The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1900-04-24
INDIA'S AWFUL FAMINE.
NARROWING SCENES AND INCIDENTS
AMONG THE PERlSHlNC NATIVES.

RMONG fE SERtofltSA MA ilSGo'
Tie Western World Has Little Idea OF
the Suffering and Want Among the
Lower Glasses in Hindostan-Fcd Dogs
While Baby Starved.
e; ;:;:; !; :; !; e.; ::::: !: :::: IS: IS: s:
ton in New York, in order to get
money enough to permit her to re-
turn to India and open an orphanage
for native children. Mrs. Tytler,
who is very charming, is the only
white woman who passed unscathed
through the siege OF Delhi and the In
dian massacre at that place in 1857.
s'It is terrible the famine which
now prevails, following only three
years after q previous one. Even at
the present moment there are forty
nine millions of people suffering from
its effects, and before it is over that
number will be doubled, if not treb-
led
When asked the cause Of the Indian
famines she replied:
"Native Indifference. The Rajahs
and Nawabs spend millions upon
their personal Qualifications and not
one penny toward irrigating their ter
ritories so that the growing grain may
be watered in times Of drought. If
the money they waste in luxury and
dissipation were used for the building
of large reservoirs 10 hold the rain
water such famines as this would be
unlikely to occur.
''Ihe money which is wasted by the
raiahs and native dignitaries would
build canals, and turn those arid
deserts into fruitful fields, which
could be made to yield at least liV-
! ing for the poor creatures who live
about them.
"Another cause OF famine is the dis
honesty OF the native overseers. These
men are given q certain amount OF
grain to be distributed among the
| poor in payment for their work in che
fields. In times of famine grain is
worth almost its weightin gold. Two
large handfuls is the allowance for u
days labor. Instead Of dipping the
hands into the bag the grain is
weighed out. The overseer aduiter-
ates it with sand, which is very heavy,
and so the poor people get only a
fraction of their due. The balance OF
the grain is kept by the overseer and
sold for his own profit.
eff money is sent to the mission
! aries they will see that it is used to
feed these sufferers. The high caste
! :nives vii! do nothing for the poorer
u cla'{ Parsees are the only
< ones WHO show au5dsas5ss.t5 au7'ass3s fc tneI1.
> ''Star9ing mothers are -; walki,
! through the streets to-day, with the
> babies on their heads, crying, 'Wi
will buy? Who will buy?' These il
. fants are sold for mere tride in
lifelong slavery. The mothers a.
forced to sell by their poverty.
; ':Just before left India saw, 81
ting outside one OF the baZaars,
starving native family, consisting
I" mother, father, son and danghte
They were emaciated beyond descri]
tior, and seemed too weak even
raise their heads. An English geutl,
= Man tossed them rupee. Atslght
it the woman started up, and then fe
and rolled into the roadway-deat
Tie sight OF the silver had killed he
"One day I found a poor starre
mother carrying her child to the b
zsar to sellit thought the child an
told the mother she might remain wit
it. My next door neighbor was a
EngIiohnan who had seyera! dog!
q was in his garden feeding his pul
pies with milk.
''I asked him ii he would give me-
little Of tho milk for the starvir
woman.
NO, he said, I've only enoug
+ for my puppies
, t'l took the woman home and di
fer her and the baby as we'll as
could. 4 few months later the sam
gentleman came 10 see me one day
The baby had grown fat and hand
=, some.
"'How much will you take for th
baoy?' he asked.
"'Iou cannot have 1t at any price
I replied. when it was starving Yo
would not deprive your puppies Of
drop of milk to keep it alive, and nov
you cannot have it,
<'Ge was astonishcd, but repeated
his offer. He wanted healthy child
which might be trained TO be a goo
house servant.
II could tell you OF scores Of case
OF starvation which have come unde
my observation, each more dreadful
than the Others. There is no remed,
unless the native potentates will worl
with the Government in building
series of canals and reservoirs, thu:
establishing system of irrigation, t
be used during such famiues as tht
present one promises to be.
call along the edges OF the Govern
ment canals, even in a long drought,
the wheat and corn are green. By
constant watching and watering
these famines may be mitigated
though hardly think they will evel
be entirely done away with. By the
way, did you ever hear the story o.
how the first corr came from India?;
/: Going over to q glass case, in which
were dozens Of pottery lamps, and
taking small one in her hand, Mrs.
Tytler said:
"You know, of course, that when a
| mon diac In Tndin r,nnnu Lii &C AL