The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-07-03
STARVING IN CHINA.
The Sad Condition of That Un.
hsppY Country.
MILLIONS DYING FOR BREAD.
Years Of Drought fhe Cause.
Death by the Thousands.
Children Scld for
Bread 70 Eat.

| SSIA
Bread 70 Eat.
Twenty millions Of men, women and
children starving; universal hunger
that causes thousands of deaths daily;
parched fields and drought Ct three
years duration; whole villages abandon
ed to the dead, and the population sub
sisting on roots and herbs; mothers
selling their children for bread, and
the horrors of cannibslism.
Such is the awful picture that has
recently been brought to the attention
Of the world from beyond the noun
tains which enclose the provinces Of
Shansi and shensi, in China.
The first break in the silence Of de-
spair, the first signal Of distress from
the millions Of starving in their iSo-
lstion came in the form of cablegram
10 America from Ii Hung Chang,
China's Grand Old Man, 1.-THE Bis
marck Of Asia.
The ca 1legrAm in itself was strange
thing Fur the Grat time in that long
history which began in the dawn Of
time, China was appealing for aid to
the newer world beyond the Great Wall
and the great sea Nsver before had the
like occurred. Caiamisies and wars
and pestilences there have been in
China during the lorg, moao.onous
dynasties, but none that she considered
impossible Of relief from resources
within her own borders. A:lths tradi-
tions of her past, all precedent and re:
ligion, were opposed to plea for aid
from foreign power. SD, indeed,
must be the plight Of the 20,OO0,00O,
when Ii Hung Chang says to Christisn
America: Help, or We psEish!'
Very serious famine" Earl Ii cs.
bled; "spreads over whole province Of
Shansi. Over 100000 population
\ affected. Urgent relief necessary. Con-
dition warrant immediate appeal"
WI Ti5g Fang, Chinese minister to
the Unitea States, supplemented the
viceroy's words with an urgent mes
sage Of his own, and forwarded a
translation Of the following touching
appeal from the governor and native
relief committee o. Shansi:
ITO Our Own People and Foreigners:
This tine the famine is more seri-
Gus than ever, because in the north are
the allied troops, and in the south We
have several places in rebellion. China
is Ysry poor now, and the people are IN
such q straig position that no very
big assistance can be expected from
them. Since more than several months
now, the famine has been beginning in
places 10 this province. In some vii
lagos they are eating human fash.
AL our brothers in the world should
be very sorry for US, and should know
how unfortunate We are. We wish all
our people to share some Of your money
which you spend amusing yourselves,
and for travelling, and for dressing and
for all kinds of comforts, to rescue
these poor people. It is much better
to save the starving and dying men,
women and children here, than to build
pagods or temple, or even church
because from ten to twelve million peo-
pie are suffering to DEATH
The two provinces Of Shansi and
Shensi are side by side in the northern
part of the Chinese empire, 600 miles
from the sea coast, their combined
area Of 157, 900 square miles, about that
of the New England States with New
York and Pennsylvania; yet, crowded
into tlis small territory are 20, 600, 900
human beings, more than one-quarter
the entire population Of the United
States.
Shansi and SGensi we're once beauti-
full and fruitful. They are mountain
GUS and .furroWed by picturesque val
leys. In fact, literal TRANSLATION Of
Shansi would mean Mountains Of the
East" For centuries before western
history began, the dense population
cultivated rice on the terraces on the
hillsides. Shansi is old ever for China.
Its principal city, Tai:yusn, vas the
capital Of the empire when Pekin vas
new. It's people were simple, coRtented
and peaceable.
During the last decsde European and
American civilization has driven al en-.
tering wedge into the prejudices and
supersititions Of the mountain pro-
vlnces. Especially was this true Of
Shansi, the nesrer Of the two to the sea
coast. UnGil recently it was the scene
Of the labors # more than l80 mission
aries. Agents of foreign firms in Hong
Kong and Shanghai have crossed the
mountain passes, and have made be-
ginning in what will some day be un-
doubtedly a large import trade with the
| farmers Of tie terraced valleys.
There are comparatively few streams
in the two provinces, and water for the
rice fields is supplied BY irrigating
bitches and wells. These dry up when
rain fails, and the result is failure Of
crops and famine. Such is the oondi-
tlon now. For tWo years scarcely any
rain has fallen in Shansi and Shensi.
Before the last Of the missionaries
| left Shansi, the black shadoH of hun
ger hung so low over the land as to
make even the famine horrors of India
small by comparison. And the shadow
has continued 10 deepen. NJ one will
probably ever know the exact number
Of victims, but recent accounts give
some idea Of the death harvest that is
being CLEANED in the parohed fslds.
Rice, the ons important stapls Of food,
| is worth its weight 10 gol6. As a sub
stitute the people, in sheer despair, eat
grass and the leaves Of t1ess.
Deaths are too numerous to make
funerals any longer possible. Outside
Of every 7illsge desp pit is dug, and
every morning are laid the bodies Of
thnsa uh1 have died during the night