The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-04-21
LAND OF The GREAT HUNGER
Russian Peasants Attempt to Keep
Alive on Bread Crumbs.
Flour Made Of AeOrns, Straw, and
Bark, and Even of Weeds-Not
Half Enough to Eat.

The lanQ OF lnc gffd munger IL u
thus that a recent traveller in Russia de-
scrIbes the famine district In the Out
look there is a story OF the journey of
Mt and Mrs. Leroy Scott through some
.of the starving villages.
Before entering The first house, q"
writes Mr.. Scott Il looked about the
barnyard and the little wicker farm
buildings, There was not a head of grain.
not a living creature. Beside the cow
shed was a heap Of dry weeds.
I'VE asked about them and were told
that when the 100 late rain had come
weeds had sprung up over the fields;
theSe had been carefully gathered and
that was ali that the land had yielded.
They had thought these weeds would keep
their COW through the winter. but long
ago .hey had sold her.
we had heard in Moscow OF a strange
use thc peasants OF the hungry villages
were making of weeds, and We questioned
her further.
Yes. we have done that. But the
bread We got from the seed of the weeds
il made US an sick
THIS weed bread Is not the only SUBJ
stilute for bread IN the starving regions,
The screenings of the thrashed wheat
and rye, composed of shTiVeied grains
chaH. seed OF weeds. and dirt. usually
the portion OF chickens and cattle, is be-
ms eaten where il can be had.
In districts where the oak grows
acorns are ground into flour. and from
this is made a bitter bread, the loaves Us
solid and heavy as bricks. Straw IS
ground into flour; and bark, particularly
dor q md
mixed with rye flour in the proportion OF
I half and half With such things tbs
stomach is distended, even If il is not fed
These people were living golely on thai
which is given them by the government
and the Red Cross and ZemstyO funds
The government grants monthly To eacl
! person under eighteen aud over fifty-nin,
forty pounds Of -four. All between these
I ages and infants under one get nothing
other rules bar many families from re
cciving the government allowance, and C
aid these families is the chief effort OF
[ the Red Cross and zemstvo relief. Daily
in such villages as have Red Cross klteh-
ems there are given 70 each child end eact
old person OF these families a pound OF
/ black bread and a small portion OF s0uT
made of cabbage and potatoes. strength.
ened with shreds Of meat. or a little oil
Again nothing for the adults.
But the adults are not utterly without
food. for the portion Of childhood and old
! age is divided among the workers OF the
/ family, and the pound Of bread to each be
/ comes half a pound. or even less. Now
the adult Russian peasant. who lives at
most wholly on grain. is accustomed ID
eating daily five pounds Of black bread
/ Divide your own daily ratiOns by ten ant
see And they that have this tenth are
l the fortunate ones
4 knew that a man could keep alive q
short time on half a pound Of bread daily
I but how a man-yes, a fifth Of a nation
could live from harvest 10 harvest on No
more 1 could not imagine
zone old woman there was, almost
shrunken To mere bone, who cried silently
all the while There were four in hel
( family. herself and her three grown sons
/ Upon her one pound a day the four wer,
/ living Only she did not divide il int
fourths; she divided # into thirds, anC
/ for weeks she had eaten only crumbs.
Another house sheltered sixteen peopl,
/ twelve adults ana four children. one
I baby. We asked the mother how muct
I food the house received. It seemed an eff
( fort f0~ her even TO raise her eyes, ana
/ her voice was a meager whisper. Fol
/ three she said. Three pounds for six
/ teen people-a fifth of a pound a piece.
And then we came into a house wher,
[ lived a family of five-a father and moth
er in the forties two sons, one nineteeI
and the other twenty-five, and a daughtei
/ of thirteen. OF these five the govern
ments regulations gave aid to but one
/ the girl But her monthly portion, givel
on the first, had long ago been eaten.