The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-03-15


the spirit of Christ we shall not be I'M
mindful of their material wants. He who
had compassion on the multitude be-
cause they had nothing to eat would
never have closed his ears to the cry
of a famine-stricken nation. If We would
be like him, we, too. should feed the
hungry and succor the homeless. the
widow and the orphan. How better can
we make known the grandeur and beauty
of the Christian faith than by proving
to other nations its beneficent influence
As the hand of Christian America is
stretched out across the seas. bearing
bread for the starving. they see Christ
living again in us and bless his dear
name. Having accepted from us the bread
that perishes, they will listen as we tell
them of the Bread that came down
from heaven, of which If a man eat he
shall live forever. Were the welcoming
doors of heather India ever more widely
opened for the gospel message than when
the shiploads of American breadstuffs
were fioated across the Atlantic. through
the Mediterranean, down the Red sea and
over the Indian ocean until they were
safely landed in the harbor of Bombay
during the awful Indian famlnes of 1897
and 1902 I have seen it estimated that
hundreds of thousands of starving and
dying natives were physically saved
through American generosity during those
two years. But no one save the record
ing angel of heaven will ever be able TO
keep track of the multitudes of immor-
tai souls who will ultimately be brought
to the feet of Christ through the con-
tributions and the prayers Of those who
tried to some extent to allay the horrors
of that awful famine plague
When did Russia ever hear sweeter
gospel message than that played by the
waves tapping the ships prows which
carried American food TO her peasants
during the famine plague of 1892? All
those were not idle words which Christ
uttered when he said unto those on his
right hand, Come. ye blessed of my
Father. inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world
for l was an hungered. and We gave me
meat" 1t does seem that in a national
as well as in an individual sense no
Christian country can truly present the
gospel to foreign lands If at the same
time 1t Is not ready TO help those for
, eign nations when they are afflicted with
famine and plague. We say famine" and
plague" in the same breath. because
starvation and disease are two horrors
which always devastate the land at the
same time Where famine goes there
plague follows close behind And. while
We are thus considering the philanthropid
/ aspect our national duty to other lands
sometimes assumes, l want to make an
especial plea for ADMINISTRATION Fin
land. | make it the more earnestly be-
cause many of her sons and daughters
have migrated to our shores and there
fore it is doubly our duty to aid them.
| make this plea the more earnestly be-
cause If food Is not sent quickly thous-
ands of those poor peasants will soon
DO beyond human aid. Brothers and sis
ters will be dead; children will be dead;
fafl 49, L.. A.
communities will be exterminated by
famine and the plague.
Though the religious and daily news
papers have been for weeks filled with
the accounts of Finland's sufferings, the
horrors and agonies which those simple
people of the north are going through
will probably never be fully told. But as
| try to describe it to you in part no
words of mine can so touchngIv present
the condition Of that afflicted land as does
the simple statement which Inspector
Engberg, who knows that country we'll,
gave to representative of the American
| press: 4 have seen much of the suffer-
ing, he says ut has been awfulIy black
and is so still, take my word for that.
l nave become through custom almost
hardened to seeing women and children
crying for food; that was common as re-
Gently as New Years day. When | hear
DRpliit ttlh ABOUT conditions DelnR pXaR-
gerated, | think of how have seen hui
man beings eating bran. of how an old
woman, the wife of a formerly prosper
ons farmer, is in the habit of coming to
my stable and begging permission 10
serape the leavings in the bin of my horse
for sustenance for her three COWS, of how
every mother In this community is de.
lighted to get meat bones that have been
discarded by more prosperous house
holders and boil them and reboil them
until they float in the hope of extracting
particles of nourishmcnt You will be
right In saying that we have STAYED Off
starvation until now, but God help us If
relief should now fail u.s." Oh nv
brother and sister, could any plea for
food be more pathetic, more urgent than
That? Human beings compelled to eat
bran-that food which today you would
refuse to give to your dog. Eating bran
and chopped rye straw and the bark of
trees merely to stine the awful erav-
lngs OF munger, and yet not able to even
get enough of that
Starving Finland is stretching her arms
across the Atlantic, appealing for bread
from Christian America. Dare we. can
we. refuse to heed the cry? Dare we.
shall we, stop our ears to this gospel call
Remember that solemn question of the
apostle, "fIe that hath this worlds goods
and seeth his brother have need and
shdtteth up his compassion from him.
how dwelleth the love of God in him ~
AS you love your children. think of those
children that are starving; as Won love
your wife, think of those wives and
motlers and sisters who are now totter-
ing upon the Drink of the grave because
they have nothing to eat May God lead
you To see your duty In reference To this
call which comes from across the seas,