The Green Forest tribune. (Green Forest, Ark.) 1890-1971, 1897-02-18
The Famine in India.


the Ridge Farm Gill; Republican will
be of interest to many of our readers
who were acquainted with Miss Fannie
Fisher, who lived here several years
ago. She is now missionary in India,
Here is her letter:
When 1 wrote you before, 1 promised
you to tell you something about the
history Of India in my next letter, but
my mind is too much occupied with the
scenes of the present to,reount those
of the past.
Just now. we are passing through one
of the worst famines India ever ex-
perienced, thousands are starving from
starvation. / am not in the midst of
the famine stricken region, but | meet
with our own missionaries and others
who are eve witnesses to scenes too
terrible to be mentioned. Our dear
Rev. and Mrs. Denning, from Illinois
Conference, are in the worst part Of it.
Mrs. D. said one day she felt she could
stand it no longer and said to Mr.. D.,
"Let's 20 back to America, cannot
endure these sights any longer" The
poor starving people coming in throngs,
begging help. Mothers selling their
children for few pice in order that
they may have all they can eat in one
day and then they are. willing to die.
Those who are starving are not only
the poor and low castles, but the high
catse Brahmins are also dying from
starvation. They will not beg nor
ask for food for that would break their
caste, and so they starve to death be.
cause they cannot secure the food they
can eat. Government is doing all it
can, but with the lack Of rupees it is
spending, it cannot reach all, and when
the quality of food is SO course and bad
that the high castles who have always
been accustomed to make the cleanli-
ness and carefullness with which their
food is prepared. a part of their re-
ligion, cannot and will not touch it..
"Well, they deserve to die if they will
not eat what has heen prepared for
them. But Americans with all the
spirit of liberty and freedom which
is born into them, and the Independent
life which is cultivated from: earliest
childhood cannot Judge these people
who are bound by superstition
and education in the darkest forms of
the idolatry, and remember this has
not been for few years only, but for
centuries upon cen turies-ever since
the world was first inhabited, And
these are not ignorant people. they
are highly educated, they are the
finest mathematicians in the world,
but they have never received the light
of the gospel, many, many of them
have never heard the name of Jesus,
they do not know the meaning of sal
walton but are devout worshipers of
their false gods. Oh, that Christians
were as devout in their worship to the
true God, then these people would not
remain in darkness so long! The Brah
Minis (the highest caste in Indial are
beginning to accept Christ. They are
coming one by one and two by two
but we are expecting them soon to
come bv the scores. Two, boy la
years Of age and woman "a years old
were baptised at our camp meeting last
April, The woman was called into
evagelistic work and she joined our
Evangelistic Deaconess. The Lord is
using her nigh tally. She can stand
before, any Brahmin and meet any argu-
ment he may advance. She is afraid
of nothing, she realizes her strength is
of the Lord.
The boy is in our Christian Boys
school at Poona, and is a living testi-
mony of the power of God to save the
uttermost all who put their trust in
him. Mrs. Dewey Of Urbana supports
the boy, and she may be thankful that
the Lord has permitted her to do her
part in in the education of this fine
Brahmin, for surely the Lord has called
him and will use him in the salvation
of India,
But l have wandered from my sub
| iect. For the first time in Indian
history wheat has been imported from
the United States. Corn is also being
introduced. A grain dealer in Poons