The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-02-01
They need help
Terrible News From China Told in Let
ters Frem That Land.
PEOPLE ARE STARVING

PEOPLE ARE STARVING
Famine Conditions Described by 4
Minister Who Is Out There.-A
Pathetic Story Of Starving Men
and Women and Little Children
The Crops Failed.
Probably not in several years has
there passed through the mails OF
this section Of the country letters
bearing more distressing news than
communications which have been re-
ceived by the Rev. P. D. jenkins,
pastor Of The Piedmont Presbyterian
Church, from his brother, DR.. ". =.
Jenkins, who is missionary to
China. says the Greenville News.
Floods last summer and fall near
Suchien, China, destroyed crops and
the gaunt spectre OF famine is now
stalking through the land. The let
ters received by the Rev. Mr.. Jenkins
tell OF the most terrible conditions
which exist in the famine stricken
district. The Piedmo ont pastor has
very kindly consented to allow the
publication Of extracts from some OF
the. letters he has received from his
brother. They are as follows:
am away from home-out In
Chinese house-that means in the
cold. have a small charcoal fire
in a little furnace beside me but
that don't begin to warm room.
Ny bones are so near my skin these
days that I feel the cold more than
ever and 1 always was a coward
about it.
I have on for outer clothing now
heavy oYercoat lined with sheep
skin with the wool on, my hat q
don't take it off except to pray or
sing or sleep, and heavy wadded
Chinese shoes with two pair Of wool
en- socks to keep my feet warm.
Don't pity me. Pm not suffering
physically, but oh it does hurt me
to see TIE famine sights and hear
the famine cries.
I Just had to buy pair of pants
the other day for :. fellow. He kept
coming to the inquirers' Bible class
these freezing days with only one
garment on his lower limbs and that
was thinner than my summer under
clothes and he had no socks at all.
He had pawned everything heavier.
1t is freezing cold day and night
and this poor fellow like raft of
others has no sign Of quilt at night
pawTsd ST sold fos food you know.
Ills face is swollen from the food
he has been eating-utterly indiges-
tible stuff and not nourlshing-
weeds. greens, bark, ground up with
4 little barley or potatoes and made
into thin Cruel to fill up the stom-
ach.
He has little boy in the hat with
him clothed no better than he and
his wife. CARRYING a baby, is out beg
ging, gone a week now. Who knows
but that she and the baby are deaa
on the wayside, starved or frozen
to death. Alas, alas, the suferinss
Of these poor people. A young man
in the village mile from here where
we have a Christian mission, starv-
ed to death the other day and an old
lady near, OF the same disease. lately.
He was thrown out Of work by
hard times-begged, but few could
sive-no work to be had-pawned
his only thick clothing, got so weak
and stiff he could not get about. His
sister-in-law gave him five cents in
gold. He sent by a friend for food.
ate it all at one meal and died, 100
much for his wasted stomach.
In that same village there are 20
odd families and only three of them
are now eating "dry" food, the res:
are eating thin cruel made Of lit
lie coarse flour or beans mixed with
much greens CD really just almost
any weeds, grass, ETC., because cruel
| fills up better.
And this is only December! What
| will things be like in the cary
! -Dring? Other Villages are better
of but they say that half the people
through this section are now eating
cruel and much Of that exceedingly
thin. II it should snow and so, shut
the people OF from gathering greens
| (weeds) in the fields many Will just
have to die.
Some of our Christians have al
ready changed color, a sign OF ad-
yanced starvation. have been eating
cruel some time Christians and
friends look at me with longing eyes
(I gave out so much famine relief
four years ago. they dog my steps
to seek a private interview to tel
me their troubles. And what can
do?
Already I've given out more mon
ey than I possess Of my own and be-
sides one has to be very careful how
he gives or ne will be utterly swamp
ed by crowds begging. don't see
how I can come back :.ere before
harvest if I cannot bear to see their
distress and hear their cries. wish
could put my head in a hole and
not see or hear anything till next
summer.
1t is going to be awful later and
it is bad enough now. Any money