Milford chronicle., 1912-05-17
FAMINE nov AT ITS WORST
Starvation Destroying Thousands in China
Late Reports From an American OBJ
server. Children Last to Die.


Reports from China received at the Ma
tional 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 ripenng the need for relief will
he most intense. At present the relief
committee is employing about 10000 men
on public works and the earnings OF these
men are saving prol ably 5OO,0 ,00O persons
from starvation Meanwhile, certainly
1000 COO are sufferinga ard many thousand
must die unless the relief measures are
greatly extended.
Mr. Charles W. Harvey of the y NJ
G. A., Of Tientsin, made a recent journey
through the famine districts and at the
request of United States Minister Calhoun,
at Peking, prepared a report of his obser
vations The character of this report
which has been forwarded 10 the State
Department and is now in the hands Of
the Red Cross, may be indicated by quot
ing briefly from its contents.
mo children are seen at play. No
grain, meat, vegetables or food stuifs Of
any kind except the bark OF trees, dried
grass, wild garlic and roots were seen. We
saw no signs of clothing anywhere, except
the rags on the backs of the people, no
bedding, X few farming implements,
nothing that could possibly be turned in
to money except an occasional piece OF
furniture and the doors OF the houses or
rafters in the tl,atched roofs. Ia many
places we noted the absence of doors in
the homes and saw the mud walls Of
houses stripped of roofs which we soon
found had been used for fuel or exchanged I
for food
"On the first morning out OF Ching
Kiangpu we met man pushing wheel
barrow containing low fiat basket in
which was huddled the starving forms of
his wife ana child and beside them lew
charred pieces of wood which ne hoped
TO exchange in the city for food x
| shall never forget one little mud hut
without door, window or lurnituie, on
the floor of which sat a young woman OF
twenty two with q child OF two wears ~
ing on its face moaning When ! asked
her why he moaned she replied without
comment, i cannot get him TO eat any
more grass. He is starving to death.
'ln 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, no emotion, but simply
the one sentence over and over again,
'wO men Essu liac'-'We are starving 10
DEATH Unlike the beggars so common
in the cities, these people few years ago
were successful farmers and lab0rers un-
accustomed to begging. They have not
learned to beg We found several homes
in which only children were left. and in
one home a single little child OF s Years,
huddled in a corner with a bowl of cook
ed bark and weeds, wlch 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 ofall show
ing that affection and self sacrifice per
sisted even under these conditions.
81 visited two of the stations for famine
relief carried on by the Central China
Famine Relief Committee. These were
at You Kou and Sun Chi Wei Tsn the
first was conducted from village of about
! 900 and the latter in farm house Of
one of the local gentry. We thoroughly
investigated the relief work in operation.
talked over the plans of the Chinese and
the foreigners in charge, and with those
being relieved, and l am convinced that
tn relief is sanely and economically con-
d cted effective in relieving the suffering
Of the people; in helping to prevent the
lepetiton of famine conditions does not
those helped but rather en-
self help aud that every dollar
s honestly administered "
The American Bed Cross has forwarded
10 the relief committee in China over p
Bl50, 900 since January l. This includes
he amount raised by the vigorous efforts
If the New York Famine Relief Commit
zee which is a tireless auxiliary of the
Red Cross. But the Committee in China =
pleads for at least 5000, 900 more to en-
Ible it to carry on its great task until the
lew harvest ripens. Contributions of any
mount will help. They should be sent
o the American Red Cross Washington, &C
# to the treasurer Of the State Red Cross Pf
Board of any State or to Jacob H. Schiff,
Al ~ =.