is distinctly cold climate dis
ease. The greatest mortality was among
the poorest Hindu classes, the grain eating
peoples. It was directly caused by the
famine large quantities OF grain were i'm
ported from China, which it is thought con-
tanned the germs Of the disease. This be-
lief was strengthened by the fact that rats
which infested the warehouses died in
immense numbers.
The symptoms are pains, weakness,
fever, swelling of the Emphatic glands,
and finally running sores. He said
1.-THE Hindus, instead of burying their
dead, bury them on piles of wood, and
during the ravages of the plague the de-
mand for wood could not be supplied. 1
have often seen two men carrying dead
body between them tied to bamboo stick
bound for the place Of burning.
1.-The Parsees neither burn nor bury
their dead, but expose them on high towers
where the vultures congregate and in two
hours q corpse is cleaned to the bones.
During the plague the vultures could not
devour the dead as fast as they were ex-
posed. The highest mortality in Bombay
was 1911 in one day. Throug ii the prompt
action of the government, the plague is
about stamped out now.
1.-The famine is now upon India with all
its terribleness; one has aptly remarked,
better year OF plague than day Of
famine India has population Of $780,
600, 900 spread over an area Of 1000, 600
square miles. Not less than 8O,0O0,0 00
are affected by the famine. 1t is estimated
that 100000 have already died and
10000, 900 will die. There are 1OO, 900, OOC
people, in India living on 81.33 . prath.
''This country has two seasons, the wei
and the dry, the dry beginning in the mid.
die of September and extending to the
middle of June. During the wet season,
have known go inches Of rain to tall in foul
months. In another part of the country
400 inches Of rain fell in 1851 and in ye
another section 805 inches have beer
known to fall during the wet season, tn
heaviest rain fall in the world.
1.-The cause of the famine is the scarcity
of rain fall during the past three years ant
the consequent failure Of crops. In 1893-4
at the close of the Monsoon heavy
rain and rust set in and there wal
only SO per cent crop; in l894-5 there
was another halt crop, and last year all ths
rain fell in six weeks and there was almos
no crop; then actual famine began.
1.-THE English government is doing wha
it can if it Is to be blamed at all it is to-
not acting sooner. During the decade
1873 to 1883, the government spent $1O7,
SOC, 600 for relief and that famine was mo-
a circumstance to this one. The govern
ment has opened relief works where thu
sufferers receive nominal wage; A 200, O0(
people are now living on this relief work
Newspaper accounts and pictures ar
no exaggerations the conditions cannot
be exaggerated the situation beggars de
scription. / have seen in one poor house
1900 living skeletons. / remember ont
instance very distinctly. l was at the gov
eminent works and saw . woman with {
wee bit OF a baby in her arms come along
with the rest at night for her pittance.
asked her how old the child was and sh'
said four days. She had pounded stone
until the day Of its birth and four day
afterwards was at work again."