The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-06

clothing are scarce; only about one per
son in every thousand possessing a half
way decent garment.
Meanwhile. famine has written her will
on the face of the land. She is leaving
Christendcm legacy in the form of hun
dreds of thousands of homeless, helpless
orphans.
The million men and women, who, after
indescribable suffering. have succum bed,
since the famine began, not only to star
walton, but 10 fever. plague and cholera
besides, have left fully half million
fatherless, motherless children. When the
government closes its relief works its
poor houses, sending millions of absolutely
penniless people 10 their desolate homes
to begin ifes struggle over again, what
Is TO become of the parentless, ownerless
children? Who is to shelter them, clothe,
Iced, instruct them, and fit them for lives
of usefulness?
have myself just returned from India
ana l can truthfully write that of all the
sad sights to be seen in the famine dis
triet, the most pitiable is the starving
child. Not few, but tens of thousands,
are wandering along the highways, waits
OF desert country, living drft-chips on
q shoreless sea. Their mothers and faith
ers have died of starvation. and now they
nave not soul in the world to turn to.
no kith, no kin. not a single heart among
II is in the rescue of these orphans,
waits from the highway of death itself.
mat the missionaries devote a large mart
OF $heir working hours. Once inside a
mission compound, the poor. little star
Vehng, if care and food have not come
100 late, is supported by funds sent to the
missionaries by the American people.
Among the many starving orphan chill
dren gathered in from the fields by DR..
Taylor and his wife. missionaries AT All
medabad there came one little girl who
insisted on entering the house She came
INTO the library, and after a brief look
about, hsped in her own tongue, please.
may | die here?" and then threw her
self down on the floor aud went to sleep.
1t IS gratifying 10 add THAI the long sleep
and the hot milk afterward given to this
enid saved her frcm death and she was
ADDED 10 the fold of orphans i'm Mr.. Tay-
lor's care
Even in the streets of Bombay there
are hundreds of famine children wander
ing about. With sunken eyes. hollow
cheeks and indented temples, with weary.
weak. skeleton. legs, they totter. by the
Dozen in the footsteps of the European,
crying "Salam, Sahib"-which is their
way of saying Peace to you" Then
slapping their hollow and naked stomachs
70 emphasize their need of food. they con-
tinue their piteous supplications begging
for enough food TO keep them alive lust
another hour
Sometimes a mother accosts one, a babe
in her arms. trying it's little best to get
food from the dry, parched breast-and
this mother also entreats you, saying
Give us something to eat, and God will
bless you with many children"
The group of waits about her cling as
II by instinct TO her scant, ragged skirt
as if they felt that since this woman Is
mother to the babe she will act also as
kind mother to all who snuggle. up
to her.
Saving the children, in famine time, is
enc OF the most encouraging phases of re-
lief work, while to see children starve to
know THAI they, the helpless ones, can
not be helped that they must die by
inches for want of food, is a condition of
affairs that wrings the heart.
Thousands of these orphans are now in
the hands of American missionaries, hav-
ing been plucked by them from the jaws
of the famine, but they must soon be
turned out to starve unless the mission
aries receive the means to purchase food
for them
Bishop Thoburn, the dean of mission
aries in India, who is now in this coun
Try for the recovery of his health, said
THE highways are covered with people.
many of whom are mere walking skele-
tons, vainly seeking region where food
can be found. Children, whose parents
have persisted, are wandering everywhere.
The spectacle is one of the most painful
which can be found on earth The cries
of the orphans, If they could only enter
into the ears of all good people in dis
tant lands, would stir the Christian world
20 such a movement of sympathy and
help as has never been witnessed on
earth"
Il I,
have received a letter saying: II have
seen within the past few days young
mothers with newborn children, who
have not tasted food in several days Hun
dreds of children deserted by their par
ents, who could not bear to see them die
of hunger, have come 20 our house pa
thetically holding out their tiny hands. A
heart Of stone would melt at the sight of
such suffering"
legacy which Famine would surely leave,
have throughout the period of distress
employed famine labor at cents day
government rate-in building the numer-
Gus mission orphanages with which the
famine district is now dotted. They built
these houses Of refuge, that they might
be in readiness when the relief camps
close. to receive the orphaned children
who will then be turned adrift with no
one TO care for them.
But whence Is TO come the money for
the support of these helpless little ones:
plan for the solution of this problem
has been formed by DR.. Louis Klopsch,
proprietor of the Christian Herald
He says: Living expenses in India
are light. The expense of caring for
the five hundred thousand orphans, while
stupendous in the aggregate, is yet easily
within reach when considered one by one
1t is not to be expected that any one per-
son should assume the whole RESPONSE
bility. yet every one can do something.
Five cents for every working day or
thirty cents week will clothe. feed,
shelter and instruct a child, and there are
but few people who cannot undertake
the responsibility for one child, giving
part themselves and collecting the bal
ance from friends and neighbors. To
every person so contributing. will be
given the name and address Of the orphan
for whom they have assumed response
bility, and once every three months they
will receive an English letter from India,
either from the child or from its teacher,
reporting the progress it Is making. 1
am sure the charitable, sympathetic peo-
pie of our prosperous country will prove
equal to the occasion and tens of thous-
ands Of famine waits will be saved for
lives OF Christian influence"
DR.. Klopsch's paper will receive al
pledges 70 this end, and will cable the
money to India free OF all expense, and
weekly reports of pledges received will