Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-08-25


which is one-third Of all India, or as
big as all Canada. In this area are 5O,-
900, 900 people, one-sixth the entire pop
ulation of India, q number equal to our
entire whole well-fed family east Of :he
destitute, and Of these the government
| is taking care Of 6,500,00O on relief
works and in poor-houses. 1t Is as II
every man, woman and child In New
York state depended upon the Mckin-
ley administration for food and got it.
! Now, as to the question of why the
British or Indian government is not
BILE to assume the entire burden of car
| ing for the starving millions. On this
subject, Lord Curzon, the Viceroy, Is
the best authority for the fact that ex-
ternal aid is very welcome and that aid
from America is especially apprecia-
tn. In a recent public speech he said
that no false pride need deter me from
giving a frank reply The government,
he added, is straining every nerve, is
pouring out its money, is shrinking
from no obligation, however severe.
From October, 1899, the beginning OF
the famine, until December, 1900, we an
ticipate that we shall have spent hVe
and a quarter millions sterling upon d.
rect relief; two millions upon suspen-
sion and remissions of land revenue;
one and a quarter millions upon ad-
vances (that will in many cases never
be recovered) for the purchase OF seed
and cattle; three quarters Of million
upon loans to distressed native states.
| But over and above this expenditure,
which cripples our development in a
score of ways, there lies vast area OF
need which, do what we may, we can
barely reach, and in which eXtraneous
contributions supply an invaluable re-
Enforcement. I may instance the relief
of the aged and infirm; Of sick patients
| in the hospitals; of children and or
phans; Of those men and women VINO
will endure almost any privat1on soon
er than submit themselves to the quasi
publicity of government relief. This
lis a field of enormous and almost un-
discoverable extent, the margin OF
which the already overworked official
hardly touches, but which Is, In pc
culiar and inevitable degree, the prop
erty Of individual effort and OF private
generosity. Fast as the money may
come in, not less swiftly is it diverted
and distributed into the various chan-
nels Of relief. Here we have no cast
iron or official system. The unit OF re-
lief organization is the district commit
tee, in which the non-of1cial element
almost invariably predominates. Oftic-
ials and non officials, Europeans and
natives, Christians, missionaries, and
orthodox Brahmins, we welcome the
cooperation of all, since all are enlist
ed in the same catholic service of the
relief of human suffering. Ihe latest
news that reaches me testifies to a
great outburst Of practical sympathy
in the United States Of America.
LAS for what I saw personally, SAID
Mr.. Willets, "the streets OF Bombay
were full Of starving people, while over
the milion-dolla railway station, and
on the University campus and from the
portals of the gorged market building,
the British flag fioated gayly.
| "Up-sprang from the gutter in front
of the Great Western Hotel, where I
stopped, a dozen brown bodies with
| lean forms and robust lungs. They
clamored for bread in the Hindustanl
tongue. They were starving and no
one would throw them even crumb.
To give them money, would mean TO
be surrounded instantly by NAB mob.
Thus famine greeted me the very mo-
ment Of my arrival.
"One day in a big village, I was
watching the grain dealers doing out
rice to those who could buy, when two
little starving boys, the older one lead
ing his little brother, fell down In front
of the shop from sheer exhaustion.
The grain dealer never noticed them,
though he might have helped them very
practically. The younger boys chest
heaved up and down very rapidly, his
mouth flew wide open, he rolled on his
side, his limbs stiffened in death. His
brother looked on for few moments
stupidity, then suddenly sprang to his
feet and ran away.