Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-11-21
Is FAMINE RAYAGED
PEOPLE OF ARCOT, INDIA ~,
AN AWFUL CONDITION
Children Fighting for Food Like Rat,
Eat Bitter Aloes Devorr the
Leaves and Bark of Tree

Bombay letter: Americans win
suppose, be almost tired CT heariug -
our troubles here again in the dr.
ton of threatened and existing famine
Thankful for past generosity from tba
great Western Republic, however v.o
cannot help telling of the distress fror,
hunger now prevailing here at the ma
cnt time. While our missionaries s.o
not asking for further funds al nre..,.
unless the rains come. as so earnas,l,,
hoped may be the cast, the distress in
the North Arcot region Will reach far
rible proportions. AS | have inst re-
turned from a trip through the district
affected can furnish you with the latest
facts concerning conditions there. Nv
journey took me through the districts
north and east of katpadi In passin,
through the villages | tried to mako
careful. exact and thorough eyami-
nation of the conditions, more particn-
larly among the lower class. | fpupi
it no easy task to get at the facts in
many eases. owing to the strictness of
the caste laws, or regulations
! In fact my efforts were rendered
fruitless in many cases when | vent,lred
among the better classes, who. | think
are suffering as keenly as the some of
the Others.
OF course, the only manner in which
the subject could be Investigated was
by entering the house, examining the
panels, in which the people store their
g ain and food stuffs, and questioning
the people.
70 begin with, found that the Ameri-
can Arcot Mission had been feeding the
children in the schools for the past
fourteen months, giving them one meal
a day while for the past FIVE months
they have been making a provision Of
the same kind for the Old people
In but few eases did | find anything
at all in what an American calls his
pantry. where there should have been
supplies stored for weeks ahead
In most cases / found one or two Of
the members Of the family lying on rags
in secluded corners of the house with
the patient, sad look and gaunt features
which tell the terrible story OF the hun
ger stricken without neGessitating the
asking Of painful questions.
From school teachers | learned that
most of the inhabitants OF the district
were living on grass seeds, leaves from
the trees. or the stunted prickly pear
| known as the aloe.
There was evidence enough to sup
port this statement for everywhere !
went both the hands of adults and chill
dren were stained with the Juice Of
this miserable apology for fruit Be-
sides that the streets We're illlel with
the skins OF this fruit. which even the
pariah dog will not eat and one saw
quantities Of it being carried to the
houses.
Sometimes the aioes are cooked, but
as a general thing the hunger is 80
| great that the people cannot even wait
/ for the simple operation required for
doing that.
The hedges on which the fruit grows
| have been almost denuded and now,
so where you will. you will see the
hungry people armed with long poles
/ gathering the fruit that is out of reach
of the hand.
The horrors of hunger in India have
never been described so graphically by
! either pen of camera that they give an
/ adequate idea OF the real thing Not
1 only have many of the aloe trees been
denuded Of their fruit but in their
! nervousness the people have torn on
the unspeakably bitter leaves to eat and
then cut down the trees and dug the
/ roots out
In one of the villages man attempt
ed TO show me the evening meal for
the family. consisting simply of small
I dish Of cooked aloes. While he was
/ bringing it to me the children standing
around waiting for the food, attacked
/ him like rats. Their pinched faces and
( bony figures showed every emotion and
/ expectancy of terrible hunger, There
/ were few pieces left for the others when
! he reached me with the dish and before
h. reached the house where the old
people awaited their meal every scrap
I had been snatched from the dish. The
/ children arc generally mere skeletons,
/ while the old people are just bag OK
bones
Owing to the lightness of rains re-
/ Gently the people have done but little
planting. The crops which We're sown
and have not been irrigated properly
/ had been burnt up and are total loss
! In many places no crops have been
raised for ,hree years.
The condition of the agriculturist is
at no time such as TO enable him 10
save much, if anything for the lean
! years which will invariably come
! The following statement OF one smeIl
cultivator's profit and loss account toI
recent year will give a fair idea OF the
chances Of the ryot ever growing
wealthy
Proceeds from crops raised: thirty
/ six rupees. money expended on mn
/ provement of the We'll twenty rupees
/ taxes twenty-three rupees. net loss
/ for the year without cost Of wages, seen
I or other items--seyen rupees. rs u y
] compulsory to pay taxes the ~ y SOW
! mis- bHliocks ana his brass yesaeis a-
much lower prices than he could re-
I pl3oe them foT. reducing his poSs'-ss IONS
/ 10 a COW and an OK with which 20 re-
sumo cultivation in case the animals go
( moi meanwhile die OF starvation
Almost all the wells are now dry ahu
! Ia consequence there is little or no WEI
cultivation going ON. The Time W.
I gardens which are from fifteen to th'Its
+ years old and should nov be az the"
/ very best bearing condition
/ The scarcity OF water is unpreced'hi-
Z ell here even surprising that Hhi'n