The Washington herald., 1912-05-06
CHINA'S FAMINE CONDITION
D. FRANCEs sHAFFER.

Before one can quite grasp what 1t
means when China Is in the grip Of
famine il must be remembered that
that oyer-populated land, not a scrap
of anything edible is permitted TO go
to waste. The poor mans table is a
revelation TO us. for 1t shows that
nothing is too triiing to fnd its way to
his lArder.
We read sometimes that after silk
worms have paid their toll to manufac-
/. ture. they are eaten by the poor, but we
do not stop to think that it is the ex-
ceeding scarcity of food, rather than
strangely perverted taste, that IS back
OF the repulsive custom. The cuisine in
China is said to be toOthsome In the ex-
treme. but the food quest is unremitting.
and the great masses turn to anything
that will sustain life before ever they
think of appealing TO the palate.
When the farmer has gone over his
harvest field for the last time, women
and children cleaners are on hand, and
they look over every bit of the stubble
that is left, hoping to find enough wheat
heads TO keep them alive another day.
Sweep Up Rice Kernels.
And on the water fronts, where coolies
carry produce TO the junks, there are
scores OF women waiting to sweep up
anything that may be dropped-perhaps
a few kernels of rice, dozen beans or
so, maybe a bit OF sugar that has leaked
from sack. In The Changing Chi
nese," DR.. Ross tells that when sugar
is being unloaded there is always a mob
of cleaners waiting to swarm upon the
fa.-r4s L. al -
rIed out. And these eager men "scrape
from the gangplank and the deck the
sugar mixed with dirt that for two hours
has been tramped into q muck by the
bare feet of two-scoIe coolies trotting
back and forth across a dusty road
The very responsiveness of the practice
Is revealing of the amazing scarcity Of
food and makes II easier to understand
why 1t is that in China the great topic
TO what they shall eat. When the huck-
ster prepares peanuts for sale he offers
tust five as a portion. And SO 1t goes,
with food always the one great problem
and that is why they are so ready to dis
pose OF the girl babies, why we hear that
in Canton rats and cats are offered for
sale. why the fungus that shoots up in
the grass after a rain is gathered as
something more for the larder and why
the bitches by the roadside are bailed out
because there may be q few inch-long
fishes thar can be eaten.
Live SordidIy.
At best. the poor in China live sord-
idly, from hand to mouth" and from
day to day. because in the years of
plenty, as they spell It. those on the
edge Of want have no surplus whatever
for the famine years. And so when
drought or flood lays its heavy hand
upon the crops, the destitution is almost
immediate.
Then they begin to make cruel in
stead OF dry bread. and soon that grows
thinner and thinner, for they turn to
every natural resource-weeds, leaves,
and roots where they can be found.
anything that will retain a spark of
life.
And now that China has been through
a period OF three lean years" as they
put It. with excessive rains and foods,
the famine conditions are deplorable. so
deplorable that in the news bulletins sent
out by the Central Famine Relief Com
mittee we read that boys and girls and
is the way the report reads
ARE sold for the equivalent OF a dollar
apiece to keep the rest OF the family
alive. In other instances, the bulletins
show that fathers sacrifice themselves
for the sake OF their families, giving
them the larger amount OF food, and |
first Of all to the dread |
famine call
We have always been told that the |
Chinaman does not put a high valu- |
alton upon his life. and It would be |
rather remarkable II he did, for when I
be is poor there is the constant fear Of |
from famine. and at best he |
knows little enough of what we regard /
Is ordinary necessities.
100000 Facing Starvation.
It is grim story they tells. .ooo 600
persons facing starvation. with no pros
,ect Of relief until new crops shall have
;ome to the harvest time. always pro-
riding there is not failure through
irought. II these people were not used