The Rice belt journal., 1907-04-26

rigid, who stood against a wall with !
her six children gathered about her
tattered skirts, staring out unCaring on
a company of living refugees, who are
a more melancholy sight than the
thousands Of ancient graves among
which they are enCamped. They had
been fed-One portion of thin, watery
rice porridge for them all-and now
they must wait in the cold for another
"a hours to pass before they can be
fed again-and even then some
stronger ones may push them aside
and steal their turn at the meager re-
lief.
Strange incongTuities flash into
ones mind as he walks about among
these 10000 refugees. AS l passed
this morning an old, old woman, COW
cred only by few rags, who sat on
the cold, bare ground, sharing her
small bowl Of rice with a babe Of y or
IS months, evidently her grandchild,
who sat on her knees, | thought of
some grandmOthers whom | know in
America-SweetfaCed and comfortable
and kindly, whose evening Of life IS
made pleasant by the love of children
and grandchildren, and who know not
the word want. And | recalled some
baby friends-sweet ruddy little dears,
wrapped in the finest linen, with ward
robes upon which love has lavlShed
it's generosity. and whose food IS
matter of careful consultation with
physicians and friends.
"Of course, l cannot imagine these
dellcately nutured babes in dirty tat.
ters and exposed to the cold winter
night and day. week after week, yet
somehow one picture suggests the
other. Just so, when refugee mother
| accoSted, us this morning and asked US
to accept her child as a gift, imagina.
tion brought instantly to view the pre-.
ciousness of the American children
know.
| Suffering Unparalleled.
Incidents could be piled upon Incl.
dents; every one of these 10000 refu'
l gees incarnates a story-a story Of
home abandoned, of toilsome Journeys
to this southern district in the hope OF
finding a pittance of food to allay that
awful gnawing Of hunger; Of the
eager hunt for a sheltered nook In
doorway; of being driven from spot tC
spot, until at last few feet of bare
earth are secured out among the
graves with the other refugees
space no bigger than Chinese grave
suffices for an entire Chinese family;
of the daily and nightly budding to
gether in one mass for the sake Of hu
man warmth; of the search for dry
gra-s with which to make tiny fire
of the morning struggle for portion
of the government rice and Of that in
describable, terrible, primitive due
between life and starvation which th'
Chinese so dauntlessly endure.
"In all this, write of the best AM
not of the worst. This is only the frs
outpost of the famine district.
Always Close to Starvation.
THE Chinese live closer to actua
starvation than it Is possible for
westerner to comprehend; they are a.
ways poor. So the failure Of the crop
not to mention the destruction o
their homes by flood-at once place'
them in a state of actual destitutior
which can only be relieved when tn
wheat crop Is harvested IN July
Meanwhile, owing to lack Of seed, onl
half Of the spring wheat crop has beel
, planted"
The cargo of food which the Chris
tian Herald sent over to the stricke
district in China cost 100000, an
this sum was raised by popular sui
scription.
It's arrival in China Is expected t
do much for the sufferers, but NOR
food will have to follow at once. Cor
ditions have grown steadily worse, an
plague has broken out In one or tw
of the provinces. The sufferers ar
huddled together in thousands in tn
camps,
a Millions Face Death.
: In Russia the conditions are littl
less appalling. For the first time i
e the history Of such catastrophes |
Russia the government itself is arouse
g to the necessity for relieving th
S stress. The famine affects no les
|. than 30,000,000 peasants inhabiting a
d area half as large as the Unite
r States, and while this area lies b
S tween the steppes and white Ru
l. sia," the famine Is affecting Indirect
y the people within the pale" who d
Q pend upon the peasants for trade an
- commerce
The peasantry represents S5 p,
cent. Of the entire population. The
one means Of livelihood Is farmin
d and when the rain did not come