The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-07

chemical which cannot be washed Oft.
This Is the sort of thing which
makes all missionary work in China
SO discouraging. One day / went with
missionary to take Il census of
destitute village. Further inyestign-.
for this occasion increased the num-
Der Of its children two-fold. while no
less than ten families outside Of the
village had registered themselves as
residents. II there are any more con-
slant and unblushing liars in the
world than the Chinese. I hope 1t
may never be my lot to have dealings
with them.
Cattle Fodder for Human Beings
An admirable trait OF these mis-
s!onaries Is that they are impellcd to
their labors by deeper motives than
the deserving OF those whom they
seek to help. They realize that even
If the Chinese are unlovely and dis
honest, they are none the less fellow
mortals II. need. Tho very village
that have Just mentioned was facing
Imminent starvation; not a grain OF
rice or wheat could be found in any
of the homes, and the family cooking
pots contained only sweet potato
leaves. Throughout the famine re-
glon the people arc subsisting solely
on leaves weeds, fungus, bark and
roots. The supply of these is now
giving out. Nobody but the Chinese
could have STAYED off death so long.
The peasants in the famine area
have sold their live stock, as we'll as
! their other possessions, and now they
| themselves are glad to eat the fod-
| der. a priced food at present Is the
| refuse Of bean oil and peanut oil.
| which ordinarily is used Cor fertilizer.
The few remaining pigs that arc now
being butchcred are so thin that they
render no lard, and lard has conse-
quently more than doubled In price
| Having scruples against taking life
| (the Chinese Mohammedans are the
| butchers Of this country, the famine
sufferers arc waiting for their dogs
and cats to die that they may eat
| them. / saw dogs 80 nearly starved
| that they could not bark. 1t will be a
| poor meal that any family will make
from it's household pets, for the lat
ter are only skin and bones.
Starving-Yet Not Hungry.
Many curious sidellghts on tho fam
! inc are seen by the missionaries. A
| great number of patients at tho dis
| pensarics complain that they are not
! hungry, and cannot bear to eat food,
! even when they can get It, They do
not realize that this Is the last stage
OF starvation. Even more pathetic is
| the case Of the little children, whose
mothers have discovered certain
weed, which, without affording any
| nutrition, nausentes them just enough
to keep them from crying for food.
\ or course many persons are being
! poisoned by eating the wrong kinds of
/ weeds: in their desperation they fill
their stomachs with any green thing
| they can find.
Disease Is yet to reap Its worst har-
4 vest over the smtten area. Smallpox
Is now rayaging tho centre of the
famine region, one house in three be-
Ing affected. Medical attention Is not
i sought and vaccination is declined. In
a one house / found the family gathered
in the same room with man whose
in the worst imaginable case OF small
poX. Tho wife was calmly comblng
her hair.
Famine fever Is scarcely beginning
Its ravagcs, although thousands vii
perish from this cause before spring
Fl When tho worse plaques come Tho
missionaries will be In real danger
One Of tho doctors ut Tsn-kiang ha.
not yet wholly recovered from an at.
tack of famine fever some years ago
The nervous exhaustion incident t.
the extraordinary strain and work OF
famine relief Is telling on some mis-.
4 sionaries, One of tho most efficient
men is able to sleep only few hour.
every night.
While on the subject OF sickness
is worthy of note that the only liyint
skeletons produced thus far by Til,
famine have been found In the hospi
tails, and they We're suffering from dis
ease as we'll as stnryation.{A a mat
! ter OF record starvation here does no
i, produce the evacuation which Is $,
notable in the Indian famines, Thos
IN the last stages Of hunger beconl,
boated and swollen, as with. dropsy
The one certain characteristics of til,
, furnishing. and have noticed 1t Ii
the case of two out OF three pernon
met in the rural parts OF lSlangpeh, 1
the peculiar famine pallor--a llyidness
a business, and tenseness Whiel