New-York tribune., 1907-03-03

other prayer and in the next village also there
were but the two words In the third VII
lage the priest-his unshorn hair falling about
his shoulders on his breast the three-barred
crucihx-led US among the houses Of his people.
Before entering the first I looked about the
barnyard and the little wicker farm buildings.
There was not head of grain not a living
creature. Beside the cowshed was heap of dry
weeds. weighted against the wind by a harrow;
nothing else could l see to suggest the harvest.
WEEDS FOR FOOD.
The house was on the plan Of all peasants
houses. On the earthen floor was one child. on
top of the oven was another, on the bed lay the
father and at the bare table sat the mother and
a second woman, the mothers sister-all with
the listlessness of exhaustion.
We questioned 10 the OF the mans
illness. and were told, Hes just weak" We
.did not need 10 be told the cause Of his weak
ness
We asked about the weeds beside the
shed. and she told US that when the too-late
rain had come weeds had sprung UP over their
fields, and these they had carefully gathered. as
all the village had done. That heap of weeds
was all that their land had yielded them. They
had thought these weeds would keep their COW
through the winter, but long ago they had sold
her, and sold all else. And now they had left
only the weeds
We had heard in Moscow Of a strange-strange
to us-use the peasants Of the hungry villages
were making Of weeds. and questioned her
further.
Yes. we have done that" she said. But the
bread got from the seed Of the weeds. II
made US all sick.
We went through barnyard after barnyard.
All were utterly empty. save in one here and
there we found the barely vital framework Of
Z rTcbb or And bOu AZ
house. and if for the contents OF most houses
had paid a dollar l should have been giving
charity. Yes. they had sold all, Their horses
they had sold, some to neighboring Tartars. also
starving. who ate horse1esh, but most 10 hide
dealers. who bought merely for the skins. Three
dollars apiece was the price Their 1eshless
cattle they had sold at similar rate. Their
sheen had gone for 80 cents and dollar and
some Of them had been exchanged for half their
weight in flour. The peasants had sold this
meat Instead Of eating II, because they are al
most wholly vegetarans. Black bread, that is
the only food And they sold not only because
there was nothing on which they could live. but
because there was nothing on which the STOCK
could live IL had 10 he sold. or lost entirely.
As II In. this village, was II in thou
sands II others And In one. Tartar village III
the neighboring province OF KaZan, the stripped
of despair bargain. An enteTpTsing buyer Of
women for the brotbals ~ Constantinople came
into the village. selected what pleased him and
made his offer. The peasants had nothing else;
they were hunger mad. and when the dealer
went away ne look WIN MIN tne elBU most
beautiful girls in the village. For them he had
paid from $50 10 $50 apiece-prices that Con-
stantinople would richly multiply. Very likely
this dealer or his brethren have been buying
for their market in other villages. for the oppor
tunty is TOO rare Il one for their business acu-
men 70 miss
II is notorious throughout Russia that the fam
inc fund is a rich source Of graft 70 those who
have control Of its expenditure. Officials, con-
tractors, sub-contractOrs all dip in their hands
and dip deeply. The officials get their share by
awarding contracts TO the thighest briber, the
brber his by delivering rotten flour Or the two
establish an underground partnership. which Is
usually conducted on this plan: The official
ranges with the Contracto: 10 deliver TO certain
district say a million poods of flour pood
Is forty pounds for a million and half rubles
The contractor sends EalS a million pools of
flour ana mikes with it half million pools Of
cral hundred thousand rubles 10 be divided be-
tween the partners-of which the smaller share
ENF< O"t - the official AMI the show girls AMI
chanluaSuc dealers Uf Paris are the happier, even
II the peasants are not.
e suNeIumcnt. until the last few weeks. has
done nothing Il stop this robbery Of famine
hrtad-not chaIity bread Il YOU please. for IL is
IN" I'e"sants' own. paid Tor by their taxes. Eut
recently TIE frauds have rousel trern endouS
rafrain from taking notice. y commission was
appointed 20 Investigate. Tho guilty. With in
dtgnant virtue Threw blame upon others. the
Srs'"mlees business methods uf an irresponsible
bureaucracy made proof and conviction imnns-
sihe. ard the situation remains practically what
il was before. The Eor@rument has no time for
such matters-tas time govern; has time
ner of rel"ntirss violence, the growing spirit of
iibertN.--'Rne Outlook