The Lamar register., 1907-04-24

Boston--on the treeIess steppes Of
-.Issia. beyond the pale and in the
,<id districts OF northeastern China,
thousands OF human beings are dying
for z-ant of food. Lack Of rain in the
frs; instance. excess of it in the sec
ond is the cause
Fige provinces in China and Il in
Russia are affected. and. while from
the former country come awful tales
Of the bartering OF human fesh for
food. Of the sale OF little children. and
Of the breaking out Of the plague
among the se-packed sufferers. from
Russia comes wall oil despair. where
men. women and children are trying
TO cling to life. with almost nothing to
eat and with no fuel In a temperature
Of rs degrees below zero.
Conditions are such in both coun-
tries that 1t Is estimated that what in
this country would be the price of a
single visit to the thea.er would save
a human life until returning crops
bring seif-suppor-
The Christian Herald OF New York.
which has taken charge Of the Ameri-
can end of the Chinese famine relief.
pledged itself to supply 10000 900
pounds OF -four. corn. cornmeal. medi-
cal supplies. etc. In addition to what
had already been sent The govern
ment gave the army transport Gen
suford to carry this consignment from
San Francisco to Shanghai.
Government Aid Inadequate
In Russia the famine is being re-
iieyed to some extent by government
aid. but the restrictions this aid car
ries with 1t make IT very Inadequate
II Involves the delivery OF one pound
Of bread day only to sufferers less
than II and more than So years of
age. Infants under one year. and all
the vast majority between II and SO
get nothing except what the unselfish
among the more fortunate are willing
TO share. And. above and beyond this.
there is the fact that the black hand
OF Russian official graft appropriates
for private ends at least one-half Of
the money the government voted for
relief
Bishop Potter. OF New York. is pres
ident and DIR. Samuel J. Barrows. for
meriy Of Boston. is secretary OF the
American relief for Russia.
A foreign correspondent writing In
description OF the affected districts
says: Every semblance of grass
plants and roots has disappeared. and
starving parents are ealing their chill
dren. know this To be true. and
have myself found human flesh on
sale"
Three Months in Fsn,ine's Grip.
The district Involved in the famine
Is known as "Kianpeh." meaning
north OF the river" the stream being
the Yangtse. For more than three
months this region in northern China
mas been in the remorseless grasp OF
famine and famine-bred disease. Forty
days of rain and consequent floods
heaped calamity upon the 10000
square miles of territory and its 49,
900. 900 OF people. Before new crops
can be raised 1t Ia estimated that.
despite the beat efforts for relief. the
death list will exceed that OF Naples.
san Francisco and Jamaica rolled into
one.
Writing after a tour through one OF
the famine camps OF 10000 starving
refugees. a correspondent said recent
iy- Little more than an hour ago I
saw two women. presumably mother
and grandmother. waiiing over the
tiny coffin of a child that had been
part OF grim famine's daily toll
1T is all so horrible. so overpower-
;ng. SO haunting. So heartrending. that
one cannot write OF 1t in orderly fash
ion. It seems As Il only the repeated
cry of Help, Help, Help can be
fashioned for the ears OF the prosper
Gus American people. to whom God
has given a year OF plenty. while the
poor OF China perish from want
out OF the awful mass of suffering
a succession OF individual pictures
comes trooping before my vision.
There was the man. too weak to stand
erect, who bore on his back. as older
brothers carry babies In China. his