The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-23
RELIEF WORK Tn india
ellison WiIlsts Tells OF Scenes in
the Famine Districts.
Says the Breadiess Area Covers
:s5o, GOO Square Miles, Which Is
oz,c-agss. coE .thn Whole, and Com
tajns 5o,9oG5G0O PevpIe-1o, o,B0,-
600 in Destitute Condition.

600 in IL Destitute Condition.
NEW YORK Aug. 23.-Money for the
relief OF the starving millions of India, is
pouring into The treasures OF the various
relief committees. The Christian Her
aid" Bible House New York, which is
raising the largest fund of all for the dis
tressed people. makes the gratifying re-
FORT that all America. with unabating
generosity. is stiu working for the fund,
gathering money from every possible
source.
ellison VyHIets. the author and journal
izt. recently returned from a journey
through the ADMINISTRATION region, said
yesterday:
You can search all the books in the
British Museum and you wont find rec
ord OF q bigger famine. The breadless
area covers SO coo square miles. which IS
e-third OF all India, or as big as all
Canada In this area are $1,000, uUU people,
one-sixth of the entire population of In
Gia, a number equal to our entire well-fed
family east of the Mississippi River. Ten
millions are entirely destitute, and or
these the Government is taking care of
$500. Geo On relief works and in poor
houses. 1t is as if every man, woman and
child IN New York State depended upon
the Mckinley Administration for food and
got it. AS many possible OF the re
naming 3,0C0 600 are cared for by mis-
sionalies and private charity
NOW as to the question OF why the
British or Indian Government is not able
| to assume the entire burden OF caring fer
| the starving millions. On this subject
Lord Curzon the NicerOy, is the best au-
| thority for the fact that exterenal aid Is
I / l7rIH ~
/ is especially appreciated. In recent pub
/ lie speech he said that no false pride need
deter NE from giving a frank reply. The
Government. he added, is straining every
nerve, is pouring out its money, Is
/ Shrinking from no obligation, however Sc
1 we're.
( Prom October, 1889, the beginning OF
/ the famine, until December. 1890, We an
tIcipats that We shall have speat $26, 220,-
/ 60 upon direct relief; $4,000, $50 upon suS-
/ pension aad remissions CT land revenue;
! =. z5O, CUO uRons advances chat viii in many
/ cases never be Tacovered) for the purchase
/ OF seed and cattle; So. 10000 upon loans 10
/ distressed native states. But over ana
above this expenditure, which cripples our
development il score OF ways, there lies
a vast area Of need which, do what we
I my, We can barely reach, and in which
/ cXjTa1eous contributions supply an inYaI-
UabIe Ee-euEC-Cem5nt-
! rs for what l saw personally said
+ ,dr. Wulets, : the streets CT Bombany were
! luiI CT starving people, while over the MI
Iian-dclIar railway station and on the uni
. yelsity campus and from the portals CT the
/ eorEed market building the British flag
/ IoatGd gayiy.
/ .'Gne day. il a big village, I was watch
/ ing the grain dealers doing out rice to
those who could buy, when two little starv-
ing boys the older CEe leading his little
! brother, fell down in front of the shop,
from sheer exhaustion. The grain dealer
never Noticed them, though ne might have
! helped them very practically. The young
er boys chest heaved Up and down rapidly
his mouth few wide open, he rolled on his
| side, his links stitched in death. His
| brother looked On for few moments stu
pidiy then suddenly spIang 10 his feet and
ran away. That's about all there is in the
death and the funeral Of member CT ones
family in that part Of he world at pres
ent
other famine sufferers. Grown-up Hin
does IS we'll as young HindOos, crOuched
or l0iteTed, or slept, or waited death near
| other grain cribs. But never did il occur
TO a lat bu1uiah TO throw handful OF
grain 10 ID starving ones Your Hindoo
viii not L so much as fy, takes care
not to step on a ant-killiug things is for
bilden by his reIigion-bUt he viii not lift
MS hand 10 save human life He is not
his Brothers keeper.
Describing trip north from Bombay,
| Mr.. Hillets says:
Human skulls and bones dotted the
! sEn-baked fields, telling terrible tales. The
whole cOuCtry as far as the eye could see
! IVES leVeI as = prairie. barren as q desert
| and Gust-cO!CTed. Even the train we rode
in was Of the same color and our khaki
suits Appropriated it as closely as a wom-
an can match ribbons. Rivers, streams,
lanes, pools, had disappeared, leaving beds,
like the fields, parched wastes Of earth
| Water, except in the few remaining extra
| deep wells, had disappeared entirely.
About every ten or fifteen miles there
was q relief camp or a poorhouse. At the
camps people were given work at ! cent?
maximum wages a day, hardly enough at
best fer them to live on. In the poorh0uses
cate women, and little children, were car
ed for stintedly at Government expense
The starving people have to walk from
ten TO fifty miles to get to a relief camp.
They 90 rot allow people who live in 2
certain village, for instance. to enter the
camp adjoining that village. If they are
willing TO walk a number of miles to get
to relief they are pretty certain to be gen
uine sufferers, and We thus get q minimum
OF iupostors-
IN the relief camps people are seldom
arrested. They are too busy or too tired
to DO wrong. Are the people honest among
themselves? Yes; for obvious reasons.
They have nothing to steal from one an
ether In case of any wrongdoing how
ever, 10 corporal punishment is inflicted
upon the culprits. If such culprits are well
enough they are dismissed -