Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-09-18
FAMINE NOW AT IT'S WORST.
Starvation Destroying Thousands i'm
China. Late Reports From an
American Observed. Chill
dren Last to Die.

oCu 1AaSt W DiSs
Reports from China received at the
National Headquarters OF the Red
Cross within the last few days state
that the famine is now at its most
acute stage. During the next six
weeks while the new crops are rip
ening the need for relief will be most
intense. At present the relief COM
mittee is employing about 10000
men on public works and the earn
ingS of these men are saving prob
ably 100000 persons from starva-
ton. Meanwhile, certainly 2.000,O0O
are suffering and many thousand
must die unless the relief measures
are greatly extended.
Mr.. Charles w. Harvey of the Y.
NJ. c. A. of Tientsin, made a recent
journey through the famine districts
and at the request of United States
Minister Calhoun, at Picking, prepar-
ed report of his observations. The
character of this report which has
been forwarded to the State Depart
ment and is now in the hands of the
Red Gross, may be indicated by quot
ing briefly from its contents.
mo children were seen at play.
No grain, meat, vegetables or food
stuffs of any kind except the bark of
trees, dried grass, wild garlic and
roots were seen. We found no sign
of clothing anywhere, except the rags
on the backs of the people, no bed
ding, few farming implements,
nothing that could possibly be turned
into money except an occasional piece
of furniture and the doors OF the
houses or rafters in the matched
roofs. In many places We noted the
absence of doors in the homes and
saw the mud walls of houses strip
ped of roofs, which we soon found
had been used for fuel or exchanged
for food.
On the first morning out of Ching
Kiangpu we met man pushing a
wheelbarrow containing a low, fiat
basket, in which was huddled the
starving forms of his wife and child,
and beside them a few pieces of wood
which he hoped to exchange in the
city for food. s. | shall never
forget one little mud hut without
door, window or furniture, on the
mud floor of which sat a young wo-
man of twenty-five with child OF
two years lying on it's face moaning.
When | asked her why he moaned
she replied without comment, / can
not get him to eat any more grass.
He is starving to death.
In all our visits to the homes OF
these starving peasants there was no
begging, no appeals to our pity, no
tales of their suffering, no tears, nc
q m orion hnf eli mr. IA "a
over and over again, 'wo men Essu
hac'-'We are starving to death.
Unlike the beggars SO common in
the cities, these people a few years
ago We're successful farmers and la
borers unaccustomed to begging.
They have not learned to beg. We
found several homes in which only
children were left, and in one home
single little child of eight yeats.
huddled in corner with a bowl of
cooked bark and weeds, which, She
was eating with chop sticks. she
was the last of her family. The
workers in famine relief said it was
usual for the father to die first, then
the mother, then the older children
and the younger children last of all,
showing that affection and self-sacEi-
flee persisted even under these con-
ditions. "
| visited two of the stations for
famine relief carried on by the Cen
trail China Famine Relief Commit
tee. These were at You Kou and
Sun CHA Wei Tsu the first was con-
Quoted from a village of about 900
and the latter in farm house of one
of the local gentry We thoroughly
investigated the relief work in oper-
alton, talked over the plans of the
Chinese and the foreigners in charge,
and with those being relieved, and j
am convinced that the relief is sanely
and economically conducted effec-
tive in relieving the suffering of the
| people; in helping to prevent the
repetition of famine conditions; does
not pauperize those helped, but rath-
| er encourages self-help; and that
every dollar is honestly administer
| ed"
The American Red Cross has for
warded to the relief committee in
China over S150,000 since January
| LIST. This includes the amount raised
| by the vigorous efforts of the New
York Famine Relief Committee which
is a tireless auxiliary of the Red
Cross. But the Committee in China
pleads for at least 100000 more to
enable it to carry on its great task
until the new harvest ripens. Con-
| tributfons of any amount will help
They should be sent to the American
Red Gross, Washington, or to the
treasurer of the State Red Cross
Board of any state or to Mr.. Jacob
II. Schiff, treasurer of the New York
committee. rt