The Jasper news., 1907-05-02

blind old mother. the mere skin-an-
bone framework Of woman. They
wanted help, and pleaded for 1t in the
thin whine of the utterly miserable
and dared not give them SO much as
COPPER!
The Mothers Suffering.
COR that mother. hard.eyed and
rigid, who 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 porridge for them all--and now
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~a the meager re-
| lief.
Strange incongruities flash into
ones mind as he walks about among
these 10000 refugees. AS l passed
this morning an old, old woman, COW
cred only by a few rags, who sat on
the cold, bare ground, sharing her
small bowl of rice with babe of IL or
1S MONTHS evidently her grandchild,
who sat on her knees, thought OF
some grandmothers whom ! know in
| America-sweet-face 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, rudy little dears,
wrapped in the finest linen, with ward
robes upon which love 'has lavished
it's generosity, anu 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, magma
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 story-a story OF q
home abandoned. of toilsome 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 9
doorway; of being driven from spot tC
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 .huddling to
gether in one mass for the sake OF hu
man warmth; OF the search for dry
gra5s with which to make tiny fire;
of the morning struggle for portion
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
I outpost of the famine district.
Always Close to Starvation.
"The Chinese live closer to actua
| starvation than 1t is possible for {
westerner to comprehend; they are oil
, ways poor. So the failure of the crop!
, not to mention the destruction o
their homes by fiood-at once placed
! them in state of actual restitution
which can only be relieved when tn,
, wheat crop is harvested In July
4 Meanwhile, owing to lack of seed. onl!
. half of the spring wheat crop has beef
! planted"
e The cargo Of food which the Chris
tian Herald sent over to the stricken
2 district in China cost 100000. an,
) this sum was raised by popular sub
i. scription.
Its arrival In China Is expected I,
r 30 much for the sufferers. but NOR
9 food will have to follow OF once, Cor