The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1900-04-28

the most obdurate person. have
heard Of struggle outside a
grain store where wagon was being
unloaded and the poor creatures were
down on their hands and knees care.
fully picking up every grain that fell
into the dirt.
Besides the millions Of Mahometans
and Hindus, known in common yernao.
ular as heathens, fully thirty thousand
Christian people are also in urgent
need. The Methodists report twelve
thousand Christians within their lines
alone. The Hindus and Mahometans
who thus turned Christians, had TO be
content with ostracism from their own
people, and thus these people who have
accepted Christianity, have a double
claim upon us-the claim Of brother
hood added to the claim of common hu.
manity.
IL must be remembered that thousands
who do not die for want Of food, sue.
cumb to one Of the various diseases
which famine breeds Among the suf.
ferers thousands Of blind people may be
seen. The eye.balls decay, and are en-
tirely consumed, leaving only ghastly
cavities. Again, lack Of food weakens
the heart action; the body has not
strength enough to send blood to the
feet and hands. Thus, after losing his
eyes, the sufferers feet or hands begin
to crack, TO disintegrate, and death is
very near.
Hence, prompt aid will save hun
dreds Of thousands Of human beings not
only from death by starvation, but from
the terrible bodily ills which starvation
breeds.
Meantime we are to send cargo Of
corn in addition to money, to the scene
Of one Of the most fearful tragedies Of
all time. o what relief ship that
will be IL shall not turn screw nor
hoist sail until we have had some
thing to do with its cargo Just twen-
ty years ago from these Easter times a
ship on similar errand went out from
New York harbor-the old war frigate
Constellation 1t had once carried
guns Of death but there was famine
in Ireland, and the Constellation was
loaded with five hundred tons Of food
That ship. once covered with smoke Of
bAttle-then covered with Easter no.
sannas That ship constructed to bat.
tie England, going forth over the
waters TO carry relief TO some Of her
starving subjects. Better than sword
into ploughshare better than spear in.
to pruning. hook was that old war frig.
ate turned into white. winged angel
of resurrection, to roll away the stone
from the mouth Of Ireland's sepulchre.
On like errand five years ago the ship
Leo put out with many. tons Of food
for famine.struck Russia. On Satur.
day afternoon. on the deck Of that
steamer as she lay at Brooklyn wharf,
a wonderous scene took place. A com.
mittee Of the Kings Daughters had
decorated the ship with stresmers and
bunting American and Russian flags
INTERVENING. Having had the joy Of
seeing that ship thus consecrated, we
had the additional joy Of standing on
the docks Of ST. Petersburg, Russia,
when the planks of the relief ship
were thrown out and the repre-.
sentatives of the municipalities and
of royalty went aboard her, the long
freight train at the same time rolling
down to take the food to the starving,
and on alternate cars of that train
American and Russian flags floating.
But now the hunger in India is
mightier than any that Ireland or Rus.
sia ever suffered. Quicker ought to be
the response. and on so vast a scale that
the one ship would become whole flo.
tilla-New York sending one, Boston
another. Philadelphia another, Charles.
ton another, New Orleans another. Then
let them all meet in some harbor of