The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-03
LETTERS TELL SAD STORIES
Bread Is Made From the Bark Of Trees
PitifuI Appeals, -

TiIiIuI Appeals.
A budget of pitiful letters has been re
ceived by Il h J ournal from the
famine districts of Finland and northern
Sweden, through j. H. Jasberg of Han
cock, Mich. secretary of the Finnish Cen
trail Relief committee. The letters are all
personal ones written by sufferers to
friends in this country, some making ap-
peals for aid, others acknowledging the
receipt Of gifts. One from Juuka PROV
ince of kuopia, shows that every effort is
being made by the people to help them
selves and that the authorities are CO.
operating. The writer, Fro Huttunen,
reports the entire destruction of crops so
that the farmers are entirely dependent
on imported provisions. "Foregn grain
is cheap, but there is no money. No
work is to be had, and should one out of
ten have some, what will 10 cents which
he receives a day, be to the large families?
Already many have been com PEELED . to
make bread from bark. -.E-.s r .~... ~
I'm the towns and cities large sums
have been raised for the famine sufferers,
but their help is not sufficient Even,
though the older people should be able to
endure the hunger more bravely, still the
large number Of innocent children crying
for bread and clothing will cause their
parents to heave. many sigh of sorrow
as they are not able to withstand the
pangs of hunger like grown people. Often
we must go to bed with our weeping
| families. all hungry. hoping that the Lord
may provide something for the morrow.
"There is no hope of conditions inprov=
ing before next summer. Those most in
| need have selected me to make this ap-
peal for help lin the name of Almighty
God and praying for deliverance from this
terrible conditionD to you, and we hope
that you will undertake the task Of col
lecting money for our help as soon as pos
sible, as you we'll know how long a day
is in poverty We implore you, in the
name of God, not to disregard our request,
but to heed our, cry of distress
From Kaavi, Finland, comes a letter
written Jan. Is, which says:
Besides the famine, there is sickness
and death, and the people here are dying
so that twenty burials are to be performed
on most Sundays. In our village whole
families are dying, and the famine suffer-
ing is universal among ALL. Some aid is
coming to the poorest people now and
then, both food and clothing, but the
farmers do not receive anything. In addi-
tion to this, hard and high tributes will
soon be due, so that this hard time will
make an end for a good many people. But
where many people get the money, seeing
there is no work and in many houses not
enough to eat to sustain life? No man
can believe this story Of starvation unless
he has been an eyewitness of famine.
For these reasons many people are emf
6iotAls5 " <AAlSI I'D IL Jill mere upOl lIoe
tickets. furnished them by friends and
relatives, in America, g., ',l#. .F& - 5az ?
A letter from Walikowskis sent to the
writer's sister in Duluth, reports the fam
inc prevailing along all along the valley Of
the Tornio up to Lapland, the people and
beasts Of burden suffering together. In
this locality relief supplies are coming in,
in large quantities from southern Sweden.
England and America: This letter is full
of expressions Of gratitude for the help
that has come to a helpless people. &sG