Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-01-16
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London dispatches tell Of The distress
existing in the northern part Of swe-
den on account Of famine Il seems
that the people are again brought to
the Necessity Of trying to sustain lie
on bread made Of pine bark, and sim
ilar substitutes for flour 1t seems to
be a repetition of the experiences Of the
people in those parts about forty years
ago when a great many died Of hunger
and disease Notwithstanding the
philanthropic efforts made to save
them
The northern parts Of Sweden are
frequently visited by severe winters.
The spring Of 1902 was unusually late in
arriving, and when it Gid come the sun
quickly melted the ice and the snow.
And then another heavy snowstom
came. The ground was soft The
snow melted quickly ana torrents OF
water rushed down every slope, wash
ing away the soil ana with II the grain
that had beer put ln This settled the
crops for the year
The reports state that much has been
done to relieve the sufferers, but that
much more in this direction is needed
The people OF the southern part Of
the kingdom are doing what they can
but It appears that the crops have not
been abundant there either. A great
relief work Is being done by scandina
VANS in this country and particularly
by the swedes and It is hoped the dis
tress viii not be quite as disastrous as
It was in 1900
But northern Sweden IS not the only
area where there Is distress at pres
ent. Finland is also said 10 be suffer-
ing from a scarcity Of food, and even
in the European centers OF population,
there are thousands who are actually
In want Justin Mccarthy describes,
in the Independent, the situation in
London, He says that IN many of the
poorer districts especially in the East
end OF the metropolis, there is absolute
starvation The wqrkhouses have no
space LETT In which to pack the stary-
ing crowds who are craving every day
and night at their doors for food and
shelter All the charitable institutions
have exhausted their means in trying
to raise supplies Of food for furnishing
residents Ia the garrets and cellars Of
London lanes and alleys The quarters
of the Salvation Army IN various parts
Of London are nightly besleged by
hosts OF the unemployed and the hun
cry, for whom neither shelter nor the
means OF sustenance can be provided.
To add to the trouble, there are large
numbers Of men who were Induced to
so out and serve as soldiers in the
war and who now return home clam
0rous FOR some means OF making a llv-
Ing, and utterly unable to find any
manner Of remunerative occupation.
Hundreds and hundreds Of these men
are only TOO glad to accept the task
Of breaking stones under the workhouse
authorities in order to get the means OF
obtaining food enough to keep them
alive.
That is a sad picture, particularly
when contgastcd with the picture OF
wealth and luxury that can be seen
daily IN other parts OF the great met
ropois. OF course. the charitable insti-
tutlons ana the churches are doing all
IN their power TO meet the emergency.
II is remarkable time IN which
we are living. The testimony Of fam
ines and OF earthquakes seems to be
presented with great force in many
places,