The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1907-05-02

TlSiu, VINO stood against a wall with
her six children gathered about her
tattered skirts, staring out uncaring on
company of living refugees, who are
more melancholy sight than the
thousands of ancient graves among
which they are encamped. They had
been fed-one portion of thin, watery
rice porrdge for them all-and nov
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 incongruities flash into
ones mind as he walks about among
these 10000 refugees. AS | 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 babe of II or
Is months, evidently her grandchild,
who sat on her knees, | thought Of
America-sweet-faced 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 lavished
it's generosity, and whose food is a
matter of careful consultation with
physicians and friends.
"Of course, | cannot imagine these
delicately nutured babes in dirty tat
tiers 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 gift, imagine
| ton 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'
gees incarnates a story-a story OF a
home abandoned, of toisome 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 sheltered nook in a
doorway: of being driven from spot to
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 hui
man warmth; of the search for dry
gra IS with which to make tiny fire;
of the morning struggle for portlor
of the government rice and of that In
describable, terrible, primitive due
between life and starvation which the
Chinese so dauntlessly endure
I'm all this, write of the best, ant
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 al
WAYS Door. So the failure OF the crops
not to mention the destruction o
their homes by flood--at once placed
them in a state of actual restitution
which can only be relieved when thu
wheat crop is harvested in July
Meanwhile, owing to lack of seed, onl!
half of the spring wheat crop has beef
planted"
The cargo of food which the Chris
tian Herald sent over to the stricken
district in China cost Sl0O,OOO' ah'
this sum was raised by popular sun
scription.
IT'S arrival in China is expected t.
do much for the sufferers but NOR
} food will have to follow at once con
ditions have grown steadily worse, AM
n,ague has broken out in one or wv
of the provinces. The sufferers ar
buddIed together in thousands IN TN
camps,
Millions Face Death
In Russia the conditions are HUI
less appalling. For the FIRST time Il
the history of such catastrophes Il
Russia the government itself Is arouse
+ TO the necessity for relieving IN
stress The famine affects no les
than sO.oOOOOO peasants inhabiting a
area half as large as the ohiIe
states. and while this area hes p'
tween the steppes and White Rus
sia," the famine is affecting inu 1.ho =,
/, the people within the pale VINO o'
mend r upon the peasants for trade an
: commerce. or no
The peasantry represents 80 ,rL pc .,
cont Of the entire population. Ihei
one means of livelihood Is lasn n I.
1 -.Lo,, The rain did not cOnle