The Washington herald., 1908-01-26
is EASIER TO DIE
ExertiOn Impossible to India
Famine Victims.
HARD TO HELP THEM TO LIVE
FafaIistIc Indifference, Deceit, Sus-
pieion. and Dishonesty Hinder Re-
str0y Children HatheF Than BE
bothered with Their Sustcnance.

/
bothered with Their sustenance.
( Every few years the rain fails in Cen
tral India, and Death stalks through a
/ territory one-ffth the area Of the United
States, and, from a population p per cent
greater, Teaps a harvest Of millions.
( Every few years the rain fails In Cen
ral India. and Death stalks through a
/ territory one-ffth the area Of the United
States. and. from a population . per cent
/ greater reaps a harvest of millions
Famine. with its train of diseases. Is
once again threatening an area in the
heart of England's great dependency
/ eq al 70 that Of all the New England
States, New York. New Jersey. PcnnsyI-
vania. Delaware, Maryland. the District
/ of Columbia. Virginia West Virginia, the
Carolinas. Georgia, Florida, Ohio. Indi-
ana. ana Illinois. combined. with a popu-
latlou two and oue-half times greater
than that OF this section OF the United
/ States
This area has lain baking under a burn
/ ished sun until the heat rolls up from
/ the dust-laden earth in waves. and the
mind almost gives way under the strain
Of the m0notonous round OF rising sun.
with It's assurance OF another day OF
ovenlike heat. and setting sun. with frs
pitless promise of repetition when il
shall reappear in the course OF few
hours
"An human hope is now taken away
that a dire famine can De ayeTted. ' SAYS
Benjamin Aitken, who has had wide e2-
perlence with famines in India, writing
ia the current number Of "Tue C0utem-
porary Review
one of the most dishearteniug things in
the world ls 90 eudeavor 90 give great
gifts 20 people who do not appreciate
them. Only farseeiug men. with great
stores OF optimism, can keep on trying
To help persons who would rather not
have what is best for them
Helping the Hiad1 when famine forces
him forth from lis barren home in search
OF food has lis dlsoouragiug side, ac-
c0rdng 90 AIr. Aitkeu. Apparently there
are times when De IS more trying than
peeylsh, unreasoniug child.
Government Relief.
The Indian government is always oA
the alert for the symptoms Of an ap-
preaching famine. Relief takes the form Of
public works, grain is shipped % the
stricken districts by the tralnload. and
relief camps are provided for the dis
tributiCu of food
AS the season advances" AIr hitlen
says, 'and the famine grows more severe.
1t becomes necessary Co open kitchens for
the gratuitous distribution ~ food to the
thousands Of starving persons who are
too weak a. work,
This would Doe unnecessary II the peo-
pie had sense and could see that il was
better 90 anticipate an emergency than
to wait for il 10 0yerWheiu them. But
rather than go away 10 r relief work as
soon as 70 Is opened. tens Of thousands
Hnger in idleuess on their homestsads
until they become paupers
''Thcy reduce their daily allowance Of
food and eke it out with leaves and seeds
which they collect ln the woods. they sell
their implements OF industry for "a frac-
tIou OF their value aud their axes and
any vessels and cheap personal orna-
ments they possess. and also the doors
and rafters of their huls. and many Of
them take 20 robbery
by nature and habit they are not
steady workers. Therefore. many leave
the works and wander about the country
on the chance of subsisuuE on what they
can pick up. They are only half clad,
even ascoTdng % the Indian standard,
and many uf them are scarcely clad at all
IF they have children with them, they
desert them one by one leaving them 70
public charity II they enter a town and
"a. q --.
country. They grow weaker from day 10
DAY. taking shorter walks ana longer
rests, till they sink down 10 rise no more.
A Million Doomed.
Now. as 1 write. 1 have the appealing
prospect before me that ON the sole con-
dition OF my living I shall see all this
once more during next March. April and
May For nothing that love and money
can do VIII prevent a million or more Of
people from perishing in this way.
"The extraordinary and continuous NOR
tality of the pauper camps is attributable
To two clearly defined causes. one Of
these is The perversity Of the paupers
themselves. European paupers are neither
reasonable nor easily manageable but
they are as different as they can be from
p8UpeTs here.
Indian paupers look upon death as a
less evil than discomfort and inc0nven-
ience. And discomfort does not mean 70
them beinS without clothes lying on the
ground, living on dry cTusts. or having
nothing 10 do. II means having 10 make
an exertion, being put out Of their usual
way or being deprived OF tobacco and
spices. They are seldom happier than
when they can sit for hours doing moth
ing.
"Strangest Of all. they do NOT use vi0-
lence. as a rule. a number Of them may
be famishiug, with plenty Of food lying
exposed before them; yet one native peon
sufiices TO keep the crowd of.
In accordance with this Indifference to /
life. they viii leave the camp and wander
away, seemingly out of mere restlessness. !
and turn up at another camp with a lying
story, or come back 20 the camp they
left in such a state Of exhaustion that
their death within q few days is certain
Energetic efforts were made in the
Madras famine to detain the paupers by
fo.ce, but IN the last two famines only
persuasion and threats were resorted to /
However, people can laugh at threats who |
prefer death to restraint and starvation !
to inconvenience,
Brutal and Perycrse.
The brutality Of the perishing people |
is equal 10 their perversity. They do not /
know the feeling Of gratitude, although |
they are profuse IN expressions of it when /
they desire to allay suspicion. They prac- |
tise deceit with amazing cunning and au- /
dacity
They are unaffected by the sight Of 1
The highest gentlemen iu the land wear /
ing out their lives to save them. or By /
the sight of lakhs OF rupees being Law /