The evening star and Newark advertiser., 1907-07-20
RELIEF WORK
SUCCESSFUL MISSIONARY
EFFORTS IN CHINA.
Report of E. ]. Johnstone, Special Com
missioner Sent to the Flowery
Kingdom.

e. !. Johnstone, special commissioner
of the Christian Herald China Famine
Relief Fund, writes letter to the
journal he represents describing condi-
tions in China and the work there.
Advance proof sheets have been sent
out by Louis IS1opsch, of the Christian
Herald. Mr.. Johnstone's letter is dated
at Huaian, May 10, and is as followsi
Two hours ago I saw the first sack
of Buford -four delivered to starving
applicant. He was a man, gray-haired
gaunt, grateful. IL grave eyes filled with
new light joined palms lifted in salute
mean aught. The second sack went to
a withered crone with half a dozen
mouths to feed; the third to a girl not
more than IL and barely able to
shoulder and carry away the half hun
dredweight of life-saving food,
1t was from the deck of one OF three
junks, towed with infinite difficulty
from Chinkiang. that the delivery was
made 1t was supervised by the Rev.
Dr. II. M. Woods, a missionary OF
| Twenty-Five years service in China, and
whose house--comfortable according to
Oriental ideas-is in the centre of
Huaian pronounced Wheean), promi-
nent walled city of 10000 people sit
uate on the Grand Canal. at the south
| ern edge of the famine district and
|
point for American relief. DR.. Woods
was assisted by Messrs. Brown and
Espey. young missionary volunteers
| from Shanghai, who for months have
undergone physical hardships mental
distress, dangers from violence and
disease, in order that they might save
| lives.
The Junk. with its 1880 sacks of
| Christian Herald flour, was moored on
the west bank of the Grand Canal, op-
posite the city. To the left and on top
| of the bank was a Buddhist temple and
| through a narrow stockade built to
keep away the importunate crowds and
leading into the temple court, passing
long lines of coolies bearing the cargo
| of sacks from another junk. In the
very storeroom in which the pile of
flour sacks rose. was a glass-covered
niche from which beamed a placid
Buddha.
From third junk coolies were bear
| Ing -four to the eastern gate of
Huaian, where another relief station
has been established. Government po-
lice, or men employed by the mission
aries to act as guards, are everywhere
present, and of successful thievery
there Is a negligible quantity.
About 800 II 200 miles) to the north OF
Antung, a relief station ninety II northeast
from Huaian, is a district untouched by
relief of any sort, native or foreign. 1t
lies away from main Travelled roads, Is
difficult of access, and, like many thou
sands of square miles of area to the west
ward, was part of the famine's mystery
haunted stronghold Recently Chinese
officials made an investigation in this par /
of Kiangsu and ordered census of living
and dead. On the most conservative lines
the ante-feminine population is given at
900 Qt is not large district), and the
death rate since February at 40 per cent.
There Is no reasonable doubt that in the
relatively small patch of country in ques-
tion 10000 human beings have died from
starvation within the last three months.
When one thinks of Anhui, Honan and
other provinces, 1t Is easy to believe the
estimate of missionaries. taotai, magis-
trates and others interested, that millions
have died of hunger and destitution since
1907 dswned.
Now look on the pleasanter side
Through the efforts of the missionaries il
distributing from wisely located stations
the relief provided by America, the deatf
!. rate in reachable parts of Kiangsu l(esti
|, mated to have a population exceeding H..
600, O00) has been kept astonishlngiy neal
the normal. OF deaths there have beer
plenty, but the great majority thereof are
to be credited to the refugees from tht
unhelped regions above referred to-
i The death rate IN the Localities renewed
unduestonably would have been as great
as In the northern district where 40 pei
cent. fell victims to hunger cold, destitu'
tlon and disease. 1t is computed that tn,
100000 contributed to the fund saved more
Il than 100000 lives.
Another accomplishment by these same
missionaries. There has been neither pau.
perzation nor halfway help. People have
worked for their food-buying wage wher
not too old. too young or too Ill, and
they have been carried over to harvest
time-are even being carried beyond Il
when they have lost home as well as
hope of harvest. as in the case of the
thousands upon thousands of refugees who
have been cared for at the relief stations
The aggregate of the workers and theiI
helpers at all the relief stations will noi
fall short OF 100000 men and boys. All
approximate of deaths from drowning dis
ease and starvation, since January l, is
given by one missionary at 100000. in
cluding deaths in Anhui and Honan. and
In Kangsu by a minor Chinese official al
100000. I feel very sure the figures are
under rather than over the truth,