The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-01-28
THEY NEED help
Terrible News From China Told in Let.
ters From =rhal Land.
PEOPLE ARE STARVING

| PEOPLE ARE STARVING
Famine Conditions Described by d
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
communication which have been re-.
ceived by the Rev. p. D. Jenkins,
pastor Of The Piedmont Presbyterian
Church, from his brother, DR.. w. T.
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 Piedmont 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 fellows:
am away from home-out in a
Chinese house-that means in the
cold. I have a small charcoal fire
in little furnace beside me but
that don't begin to warm a room.
My bones are SO near my skin these
days that I feel the cold more than
ever and I always was coward
about it. ;:s
| l have on for outer clothing now
heavy oyercoat lined with sheep
skin with the wool on, my hat Il
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. I'm not suffering
physically, but oh 1t does hurt me
to see the famine sights and hear
the famins cries.
I just had to buy a pair Of pants
the other day for aifellow.. He kept
coming to the inquirers Bible class
these freezing days with only one
garment on his lower limbs and that
was thinner than n Summer under
clothes and he had no socks at all.
He had pawned everything heavier.
It is freezing cold day and night
and this poor, fellow like raft of
others has no sign of quilt at night
pawnad or sold for food you know.
Ills face is swollen from the food
he has been eating-utterly indiges-
tible stuff and not nourishlng-
weeds, greens, bark, ground up with
little barley or potatoes and made
Into thin cruel to fill up the stom-
ach.
He has little boy in the hut with
him clothed no better than he and
his wife, carrying baby, is out beg
!ging, gone week now. Who knows
but that she and the baby are deai
| on the wayside, starved or frozen
to death. alas, alas, the sufferings
.of these poor peopis. A young man
in the village mile from here where
We have Christian mission, starry
ed to death the other day and an ola
lady near, of the same disease, lately.
He was thrown out Of work by
hard times--begged, but few could
give-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 friend for food,
ate it all at one meal and died, too
much for his wasted stomach.
In that same village there are 90
odd families and only three Of them
are now eating "dry" food, the rest
are eating thin Cruel made of a lit
tie coarse -four or beans mixed with
much green's 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
spring? 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. If it should snow and so, shut
tbe people OFF from gathering greens
(weeds) in the fields many will just
have to die.
Some OF our Christians have al
ready changed color, sign of adj
rarcad starvation, have been eating
cruel some time. Christians ana
friends look at HE with longing eyes
II 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 OF he will be utterly swamp
ed by crowd: begging. I don't see
how I can come back here before